In Budějovice
Železná panna
On foot 19 min · By car 6 min
The Železná panna is one of the best-preserved parts of the Budějovice fortifications and dates from the 14th century. On four floors it now holds the only permanent exhibition in the Czech Republic devoted to Přemysl Otakar II.
The tower stands on the bank of the Malše, right on the waterside walk. The exhibition tells of the king who founded around forty towns in Central Europe, from Písek to Královec, and includes a copy of his ceremonial sword. The tower takes its name from a torture device that, by all accounts, was never here — until the end of the 19th century it was called Špilhajbl. You can go inside only from May to September and only on selected days.
Practical details
- On foot 19 min · By car 6 min
- Opening hours: sezónní: květen–září a jen ve vybrané dny
On site
The tower is squat, not slender Gothic, because it has a low Renaissance top. A few hundred metres away stands Rabenštejnská věž with a high Gothic roof — the shape this tower had before 1612, until lightning struck. Inside is a replica torture device from 2004.