Tips on trips from Písek

The first mention of a facility for stud stallions comes from 1811, but modern stud farming in Písek comes from the beginning of the 20th century. At this time, studs were kept at the new stud farm built at the edge of Písek in 1901-1902. At first, the breeds were taken care of by the army, since Písek was a garrison town, then in 1924 the stud farm passed into civil administration. The stud farm complex encompasses spacious and bright stables as well as a covered and open riding school, an isolation stable, insemination centre, and administrative complex with apartments. The entire complex is made of brickwork complemented with Art Nouveau elements.

The Jewish community in Písek, which ceased to exist in 1940, is reminded of by the former cemetery on the northwestern edge of town in the fields behind the neighbourhood known as "Pražské předměstí". It was established in 1876 and was used until the 1960's. The cemetery was later seriously devastated, and even some of the gravestones were taken away. It was mostly renovated after 1990. Today the cemetery covers 4,461 m2 and contains about 60 graves.

The Písek region can boast of a noteworthy monument that is unique in the Czech Republic. It is located in the village of Albrechtice nad Vltavou approximately 16 km from Písek in the direction of the town of Týn nad Vltavou. Visitors to the village’s small cemetery feel like they have stepped into the past. They are taken back into history not only by the Romanesque Church of St. Peter and St. Paul from the 12th century, but also the monuments on the cemetery wall from the 19th century. In 1841, at the impetus of the local minister Vít Cíza, the creation of the first group of chapels commenced. The appearance of this initial triad was copied in all the rest – the centre chapel is a little taller and wider than the two on the sides, all are ornamented with iron crosses on the top, and each has a painting and inscription of verses. The verses written in Czech, primarily dealing with the life and death of the deceased, were composed by the minister himself. The provincial painter František Mikule from Jinín u Strakonic painted the patron of the deceased under the epitaph. The chapels run along the entire cemetery wall in a circle, and some can be found on the mantle of the church.

An untraditional but interesting destination of a trip could be a cemetery, at least the one in Putim, a village renowned from Švejk’s (Schweik’s) České Budějovice Anabasis. One can see the small building of the ossuary on the northern side of the cemetery. It has been standing there since 1741 and in 1829, thanks to minister Ondřej Zloch, it was piously laid out. The skulls and bones were neatly arranged. The ossuary holds the earthly remains of the soldiers that fell in the War of Austrian Succession in 1742. A mystery is associated with the ossuary: for a long time a three-sided army hat with a feather was placed on one of the skulls and it was said that whenever it was removed from the skull and placed somewhere else, it reputedly always reappeared at the same place. Nobody knows if this folk tale is true, however according to local witnesses, the hat really was in the ossuary. This ossuary made it even to poetry, in the poem V putimské kostnici (In the Putim Ossuary). Its author, Antonín Klášterský, meditates in the poem above the skulls of fallen French soldiers. Experts on classic literature should surely look for the grave of the Putim farmer Jan Cimbura, who Jindřich Šimon Baar chose as his main character in his novel of the same name.

Two Gothic fortified settlements have been preserved in Kestřany, 5 km southeast from Písek. The older one, Upper Fortified Settlement was built in the 2nd half of the 13th century. The so-called burgraviate comes from this period. Later, the fortified settlement was expanded with mighty dwelling towers and a palace wing (beginning of the 16th century) on the south side. The palace has a hall, the vaulting of which is ornamented with Renaissance frescos. The fortified settlement was surrounded by a moat and ramparts. The so-called Lower Fortified Settlement was built very near the Upper Fortified Settlement in the beginning of the 15th century. The Lower Fortified Settlement consists of a mighty two-storey dwelling tower surrounded by buildings. The walls of the fortified settlement are reinforced by a cylindrical bastion. A Baroque chateau was built next to the fortified settlement in the 2nd half of the 17th century.

Zvíkov Castle was founded by Přemysl Otakar I in the 13th century and it served as the seat of Přemyslid rulers. It later became the property of the Rosenbergs and Schwambergs. On your way to the castle palace you can see the Hlízová Tower (also called Markomanka). Its stone markings became the subject of many years of conjecture – some investigators even considered them to be runes.

The Orlík nad Vltavou Chateau was originally also a royal castle from the 13th century. It was gradually reconstructed and expanded. Its current neogothic appearance comes from the middle of the 19th century. After taking a tour and seeing extensive collections of hunting weapons and trophies, you can walk in the large park of the chateau, preferably northeast to the Schwarzenberg tomb.

The Orlík Waterworks, built on the 144.65 river kilometre of the Vltava during the years 1956 to 1966, is not only the largest dam in the entire Vltava cascade but also, when it comes to the volume of water, the largest lake in the Czech Republic. The primary purposes of the Orlík Waterworks are the accumulation of water for improving the water flow of the lower section of the Vltava (and also the Labe (Elbe)), protection of the area below the dam, including Prague, from floods, and also the generation of electricity. Of course, this also includes the utilisation of the lake for sports, recreation and fishing activities and also for boating.

This town is home to a former Premonstratensian monastery, which is one of the oldest and rarest monuments in South Bohemia. It is mentioned as early as 1184. The monastery with its Romanesque Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary (kostel Navštívení Panny Marie) wasa gradually built up to the 14th century and it later underwent further renovations. The Gothic Church of Saint Giles (kostel sv. Jiljí) with its Romanesque tower is located in the cementery behind the monastery complex.

The Crocodile zoo in Protivín offers a wide range of crocodile species, including rare and criticaly endangered species. Available is also a new zoological museum offering an exposition of osteological preparations of vertebrates as well as invertebrates.