| Hluboká nad Vltavou | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | South Bohemian |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | České Budějovice |
| Pushpin Map: | Czech Republic |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Czech Republic |
| Coordinates: | 49.0514°N 14.4358°W |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Tomáš Jirsa |
| Established Title: | First mentioned |
| Established Date: | 1378 |
| Area Total Km2: | 91.11 |
| Elevation M: | 394 |
| Population As Of: | 2024-01-01 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 5597 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 373 41 |
Hluboká nad Vltavou (in Czech pronounced as /ˈɦlubokaː ˈnad vl̩tavou/; until 1885 Podhrad, German: Frauenberg) is a town in České Budějovice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,600 inhabitants. The town is known for the Hluboká Castle.
The villages of Bavorovice, Buzkov, Hroznějovice, Jaroslavice, Jeznice, Kostelec, Líšnice, Munice, Poněšice and Purkarec are administrative parts of Hluboká nad Vltavou.
The name of the town was taken from the name of the local castle. The castle was named Frauenberg in German, which was derived from Old German vrôburg (i.e. "Lord's castle"). The Czech name Hluboká literally means "deep" and originated from the location of the castle above a deep valley.[2]
Hluboká nad Vltavou is situated about 7km (04miles) north of České Budějovice, on both banks of the Vltava river. There are many fish ponds in the municipal territory. The town itself lies on the shore of the largest of them, which is Munický pond with an area of 108ha.[3]
Hluboká nad Vltavou lies mostly in the Tábor Uplands, but the southern part with the ponds lies in the České Budějovice Basin, and the eastern part extends into the Třeboň Basin. The northern part of the large municipal territory is covered by forests. The highest point is the hill Velký Kameník with 575m (1,886feet) above sea level.
History of the town is connected with a castle, which was founded together with the city of České Budějovice by King Ottokar II on a rocky promontory above the Vltava river. A settlement was founded under the castle and named Podhrad (literally "Undercastle").[4]
The castle later passed to the Vítkovci dynasty.[5] Held by the local noble Vilém II of Pernštejn from 1490 onwards, the castle and the town prospered. In 1496, Podhrad was promoted to a market town.[4]
Though seized by French forces in the Thirty Years' War, the acquisition by the Schwarzenberg family in 1661 brought even greater wealth to the area. After a blaze in 1742, the medieval fortress was slighted and rebuilt into a Renaissance castle, then between 1839 and 1871 into the current Neo-Gothic castle.
The first Jews came into the market town around 1724. The old synagogue was replaced by a new one in 1907, but it ceased to serve its purpose after its interior was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II.[6]
The present-day municipality arose in 1850. The majority of the population was Czech-speaking. The market town was renamed after the Hluboká Castle in 1885. In 1907, Hluboká became a town by decision of Franz Joseph I.[4]
The I/20 road (part of the European route E49) from České Budějovice to Plzeň and Karlovy Vary passes through the southern part og the municipal territory.
Hluboká nad Vltavou is located on the railway lines České Budějovice–Písek and České Budějovice–Strakonice.[7]
The Townshend International School has been based in the town since 1992.
The main landmark of Hluboká nad Vltavou is the Tudor-style Hluboká Castle. Every year it is one of the most visited castles in the country.[8]
The second significant castle in Hluboká nad Vltavou is Ohrada Castle. It is a Baroque hunting castle built in 1708–1713. In 1842, the Hunting Museum, one of the oldest museums in the country, was established here. It still exist under the name Museum of Forestry, Hunting and Fishing, and is administered by National Museum of Agriculture in Prague.[9]
Next to the castle is a zoological garden, colloquially known as Ohrada Zoo. It breeds about 300 species of animals.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic. Hluboká nad Vltavou is twinned with:[10]
Grein, Austria