Písek | |
|---|---|
 Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, town walls and theOtava | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Písek Location in the Czech Republic | |
| Coordinates:49°18′32″N14°8′51″E / 49.30889°N 14.14750°E /49.30889; 14.14750 | |
| Country |  Czech Republic |
| Region | South Bohemian |
| District | Písek |
| Founded | 1254 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Michal Čapek |
| Area | |
• Total | 63.23 km2 (24.41 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 378 m (1,240 ft) |
| Population (2025-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 31,121 |
| • Density | 492.2/km2 (1,275/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 397 01 |
| Website | www |
Písek (Czech pronunciation:[ˈpiːsɛk]ⓘ;German:Pisek) is a town in theSouth Bohemian Region of theCzech Republic. It has about 31,000 inhabitants. The town is known for the oldest bridge in the country. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as anurban monument zone.
Písek is a centre of education with a number of important schools. Up to the last decades of 19th century, Písek was the centre of the large autonomousPrácheňsko region.
Písek consists of nine municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2]
The urban core is formed by Budějovické Předměstí, Hradiště, Pražské Předměstí, Václavské Předměstí and Vnitřní Město,
The name of Písek literally means 'sand' in Czech. It refers to the sand of the Otava River, which waspanned for gold by the first settlers.[3]
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Písek is located about 42 kilometres (26 mi) northwest ofČeské Budějovice and 80 km (50 mi) south ofPrague. Most of the municipal territory lies in theTábor Uplands, but the southern part lies in theČeské Budějovice Basin. There are several steep streets, and some suburbs lie more than 70–90 metres above the town centre. The eastern part of the territory, known as the Písecké hory Nature Park, is covered bydeciduous woodlands mixed with a high number of various coniferous trees. The highest point of Písek and of the nature park is Velký Mehelník with an altitude of 633 metres (2,077 ft). The lowest point is located on the surface of the Otava at 350 m (1,150 ft).
The town is situated on both banks of the riverOtava. In the municipal territory there are several brooks with manyfish ponds. The largest of the ponds are Prostřední Putim and Stará Putim.
Písek has a mild and dry microclimate because it is well-protected from all sides against winds. Písek enjoys a cool inland version of ahumid continental climate (Dfb) with rather balanced temperatures year round and rare deep negative extremes. The annual precipitation is 710 millimetres (28 in).
| Climate data for Písek | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.0 (35.6) | 3.8 (38.8) | 8.4 (47.1) | 14.0 (57.2) | 18.0 (64.4) | 21.4 (70.5) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.1 (73.6) | 18.4 (65.1) | 13.4 (56.1) | 7.5 (45.5) | 3.3 (37.9) | 13 (55) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) | 0.0 (32.0) | 3.8 (38.8) | 9.0 (48.2) | 13.5 (56.3) | 17.1 (62.8) | 18.8 (65.8) | 18.6 (65.5) | 14.1 (57.4) | 9.3 (48.7) | 4.3 (39.7) | 0.6 (33.1) | 9.0 (48.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.8 (25.2) | −3.5 (25.7) | −0.6 (30.9) | 3.7 (38.7) | 8.3 (46.9) | 12.1 (53.8) | 13.9 (57.0) | 13.7 (56.7) | 9.8 (49.6) | 5.5 (41.9) | 1.4 (34.5) | −2.0 (28.4) | 4.9 (40.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 45 (1.8) | 36 (1.4) | 53 (2.1) | 47 (1.9) | 73 (2.9) | 82 (3.2) | 89 (3.5) | 79 (3.1) | 62 (2.4) | 50 (2.0) | 48 (1.9) | 46 (1.8) | 710 (28.0) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[4] | |||||||||||||
The predecessor of the town was a settlement of the area where gold was panned, which later became a market village with the royal court. In 1254, KingOttokar II founded a royal town here. During his reign, the town grew and its importance increased. A castle was built above theford across the Otava river, a monastery was founded, andPísek Stone Bridge was built. Also, at the end of the 13th century, themint was founded, later moved toKutná Hora.[3]
From 1308, Písek was afree imperial town, and in the 14th century, Písek became the administrative centre ofPrácheňsko region. Under the rule ofCharles IV, the salt and grain warehouses were founded, and were the largest inBohemia. For centuries, the town of Písek was the holder of the largest urban estate in Bohemia, especially forests.[3]
During theHussite Wars, Písek was conquered by theHussites and the monastery was razed. During theThirty Years' War, in 1619–1620 the town was conquered and most of its inhabitants killed by the army ofCharles de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy. In 1623, Písek was acquired by the royal chamber again, and in 1641, it was once again promoted to a royal town. In the 18th century, it became the centre of Prácheňsko again.[3]
In the 19th century, Písek became the centre of education because several schools of higher education were established here.[3]
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| Source: Censuses[5][6] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There is the Industrial Zone Sever in Pražské Předměstí part of Písek. The largest industrial employers in Písek are S.N.O.P. CZ,Aisin Europe Manufacturing Czech, andFaurecia Components Písek, all three engaged in the production of automotive parts. Another large employer is the Písek Hospital.
Písek is connected by theD4 motorway toPrague and by the I/20 and I/29 roads. The I/20 travels northwest toPlzeň and southeast toČeské Budějovice, while the I/29 travels east toTábor.
The Písek railway station lies on theZdice–Protivín andTábor–Ražice rail lines.
Písek is colloquially called "South Bohemian Athens" because it has many high schools and schools of higher education, including theFilm School in Písek.[7]
Since 2007, there has been a tradition of creating and exhibiting giant sand sculptures on the waterfront of the Otava River in the summer. Each year a different theme is chosen for the sculptures.[8][9]
Písek has a well-preserved, medieval centre formed by larger Velké Square and smallAlešovo Square with number of narrow alleys. The most valuable monument isPísek Stone Bridge, a national cultural monument. It was the second stone bridge in Bohemia and it is the oldest preserved bridge in country. It is also one of the oldest preserved bridges in whole Europe.[3]
There are six churches in Písek, four of them in the town centre. One of the town's main landmarks is the DeaneryChurch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary from the mid-13th century, old as the town itself. The church tower is open to the public and serves as a lookout tower.[10]
The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is located on the central square commemorates the former Dominican Monastery destroyed by Hussites in 1419.[11]
The Church of Saint Wenceslaus is located in Václavské Předměstí part of Písek. Existence of a sacral building in the area was documented in around 1200; Church of Saint Wenceslaus was first mentioned in 1378. The original church was demolished in the mid-16th century and a new Gothic-Renaissance church was built on its foundations. In 1695–1697, it was rebuilt into the Baroque style. Today it is known for the unique fresco ofJan Hus being burned inKonstanz from around 1550, the oldest painting of his burning in the world.[12]
The Písek Castle is a partly preserved Gothic castle, rebuilt into the town hall and a brewery. It also houses thePrácheňsko Museum; part of its exhibition is a preserved Gothic hall from the 13th century.[13]
There are several preserved remains of the town fortifications in Písek, including two castle bastions and fragments of the town walls.[14]
Caerphilly, Wales, United Kingdom
Deggendorf, Germany
Lemvig, Denmark
Smiltene, Latvia
Veľký Krtíš, SlovakiaWetzlar, GermanyPísek also has friendly relations withJičín in the Czech Republic andBad Leonfelden in Austria.[15]
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