Discover Písek, the City of Czech Kings

Your first stop in the city could be the Stone Bridge. It is the oldest stone bridge in the Czech Republic! Take a beautiful photo on it as a memento of your stay in this region! A bit of history! The bridge was built before the end of the 13th century. It once formed an important communication link on the Golden Salt Road, which crossed the Otava River right in Písek. The 110-meter-long and 6-meter-wide bridge consists of seven arches. Notable is the bridge's sculptural decoration, made up of several Baroque statues, or rather their replicas – the sandstone originals can be seen in the Prácheň Museum. During its existence, the bridge has withstood several floods, such as in 1432 and 1768. Perhaps the toughest test for it was the so-called millennium flood in 2002, when the Otava River level rose so high that it tore off the stone railing. However, the bridge withstood the fifty times higher water flow. And so, the bridge stands to this day, and you can go explore it; you’ll find it just 30 minutes by car from Čimelice. 

Next, you can head right next to the Stone Bridge to the period water power plant, which has been lighting up the city of Písek since 1887. This achievement is credited to the famous technical innovator František Křižík. Today, the power plant mainly serves as a museum but also as a small source of electricity for the Písek region. So, visit this unique place where the history of Czech electrification began. 

For your third stop, we offer you the Prácheň Museum in Písek. The museum organizes a number of historical and artistic exhibitions, and in the field, it mainly hosts ornithological events – Birdsong Welcome, Bird Festival, and the popular summer bird ringing at the Řežabinec pond near Ražice. However, if you visit the museum itself, you can see various exhibitions such as the Origins of Písek Castle and City, Mineral Wealth, Gold in the Pootaví Region, Fish and Fisheries, Prehistory and Slavic Era, Písek Countryside in the 19th Century, or the Gallery of Czech Monarchs. It’s up to you what you choose to explore.