Regions

South-Bohemian region

 

Uniqueness of the region:

• Geographically: water areas (fishponds, artificial dam lakes - Lipno), nature areas of the Šumava National Park and Protected landscape area, Blansko forest Protected landscape area, Třeboň and vicinity Protected landscape area
• Industrially:
  - at present - production of pencils, beer, fishpond farming and fish breeding
  - historically - Schwarzenberg shipping channel, horse railway, the first sugar cube in the world
• Culturally: folklore
• Historically: Hussitism, renaissance

Significant historical event: activity of Master John Hus, Hussite wars, 30-years war, the Rožmberks

Outstanding historical personality:
Ema Destinnová (1878 - 1930; opera singer, soprano)
Mikoláš Aleš (1852 - 1913; painter, draftsman and illustrator)
Josef Skupa (1892 - 1957; marionetteer, stage director and dramatic adviser)

Significant cultural monument:

• two locations enlisted into the UNESCO list of the world cultural and nature heritage (Český Krumlov - 1992, and Holašovice - 1998)
• 25 immovable national cultural monuments
• 2 movable national cultural monuments
• 7 municipal monument reservations
• 16 rural monument reservations
• 1 archeological monument reservation
• 25 municipal monument zones
• 50 rural monument zones, and others
• 5 landscape natural reserves and numerous movable and immovable cultural monuments

Significant natural locality: Šumava National Park and Protected landscape area, Třeboň and vicinity Protected landscape area, Blansko forest Protected landscape area; Lipno dam artificial lake, Chýnov cavern (within the Czech Republic is this cavern accessible for the longest time period - it has reached this year already 135 years since the time it was made accessible), Tereza's valley, Borkovice moors, to the oldest nature reservations in Europe belong the Žofín virgin forest (it is nor accessible to public) and the Hojná Voda virgin forest in Novohrady mountains, well known is also the Boubín virgin forest.

Significant investment project: The most important project, which has influenced and will further influence in a decisive way the influx of tourists into the South-Bohemian region, is the Marina Lipno, a recreation region of European level. It is a recreation park in one of the most attractive South-Bohemian localities, near the Lipno water dam. Modern background, luxurious accommodation facilities, a wide offer of services, and recreation possibilities - it is already for several years an attraction for both domestic and foreign clients, which is being permanently developed and improved.

Outstanding contemporary personality:

• Radomír Postl (posters, leaflets, book arrangements, etc; represented also in the Museum of Modern Art, Toyama, Japan)
• Jan Solpera (work with writing, book and applied graphics; participated also at the Trienale in Toyama, Japan - (according to the accessible information he participated regularly)
• Václav Johanus (painted humor, book and newspaper illustrations, applied and free graphics - he had an exposition also in Tokyo)
• Jiří Müller (book illustrations and graphics; presented foreign expositions mostly in Europe)
• Josef Sahula (painting landscape)
• Michal Tůma (photographer - České Budějovice; he issued a photo publication about České Budějovice and Český Krumlov)
• Adolf Zíka (fashion and advertisement photography - Prachatice; he won the first place in the Czech Press Photo contest in the year 1995, category sports - serial)
• Roman Sejkot (art, reportage and advertisement photography - Vodňany; he won the third place in the World Press Photo contest in the year 1994 by a photo story about a mentally handicapped boy)

Typical product: pencils, beer, important is also the local production of fish

Typical food: A characteristic feature of the south Bohemian kitchen was in the past a simplicity and economy. The base was created mainly by rural meals, to a big extend by soups - for example garlic soup, potato soup, "kulajda" soup. During common days there were eaten mostly fresh cakes with white coffee, or baked pancakes with strong soup; abundantly were included dishes from potatoes. Main dishes in the form, as we know them at present, were prepared in the southern Bohemia rather only on holiday.

Next to the typical Czech specialties (pork with cabbage and dumplings, filled-in fruit dumplings, pig-slaughtering meals), you can in the South-Bohemian region have a taste of exclusively local specialties: potato doughnuts, so called "kočičák" (mashed potatoes with sauerkraut and cinders), potato pancake (pancakes from grated potatoes with marjoram), or "zelňáky" (pancakes from lard, flour and sauerkraut). Of course, fish is in the menu not missing (carp in the black manner, filled with a stuffing, according to Blatná fishermen, pike or trout in the miller manner, perch on butter). From venison is being prepared, for example, roe-deer leg on juniper berries, hare on acidulated cream, boar with rosehip sauce, pheasant with wild spices; from poultry is being prepared mainly duck with cabbage and dumplings.

Folklore: customs (Shrovetide carnivals, municipal and historical celebrations, traditional crafts), folk costumes

Architecture: rustic, so called rustic baroque (Holašovice, but also in the Veselsko region, Blatná and vicinity region, Soběslav and vicinity region, and in many other places)

Tourist destination: The South-Bohemian region disposes of an extremely big amount of historical and cultural monuments, interesting natural localities, many traditions and specialties. Among the most sought-after ones belong at present the Hluboká nad Vltavou castle, Lipno area, Šumava National Park and Protected landscape area, Třeboň and vicinity Protected landscape area, Blansko forest Protected landscape area, and of course the UNESCO monuments - historical town center, the castle and knight's castle in Český Krumlov and the precious preserved rustic architecture (so called rustic baroque) in Holašovice.

Other: There are convenient possibilities to spend vacations here - the South-Bohemian region is an ideal place for relaxation; heavy industry was never present and is not present until now; small and middle business has not influenced the local countryside in any basic way, and thanks to it the biggest advantage of the South-Bohemian region is a well-preserved nature and a unique amount of culture-historical monuments. It is possible to relax in the southern Bohemia also in spa centers, mostly in the towns as Třeboň, Bechyně and Vráž at Písek are sought-after and well-known. For the therapeutic procedures there is used also the nature potential of local lowland moors. Terrain here is convenient for all activities, for hiking tourism, bike tourism, for water and winter sports. The new trend is so called country tourism, which is considerate to the nature.

Contact:
South-Bohemian region - Regional office
Jihočeský kraj - Krajský úřad
U Zimního stadionu 1952/2
370 76 České Budějovice
Phone: +420 386 720 111
e-mail: podatelna@kraj-jihocesky.cz
www: www.kraj-jihocesky.cz, www.jiznicechy.cz, www.jiznicechy.org, www.pamatky.com