České Budějovice - Kaplice

From 72 metres high Black Tower built in a Gothic-Renaissance style which dominates the town is a nice view of a main square (in a shape of a square) which is one of the largest in the Czech Republic. The edge of the square is well-preserved, mainly Renaissance merchants’ houses with typical arcades. The square is named after Přemysl Otakar II. In 1265 he founded here a royal town as an important centre on the trade routes but also as a barrier against the expansion of a noble family of Vítkovec and later the Rozenbergs. There is a Baroque fountain called “Samson“ in the middle of the square. The early Gothic Monastery Church of the Virgin Mary from the 13^th – 14^th century as a unique Gothic church of the Přemyslids era is worth mentioning among the significant church monuments. St. Nicholas’ Cathedral Church was mentioned already in the 13^th century. Later it was rebuilt in a Baroque style.

In České Budějovice there was also a monumental synagogue which was destroyed during occupation. In 1924 a basilica of Hus congregation of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church (CHC) was built here. The Brethren Church also has its house of prayer here.

The town flourished mainly in the 16^th century when crafts and trade flourished, beer was brewed, fish-pond cultivation was developed; silver mining brought the wealth, too.

In the Hussite time České Budějovice stood on the side of the Emperor Sigismund; the town did not support a revolt of the Estates in 1618. During the Thirty Years’ War and later the town did not escape destructive fires and plague.

In 1751 České Budějovice became a centre of the region. In 1762 the Piarists founded a grammar school here and in 1785 a Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice with a seat of a bishop was established here. The town became strongly Catholic. A number of the German inhabitants was rising.

In the 19^th century the town began to develop rapidly. In 1832 a horse-drawn railway pulled out from Budějovice to Linz – the first train in the European continent. Vojtěch Lanna introduced a voyage on the river Vltava. This positive development continued also in the 20^th century.

In the year 1900 a Czech Protestant preaching station was founded in České Budějovice. After the establishing of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB) in 1918 a number of new members was rising and an ECCB congregation was founded in 1922.

Later a building in Lannova Street was purchased and rebuilt as a congregation house. After the 2^nd World War the congregation obtained a church after the German Evangelical Church at today’s Street of the 28^th of October. This Neo-Romanesque church comes from the year 1889.

Today’s house of prayer is located on the 1^st floor. A hall is multifunctional- except regular Divine service also gatherings of ministers and also weddings take place here. In the building there are rooms for congregation work in addition to a flat of a preacher: children and young people gather here, Bible lessons are held here. There is also a possibility of accommodation.

Thirty kilometres south of České Budějovice a small town Kaplice lies in a beautiful landscape of foothills of the Novohradské Mountains near the river Malše (537 metres above sea level, about 7,000 inhabitants). It is mentioned already in 1382, a well-known “Salt Track“ went here. St. Peter’s and St.Paul’s Church and St. Florian’s Church come from the late Gothic period. In the 16^th century originally Protestant St. Joseph’s and St. Barbara’s Chapel was built. Until the end of the 2^nd World War predominantly German population lived here.

České Budějovice congregation has its preaching station here. Long distance from a home congregation led to the idea of building a separate house of prayer in Kaplice which would serve the domestic as well as international meetings besides the Divine service. Thus so called “Ark“ with a modern house of prayer for 85 people and a possibility of accommodation was opened in 2005.

If you wander about the Novohradské Mountains, don’t forget to stop there.