Písek

The historical royal town of Písek is located about 100 km south of Prague, on the way from Prague to České Budějovice. It is small (about 30 000 inhabitants) but very nice. It was founded in the 13th century by the Czech king Václav (Wenceslas) I., who started building the castle on the bank of Otava River and the town around it. The name means "Sand" in Czech and probably refers to the fact that in the medieval ages, the river sands were rich with gold, which was the reason for building the town here (besides the fact it was located on a trade route between South and North of Europe). The reminders of the medieval ages are still there, first among them the ancient stone bridge, which is older than the famous Prague Charles Bridge and it is supposedly the oldest Czech bridge still in use. Also some parts of the castle are well preserved and open to the public.