In Budějovice
Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II.
Pěšky 14 min · Autem 9 min
The heart of Budějovice is an almost perfect square, 133 metres on each side, lined with forty-eight Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque houses. In the middle stands the Samson fountain, whose lower basin is a respectable seventeen metres across, with four stone Atlases holding up the upper bowl. And although the square is a square, an old legend says you can still lose your way here.
The square forms an almost perfect 133×133 metre block, framed by arcades from the 14th century. Legend has it that the executioner's block once stood here — and that whoever crosses the Bludný kámen in the middle at a certain hour will lose their way.
Practical details
- Pěšky 14 min · Autem 9 min
- Opening hours: volně přístupné kdykoli, zdarma. Radniční věž jen při komentovaných prohlídkách — režim ověřit v infocentru
On site
The square is an almost perfect 133 × 133 metres; forty-eight houses stand around it, linked by a continuous arcade so you can walk the whole perimeter under cover. In the centre is the Samson fountain with a basin seventeen metres across; four figures of Atlases support the upper bowl. In the south-east, a short way from the fountain, a round stone with a carved cross is set in the paving — about thirty centimetres across and easy to miss. On the town hall gable stand four statues of virtues, and on the south face of the tower, besides the main clock, a small dial with a ball shows the phases of the moon. In the middle of the façade is the České Budějovice town coat of arms, surrounded by the three land arms — Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. The stucco decoration is attributed by encyclopedias to Bernard Tham.