Písek
Encyclopedia
Písek (ˈpiːsɛk; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region
of the Czech Republic
. It has a population of 29 909 (est. January 1, 2007).
is much more southerly, because it has many high schools and schools of higher education, e.g. the Film School in Písek
. Up to the last decades of 19th century Písek was a centre of large autonomous Prácheň Region (also Prácheňský kraj
) (today's Prachatice
, Písek, Strakonice
and part of Příbram
, Klatovy
, České Budějovice
and Jižní Plzeňsko Counties).
Písek has its own freeway to Prague
and it lies on Zdice
–Protivín
and Tábor
–Ražice
rail lines. It is superbly connected to central and western Bohemia or the same way as to the southward situated Šumava (historically called Böhmerwald or Gabreta in Germanic and Celtic languages)
The climate in Písek is mild (one of the 3 warmest part of Czech Republic) because it is protected from all sides against cold winds. Low precipitations (about 500-550 mm/annum) and with temperatures 0 to 20 °C temperature in Blue Time season (March-April), about 15 to 35 °C in summer season (May-September), 10 to 25 °C fall season (October-December) and -5 to +10 °C in winter season with rare snow (January-February). Predominantly sunny all the year. Extreme cold weather has reached -19,6°C and extreme hot +37,9°C (last decades observation). Písek is surrounded by Písek Mountains (or Gem Mountains) which its highest peak is 633 metres high (260 metres above city center). The river which flows across the city has the old Celtic name, Otava
.
) in the Czech Republic
(and the second oldest in the whole central Europe
an region).
, Wales
, United Kingdom
Lemvig
, Denmark
Smiltene
, Latvia
Velky Krtis
, Slovakia
Wetzlar
, Hesse
, Germany
.jpg)
South Bohemian Region
South Bohemian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia...
of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. It has a population of 29 909 (est. January 1, 2007).
About
Písek is usually called "The Athens of the South", although AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
is much more southerly, because it has many high schools and schools of higher education, e.g. the Film School in Písek
Film School in Písek
The Film Academy of Miroslav Ondříček in Písek is a private school located in South Bohemia in Písek. The school is named after Miroslav Ondříček, a well known Czech cinematographer and patron of the school...
. Up to the last decades of 19th century Písek was a centre of large autonomous Prácheň Region (also Prácheňský kraj
Práchensko
Prácheňsko , or Provincia Prachinensis, is the northern region of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, between Prague and the Austrian border...
) (today's Prachatice
Prachatice
Prachatice is a town in the South Bohemian Region, Czech Republic.-History:The town of Prachatice has its origins in the 11th century, following the beginning of trade on the "Golden Path"...
, Písek, Strakonice
Strakonice
Strakonice is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Estimated population: 24,000.-History:The settlement of this region took place in the second half of 12th century when a castle was built...
and part of Příbram
Príbram
Příbram is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic with a population of 35,147. The city is located on the Litavka river and the foothills of Brdy, 60 kilometers south-west of Prague, the country's capital...
, Klatovy
Klatovy
Klatovy is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.Klatovy is also the seat of the Municipality with Extended Competence and Municipality with Commissioned Local Authority.- History :Klatovy was founded during 1260–1263 by Přemysl Otakar II....
, České Budějovice
Ceské Budejovice
České Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences...
and Jižní Plzeňsko Counties).
Písek has its own freeway to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and it lies on Zdice
Zdice
Zdice is a small town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic in the Beroun District....
–Protivín
Protivín
Protivín is a small town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants.It is also known for the Protivín Brewery, which produces a regional beer label Platan.-External links:*...
and Tábor
Tábor
Tábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
–Ražice
Ražice
Ražice is a village and municipality in Písek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 412 ....
rail lines. It is superbly connected to central and western Bohemia or the same way as to the southward situated Šumava (historically called Böhmerwald or Gabreta in Germanic and Celtic languages)
The climate in Písek is mild (one of the 3 warmest part of Czech Republic) because it is protected from all sides against cold winds. Low precipitations (about 500-550 mm/annum) and with temperatures 0 to 20 °C temperature in Blue Time season (March-April), about 15 to 35 °C in summer season (May-September), 10 to 25 °C fall season (October-December) and -5 to +10 °C in winter season with rare snow (January-February). Predominantly sunny all the year. Extreme cold weather has reached -19,6°C and extreme hot +37,9°C (last decades observation). Písek is surrounded by Písek Mountains (or Gem Mountains) which its highest peak is 633 metres high (260 metres above city center). The river which flows across the city has the old Celtic name, Otava
Otava River
The Otava is a river in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. It is long and is a left tributary of the Vltava. The river flows through several towns, including Písek, Sušice and Strakonice. The river's name is of Celtic origin. It is a popular river for water sports. The local dialect of Prachens also...
.
