Písek is a historic town that in the past was one of the most important in the Czech Republic. There is the oldest stone bridge in the country, as well as beautiful buildings surrounding the market square.
The city was founded in the mid-thirteenth century and its name comes from the golden sands that existed in the area. Gold panning was an important source of the city's income and in the Middle Ages it was one of the country's main economic centers. The establishment of a large salt warehouse and the largest grain granary in the Czech Republic added importance to this place.
The most important monument of Písk and its main attraction is the gothic stone bridge. It was built in the 13th century, which makes it the oldest such building in the Czech Republic. In the 17th century, the crossing gained baroque sculptures on balustrades.
The church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and the town castle, which now houses a museum with an exhibition devoted to gold mining, have survived from the medieval buildings of Písek. The rest of the oldest buildings were consumed by the great fire in the 16th century and destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. In the 17th and 18th centuries, during the great reconstruction, today's center gained a baroque character with an impressive town hall and representative tenement houses.
In the 19th century, a malt house was built on the premises of the castle, which has now been turned into a center of culture and art. It houses a permanent exhibition devoted to book illustrations. In addition, there are temporary exhibitions and numerous cultural events.
