49°18'23.659N, 14°8'43.971"E - Písek, Czech Republic - Permanent Geographic Coordinates on Waymarking.com

The town Písek is the third largest town in South Bohemia; it is an important cultural and economical centre of the region.
The town lies on the Otava river about 45 km north-west of the town Ceské Budejovice, 398 m a.s.l.

In the 13th century it used to be a settlement situated near the places of gold washing on the left bank of the Otava river. The name of the town dates from that time and it means "Sand". Later Písek became a trade village with the Royal Court.
In 1254 King Premysl Ottakar II founded a town in the place of this settlement and the royal castle was built above the ford across the river. A monastery, a dean's church and a stone bridge over the river were built. A mint was here from the end of the 13th century as well.
From 1308 Písek was a free royal town and from the middle of the 14th century it was a centre of the district. A salt-house and a cereal store, the biggest in Bohemia were founded here during the reign of King and Emperor Charles IV (the 14th century). During the Hussite Wars the town was captured by the Hussites and became their centre. At the time of the Thirty Years' War, in 1619 and 1620, the town was captured again and the inhabitants were slaughtered. Since 1641 the town was the royal town again and in the 18th century it became the centre of the district again. It was an important and well-known educational centre - in 1860 a secondary school, in 1884 a school for game wardens and in 1899 a school for foresters were founded here. During the centuries Písek was the owner of the largest town domain in Bohemia.

The centre of the town comprises the square, divided into two parts by block of houses - the western part with the castle and the eastern part, used as a market. Not far from the square there is a town theatre from 1902. Only the remains of town walls, demolished in the 19th century, have been preserved up till the present day - remains of the well-known Putimská Brána (Putim Gate), a part of walls along the Otava river and the tower called Baba (Beldame).
The Písek castle was founded together with the town and it is an important sight of the first Czech Gothic architecture.
The Early-Gothic stone bridge, which was built at the end of the 13th century, is one of the oldest stone bridges in Europe and the oldest preserved in Bohemia.

Type of structure: Sign Difference between the post coordinates and your GPSr reading: cca 23 km Reason for the coordinates: Písek Town

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