History
This South Bohemian town was, up to its serious damage in 1620, one of the biggest towns in Bohemia. It is considered to be of prehistorical origin (about 900 BC, when it was officially built in the 13th century - but in these times one part of this town had been still inhabited by descendants of Celts (today's Saint Wenceslas). The oldest town in the area of modern Písek ("Písek" in fact means "sand") was Hradiště (Oppidum on top of Hradiště hill). Close to this place two graves of Celtic kings can be found. Písek has still his unique atmosphere and has a well-preserved, picturesque medieval centre. A large part of Písek was built in 19th century, so one can still find there many buildings built in classical or neo-styles. In Písek is the oldest bridge (Písek Stone BridgePísek Stone Bridge
The Písek Stone Bridge is the oldest bridge on the area of Czech Republic and one of two oldest bridges in Central Europe, located in south Bohemian city of Písek. Was probably built in the 3rd quarter of the 13th century....
) in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
(and the second oldest in the whole central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
an region).
Famous residents
- Přemysl Otakar II – Czech king
- John I of BohemiaJohn I of BohemiaJohn the Blind was the Count of Luxembourg from 1309 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He was the eldest son of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII and his wife Margaret of Brabant...
– Czech king - Charles IV, Holy Roman EmperorCharles IV, Holy Roman EmperorCharles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
– Czech king - Václav IV – Czech king
- Fráňa ŠrámekFrána ŠrámekFráňa Šrámek was a Czech anarchist, impressionist, and vitalist poet, novelist, and playwright....
– poet - Adolf HeydukAdolf HeydukAdolf Heyduk was a distinguished Czech poet and writer. Many of his poems were later adapted by Antonín Dvořák.-Life:...
– poet - Josef HolečekJosef Holecek (writer)Josef Holeček was a Czech writer of the realism and ruralism movements who wrote about his native South Bohemian Region, a journalist and translator....
– writer - Otakar ŠevčíkOtakar ŠevcíkOtakar Ševčík was a Czech violinist and influential teacher. He was known as a soloist and an ensemble player, including his occasional performances with Eugène Ysaÿe.-Biography:...
– violin teacher - Mikoláš AlešMikoláš AlešMikoláš Aleš , was a Czech painter.-Biography:Aleš was born in Mirotice near Písek, into a relatively rich family that was in debt at the time. He was taught history by his brother František until the latter's death in 1865; he expressed interest in painting at an early age...
– painter - August SedláčekAugust SedlácekAugust Sedláček was a distinguished Czech historian and archivist. Notably, he worked in medieval history, detailing the history of Medieval castles in the Bohemian Kingdom. He wrote among others extensively on autonomous region of Prachens in the southwest of Bohemia in 1926 .-External links:*...
– historian - Kateřina NeumannováKaterina NeumannováKateřina Neumannová is a retired Czech cross country skier. She was a flatwater canoeist and downhill skier before moving to cross country skiing at sixteen...
– cross-country skier - Tomáš ZíbTomáš ZíbTomáš Zíb , is a male tennis player from the Czech Republic. He reached a career high ranking of 51 in 2005, and is ranked number 290 in the world as of August 18, 2008.-Wins :-Runners-up :-External links:* *...
- tennis-player - Tomáš VernerTomas VernerTomáš Verner is a Czech figure skater. He is the 2008 European Champion, a two time European medalist , and a seven-time Czech national champion. He has won six senior Grand Prix medals, including the 2010 Cup of Russia title.- Early career:Verner started skating at the age of five...
- figure skater, European champion 2008 - Jan MukařovskýJan MukarovskýJan Mukařovský was a Czech literary and aesthetic theorist.He was professor at the Charles University of Prague. He is well known for his association with early structuralism as well as with the Prague Linguistic Circle, and for his development of the ideas of Russian formalism...
- literature theorist - Jan ČarekJan CarekJan Čarek was a Czech poet, essayist, and literary critic. He was greatly popular in his day for his children's books a "rural" poetry.- Biography :...
(1898-1966) - poet, essayist, literary critic
Twin towns
CaerphillyCaerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Lemvig
Lemvig
Lemvig is a municipality in Region Midtjylland on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 510 km², and has a population of 22,067 . Its mayor is Erik Flyvholm, a member of the Venstre political party.The main town and the site of its municipal...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Smiltene
Smiltene
Smiltene is a town in the Vidzeme region of in northern Latvia, 150 km northeast of the capital Riga. It has a population of 5,880 .-The name:...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
Velky Krtis
Velký Krtíš
Veľký Krtíš is a town in southern Slovakia, situated in the historical Novohrad region. The town's most important economic sectors are mining and agriculture.-History:...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
Wetzlar
Wetzlar
Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Framework Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of...
, Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Main sights
- Church of Our Lady (Kostel Narození Panny Marie)
- Church of Holy Trinity (Kostel Nejsvětější Trojice)
- Church of the Holy Cross (Kostel Povýšení svatého Kříže)
- Písek Castle (Hrad v Písku)
- Prácheňské museum (Prácheňské muzeum ) - http://www.prachenskemuzeum.cz/en
- Marian column (cs:Mariánské sousoší)
- Stone Bridge (Kamenný most)