V Strakonicích za oltárem - Strakonice, Czech Republic - Immortalized in Lyrics on Waymarking.com

The town Strakonice is sometimes called "the town of pipers". It lies on the confluence of the Otava and Volynka rivers about 45 km north-west of the town Ceské Budejovice, 393 m a.s.l.

Strakonice - castle - above the confluence of the Volynka and Otava rivers
The first mention originates from the first half of the 13th century, when a castle was built here (1220 - 1235). The settlement, which arose around the castle, was known as a small town around 1300. It was divided into the so-called Lower Town (or Smaller Town), which stood on an island in the Otava river (not far from the confluence with the Volynka river), and Upper Town, which lay on the trade route called Boubínská Stezka or Vimperská Stezka (Boubín or Vimperk Path) on the bank of the Otava river. The Lower Town was the seat of the order of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem. The order controlled the town from 1242 and in 1402 it became the owner of the whole domain.
Strakonice was promoted to a town in 1367. Its biggest development started in the 16th century, but it was stopped by the Thirty Years' War - the town was damaged and it was plundered twice (in 1619 and 1641). The new boom came in the 18th century. In 1776 a guild of stocking-weavers was founded and the production of hats started here. At the beginning of the 20th century a new factory for the production of guns was built in Strakonice. Later bicycles and motorcycles were produced in this factory as well.

The most important and the oldest sight in Strakonice is the castle, which stands near the square on the right bank of the Otava river. Here we can see the junction of the manorial seat with the commandery of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, which is unique in South Bohemia. The monastery with the St. Procopius' Church, which was built in a style similar to the St. James' Church in Regensburg (Germany), stands in the southern part of the castle.

Musician: Czech folk song Name of Song: V Strakonicích za oltářem Relevant Verse: V Strakonicích za oltářem leží dudy i s dudářem, kdo nevěří, ať tam běží, však tam dudy ještě leží. Strakonický dudy hučí, že mně holka šátek pučí; Pučím, pučím, anebo nic, já jsem holka od Strakonic. Location website: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
There are no specific requirements for logging a waymark. You are, however, encouraged to include any funny or interesting pictures of your visit.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.