Discover Vodňany

Vodňany is a town in the Strakonice District, located approximately 30 km northwest of České Budějovice, on the Blanice River.

The name of the town is derived from its location in wetlands along the lower course of the Blanice River. The original name “Vodná” referred to a place where there was water all year round. From this, the term “Vodňany” was formed, meaning a settlement of people living in Vodná. This is why Vodňany was once referred to as Aquileia Bohemorum – the “Venice of Bohemia.”
The earliest written mention of Vodňany dates from 1318; the second preserved record is from 1327 and refers to Vodňany as a toll collection site.
The most important privileges were granted to the town in 1336 by King John of Luxembourg. By 1400, Vodňany was already recognized as a royal town.

Historical Monuments

• Freedom Square (Náměstí Svobody) – The historical center has a regular layout with a network of main streets and a large town square.
• Fortification system – Remnants of city walls with a water moat (called Parkány) and square bastions from the first half of the 15th century, now part of the town museum and gallery.
• Deanery Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary – From the first half of the 15th century, it dominates Vodňany’s main square.
• House No. 1 – A former pharmacy from the 16th century; writer František Herites was born and lived here in 1851.
• Fountain – Featuring a statue representing the Allegory of Freedom and emblems of the town, fisheries, agriculture, and industry, created in 1928.
• House “U čápů” (At the Storks') – A Baroque house where poet Julius Zeyer lived and worked.
• Former synagogue
• Stone arch bridge – Spanning the millstream, with a statue of St. John of Nepomuk (in Baroque style from the 18th century). This picturesque spot is known as “Vodňany’s Venice.”

You can obtain more detailed information about the town, current exhibitions, and trip suggestions at the Information Center on the main square.
To get to know Vodňany better, you can also follow the Vodňany Educational Trail.

Fishing Tradition

Fishing has played and still plays a vital role in Vodňany. Fish farming has been associated with the town’s development for more than half a millennium. The golden age of Vodňany’s pond farming occurred mainly in the second half of the 15th and throughout the 16th century, when the town managed up to 30 ponds.

Fishing School

The establishment of a professional fishing school was mainly due to the efforts of Vácslav Josef Štěpán, supported by other prominent figures such as Josef Šusta, Ing. Václav Šusta, and Dr. Theodor Mokrý.
The need for the school was already being voiced in 1898, primarily by the South Bohemian Fishermen’s Association and later by the Provincial Fishermen’s Union.
An important offer of land and funding came from the town of Vodňany (Mayor Ferdinand Mašek).
These efforts were temporarily delayed by World War I.
The fishing school in Vodňany was established in 1920.

Since 1996, the school also hosts the Higher Vocational School of Water Management and Ecology, a three-year program for secondary school graduates.
Today, the school trains professionals in pond and trout farming, fish processing, fish trade, and water management.
It publishes specialized textbooks, organizes professional courses for local fishing association managers and electrofishing training courses.
The school produces fry and early stages of 17 fish species and handles their distribution.
In summer, accommodation is available in the Youth Home, operated as the “Zátiší” guesthouse.

More about the school: http://www.srs-vodnany.cz

MEVPIS – Environmental Education Center

In 2012, the Environmental Operational Programme approved the project “International Environmental Educational, Advisory and Information Center for Water Protection Vodňany (MEVPIS)”, resulting in the establishment of an independent center bearing this name.

The center focuses on education and awareness, especially in water protection, aquatic animals, and sustainable water management.
Its educational and advisory activities are tailored to various groups including schoolchildren (kindergarten to secondary), teachers, university students, professional and hobby fishermen, experts, the general public, public administrators, water managers, and watershed managers.
The mill was reconstructed to provide modern facilities. The former storage areas have been converted into lecture halls, specialized classrooms, and accommodation facilities for international conferences, workshops, seminars, and training courses.

More info: http://www.mevpis.cz/en