Place
The pier in Háječek
A wooden platform on piles driven into the bed, exactly at the confluence of the Vltava and Malše — where the town arose in 1265. The railing looks ordinary, but twenty-four constellations are milled into its handrail. At night they light, but only downward and inward, so as not to disturb the observatory a few steps away.
The pier in Háječek is a wooden viewing platform exactly above the confluence of the Vltava and Malše, the place where the town arose in 1265, a few minutes’ walk from the centre. The railing looks ordinary — until you look down at the handrail.
The pier opened in March 2026 and is the newest place in the whole guide. It arrived at the confluence in one piece and was simply set on piles driven into the bed; Václav Krampera designed it. It is freely accessible, barrier-free, and smaller boats may moor at its tip.
It is best after dark, when the handrail glows. A few steps away stands the observatory — and the pier reckons with it more than you would expect.
Přemysl Otakar II did not found the town here by chance. Now you can walk out over the water to the tip of the pier and stand directly above the confluence.
The railing has a wide handrail — and twenty-four constellations are milled into it. People look through the railing at the water; almost no one looks into the top plate. At night the milling is lit from below and inward, not upward — a few steps away stands the observatory and planetarium, which must not be disturbed.
On site
Walk the pier to its tip over the water. From there you see the confluence from above. Look down at the top of the railing, not through it. That is where the constellations are. Compare the two rivers — at the confluence the difference shows in width…
Timeline
- 1265 — Přemysl Otakar II. zakládá město na soutoku Vltavy a Malše
- leden 2025 — začíná stavba mola
- březen 2026 — molo dokončeno a zprovozněno
- 14. 9. 2026 — počet souhvězdí ověřen fotograficky na místě
Sources
- https://ceskobudejovicky.denik.cz/zpravy-region/nove-molo-soutok-budejovice/ — molo dorazilo smontované, usazení na piloty (21. 10. 2025)
- https://ceskobudejovicky.denik.cz/zpravy-region/nove-molo-hajecek-soutok-malse-vltava-budejovice/ — otevření, návrh Václav Krampera (11. 3. 2026)
- https://www.centrum.cz/clanek/na-soutoku-malse-a-vltavy-se-rozsvitilo-nove-molo-v-noci-na-nem-zari-souhvezdi-172852 — kotvení menších lodí (10. 3. 2026)
- https://www.c-budejovice.cz/molo-hajecek — město České Budějovice: realizace 01/2025–03/2026, náklady 10,8 mil. Kč bez DPH, zhotovitel VHS – Vodohospodářské stavby, bezbariérovost, souhvězdí letní a zimní oblohy, spolupráce s hvězdárnou a řešení osvětlení
- https://www.rvc.gov.cz/admin-data/storage/get/455-vcap_3-2025.pdf — vyjádření náměstka Petra Maroše o zamýšlených svatebních obřadech
- Vlastní fotografie z místa, 14. 9. 2026 — 24 souhvězdí (12 + 12), popisy ve dvou jazycích