Ceske Budejovice

The name Budějovice is derived from personal Slavic name Budivoj, meaning "the village of Budivoj's people". The name first appeared as Budoywicz, then it appeared in various similar forms. The German name was created by transcribing and shortening the Czech name. When the royal city was founded in 1265, the name appeared as Budwoyz and then it was adapted to Budweis. The name Budvicium was used in Latin. After the Hussite revolution in the first half of the 15th century, the name České Budějovice ('Bohemian Budějovice') appeared to distinguish it from Moravské Budějovice ('Moravian Budějovice').

The first written mention of Budějovice is from 1251, when it was only a village. The royal city was founded on its site by King Ottokar II in 1265. The siting and planning of the city was carried out by the king's knight Hirzo. The city was fortified and had three gates. It immediately became the political and economic capital of south Bohemia. The city quickly became rich thanks to the development of trade and crafts and thanks to silver mining in the nearby area. The German-speaking settlers were coming from the Bohemian Forest and Upper Austria. In 1341, King John of Bohemia allowed Jewish families to reside within the city walls. The first synagogue was built in 1380. At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, the Jewish community had about 100 inhabitants. In 1505–1506, a pogrom occurred and the Jews were expelled from the city. …

České Budějovice is located about 120 kilometres (75 mi) south of Prague. It lies in the České Budějovice Basin, only a small eastern part of the municipal territory extends into the Třeboň Basin. The city is spread mostly across a plain making it nearly flat in the inner parts with hillier areas in the eastern suburbs. The highest point, located in the city's exclave, is at 560 m (1,840 ft) above sea level. The main part of the municipal territory does not exceed 452 m (1,483 ft). České Budějovice is situated in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. A set of large fishponds is located in the northwestern part of the municipal territory. The largest pond is Novohaklovský rybník with an area of 47.2 hectares (117 acres). Several of the ponds lies within the nature reserve of Vrbenské rybníky. …