Ceske Budejovice Travel Guide

Known to the modern world for the original beer known as Budweiser, Ceske Budejovice was established in 1265 by King Premysl Otakar II and it flourished as a commercial crossroad between the Czech kingdom and the Danube basin.

The 16th century saw fires, an earthquake, flood and plague, but it was the Thirty Year War that brought a period of decline. In 1785 it was made the seat of a Catholic bishopric and in 1832 a horse-carriage railway opened, connecting the city with Linz: the first railway in mainland Europe.

In addition to beer, a major industrial product of the city has been pencils.