Local tips
Doudleby
By car 16 min
Doudleby are worth a trip mainly for history older than České Budějovice itself. The church of St Vincent stands on a Slavic stronghold that once administered much of South Bohemia. Old ramparts are still visible in the land and you can walk them.
Doudleby lies on the Malše twelve kilometres from Budějovice, and the stronghold here belonged directly to the Přemyslid princes. In the church of St Vincent wall paintings from after 1350 survive, and a copy of the Doudleby Madonna whose original hangs in the National Gallery. The ramparts can be walked any time and free of charge; the church is usually closed outside services.
Practical details
- By car 16 min
- Opening hours: areál hradiště a valů volně přístupný, zdarma, bez otevírací doby
On site
The best thing is on foot: walk around the hill with the church and look for ramparts in the terrain. The outer eastern rampart is still clear and shows the fortification was not uniform — three ramparts on the west, two cross walls with a bailey on the east. The size, about 60 × 200 metres, can be paced out and is surprisingly large when you realise today's church, rectory and part of the cemetery sit inside. The church is visible from afar above the river; the position above the Malše explains why the place was chosen.