Tábor

Easily reached from Prague, picturesque Tábor boasts a history as fascinating as any town in the country. Its history is inextricably linked with the Hussite movement, and the Hussites are annually commemorated during the medieval-themed festival called Tabor Gathering.

In the late 14th century, a castle was founded above the river Lužnice on the site of a former fortified settlement. The Hussites conquered it in 1420 and built a fortified town here. The Bechyně Gate and the castle tower Kotnov show its military character at that time. The Late Gothic Decanal Church of the Metamorphosis of Our Lord on the Mount Tábor is the main feature of the skyline. Among other valuable medieval sights are: the Gothic Town Hall with a unique extensive hall and a corridor to the underground of the town, the artificial lake Jordán from 1492 – the oldest in Europe, with a Renaissance water tower.

Several burghers´ houses with typical round gables are representatives of the Renaissance style. The pilgrimage Cathedral in Klokoty is a significant architectural complex built in the Baroque style.

The electrified railway Tábor – Bechyně, constructed in the early 20th century by František Křižík, was the first railway of the kind in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.