Ceske Budejovice

Česke Budějovice 

a city in Czechoslovakia, in the Czech Socialist Republic; situated on the Vltava River. Administrative center of the province of South Bohemia. Population, 80,000 (1974).

Česke Budějovice is a railroad junction and an important industrial center, accounting for one-fifth of South Bohemia’s industrial labor force. A center for metalworking and machine building, it manufactures motors, pots and pans, and needles. Light industry is also important; food products, pencils, furniture, paper, and ready-made clothing are produced.

Famous works of architecture in the city include the ruins of a 15th-century castle, a Gothic Dominican monastery with a church and cloister (13th century), and the Cathedral of St. Nicholas (13th–17th centuries) with the Black Tower (begun 16th century). Other structures of interest include the baroque town hall (1727–30) and the Piarists’ College (18th century), as well as houses in the Gothic, Renaissance, and baroque styles. Modern structures include a stadium for swimming events (1971). The city has a museum of the revolutionary workers’ movement (founded 1975).