Jindřichův Hradec – A City of Love
The town of Jindřichův Hradec is one of the most precious historic settlements, where visitors can still feel the past glory of its former inhabitants.
The noble families of the Lords of Hradec, the Slavat family, and finally the Czernins were among the most prominent in the Kingdom of Bohemia and made the name of Jindřichův Hradec renowned not only in the Czech lands but also abroad. Thanks to its historical richness, Jindřichův Hradec was awarded the prestigious title of Historic Town of the Year 2007.
The origins of the town are connected to a Slavic fortified settlement in a strategic location on a promontory between the Nežárka River and the Hamerský Stream. The oldest surviving written record of Hradec dates back to 1220, when the Jindřichův Hradec estate was owned by Henry I, the founder of the Lords of Hradec family. He built a Gothic castle on the site of the former stronghold, and in the mid-13th century, a town arose in its forecourt, named after Henry himself. The current name of the town is first documented in 1410. The coat of arms of the Lords of Hradec – a golden rose on a blue field – was enriched by King Vladislav II in 1483 with two golden royal lions and the crowned initial “W”, and it remains part of the town’s heraldry to this day.
Dominating the town is the large Vajgar Pond, in the center of which lies an artificial island built between 1858 and 1860 by Count Jaromír Evžen Czernin for his beloved wife Karolína.
Another landmark of Jindřichův Hradec is the state castle and chateau complex, the third largest heritage site in the Czech Republic. This monumental ensemble of buildings was declared a national cultural monument in 1996.
The well-kept town center with Míru Square and its Renaissance house facades is crowned by the twenty-meter-high stone sculpture of the Holy Trinity. Also noteworthy are the sgrafitto-decorated Langr House and the building of the Old Town Hall.
Accessibility
Year-round
Entrance fee
Free
How to get there
You can use one of the Hradec car parks
Time needed to visit
2 hours
Additional information
Personalities
- Adam Václav Michna of Otradovice (1600-1676) - organist, music and singing teacher. You must know his Christmas song Chtíc, aby spal, which has been humanized.
- Tomáš Krýza (1838-1918) - a native of Jindřichův Hradec and a master stocking maker; for more than 60 years he created the largest folk mechanical nativity scene in the world containing 1398 figures of people and animals. You can admire Krýza's crib in the Museum of Jindřichův Hradec Králové.
Our tip
In the former Jesuit college, the current home of the Museum of Photography and Modern Visual Media, there is a unique ceiling painting of an autopsy, which is all the more interesting because the Jesuits were forbidden to treat human bodies in this way.
Do you know that...
...in 1888 a power plant was put into operation in the building of the castle mill according to the project of František Křižík, and thanks to this Jindřichův Hradec became the first town after Prague to light up? Křižík's hydroelectric power station is still in operation. The entire building is a national cultural monument.
...tapestries have their tradition in Jindřichův Hradec, where they are still woven and restored today?
...the 15th meridian of north latitude passes through the town, but its marking at the corner of the Church of the Assumption is not accurate? The meridian does indeed pass through Jindřichův Hradec, but much closer to the river Nežárka.
