Český Krumlov

Location: Map

Tel. 380 704 711

Open:

Apr- Sep 9am- 5pm Tue- Sun

Jun- Aug 9am- 6pm Tue- Sun

 

Travel Destinations in Cesky Krumlov

Český Krumlov (German: Böhmisch Krumau, or Krummau) is a town in the South Bohemian Region in the Český Krumlov district, 22 km southwest of České Budějovice. It lies under the crest of the Blanské les and the Vltava River flows through it. It is a tourist and cultural center of southern Bohemia. Approximately 12 thousand inhabitants live here.

In the past, Český Krumlov was the seat of many powerful Czech families - the Vítkov family, the lords of Krumlov, the Rožmberk family, the Eggenberg family and the Schwarzenberg family, who purposefully took care of its construction and representative character. Český Krumlov was also the main administrative center of the Rožmberk Dominion and, until 1918, of the Krumlov Duchy and the Schwarzenberg Dominion.

The medieval center of the city, which surrounds the meanders of the Vltava, has been a city heritage reserve since 1963 and has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1992[4]. In 2003, the suburb of Plešivec (south of the historic core) was declared a city monument zone. Český Krumlov has also become the scene of several films, and during the year the city hosts a number of cultural events and festivals - Five-leaf Rose Festival, MHF Český Krumlov, Český Krumlov Rally.

Together with other towns in the Šumava foothills, such as Sušice, Vimperk, or Prachatice, it is often called the Gate of the Šumava Mountains. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Český Krumlov was perceived, especially among Šumava writers and poets, as the capital of Šumava, which in 1918 Český Krumlov briefly became during the existence of Šumava County.

 

Sights

Cesky Krumlov Castle

Cesky Krumlov Castle is located on a rocky bank above Vltava River. First historic records about its existence date back to 1240. Historians believe that Cesky Krumlov Castle was constructed by the Vitkovich dynasty. Subsequent owners of the citadel changed the appearance of the fortress several times. It has elements of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architectural styles. In 1992 complex of Cesky Krumlov Castle including towers, bridges, castle theater and other facilities were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Upper Castle is located in the third courtyard of the Cesky Krumlov Castle. It was constructed in stages between 14th and 18th centuries under supervision of architects Eritsera Vlach, Baltazar Maggi of Arogno and artist Gabriel de Blonde. Cesky Krumlov Caslte lost much of its original military importance so their alteration to the overall citadel were decorative in nature.

The main building of the Upper Castle is a Palace of the Rosenbergs surrounded by two squares. Cesky Krumlov Castle is constructed on a rocky outcrop that serves as a foundation of the palace. Stone base is honeycombed with underground passages that served for storage. Elements of the Gothic style are only preserved in the Eastern part of the Upper Castle. It includes Saint George and Saint Catherine Chapel and Romanesque House.

 

Castle Theatre (Městské divadlo)

Kaplicka 2, Horni Brana

Tel. +(420) 380 711 775

Official site

The Castle Theatre of Cesky Krumlov Castle is small theatre that was constructed in the 5th courtyard of the Cesky Krumlov Castle. It is connected with the Cloak Bridge via a covered corridor that leads from the Masquerade Hall to the royal box of the Castle Theatre. The building that houses Castle Theatre was renovated in 1993 adding new technologies while keeping its 500 year old charm. Today the theater is open to the public. Its season lasts from September to June holding performances of various genres: drama, plays, musicals, operettas and others. City Theater is not very big by size. It holds only 280 spectators with a total of 20,000 visitors each year.

 

Church of Saint Vitus

Constructed: 1340

The main church of Cesky Krumlov is Saint Vitus Cathedral that was constructed in 1340. It stands on the bank of the Vltava river on the hill opposite side of the Cesky Krumlov Castle. Church of Saint Vitus is 44 meters long, 20 meters wide and high. It was consecrated a full century after its construction began. Over a course of several centuries the church was rebuilt and reconstructed several times.

The main altar of Church of Saint Vitus was added in 15th century along with beautiful frescoes that surround it. Just to the left of the altar you can see a small chapel of Saint John of Nepomuk with red marble tombstones and the burial place of the Rozhemberk family as well as Scwarzenberg dynasty.

 

Former Jesuit Seminary (Cesky Krumlov) (Bývalý jezuitský seminář)

Horni 152

Former Jesuit Seminary is a former Roman Catholic University intended to prepare new Catholic priests. Original education complex was consisted of six Baroque buildings that were constructed in 1650- 1652. After the dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1773 Jesuit Seminary was abandoned by the church and instead it was nationalized by the state. In 1950 government of Cesky Krumlov turned Former Jesiut Monastery into a vast historic museum that holds a collection with nearly 34,000 artifacts dedicated to the history of Cesky Krumlov and the surrounding lands. This include items discovered during archaeological digs,  ethnographic tools, artistic masterpieces and many others. One of the most famous artifacts is a unique ceramic model of the historical center of Cesky Krumlov as it existed in 1800. All the buildings of the time period were made at a scale of 1:200.

 

City name

The name Krumlov comes from the German Krumme Aue (crooked river in Czech), which refers to the city's location between the ace-shaped bends of the Vltava River. Among other things, the name of the Austrian river Kamp, on which the town of Krumau am Kamp is located, whose name also comes from the similar Old High German krump, is derived from a similar Celtic base kamb. In the first surviving mention from 1253, Krumlov is referred to as Chrumbenowe, in Latin documents it is then called Crumlovia or Crumlovium. The name Krumlov nad Vltavou also used to be used. The suffix Český began to be added to the name of the town as early as 1439 to clearly distinguish it from Moravian Krumlov. In the German language, the name Böhmisch Krumau was not used much in the past, as it could not be confused with Krumlov in Moravia (Kromau in German). Officially, however, the name Český Krumlov was only used by a decree of the Ministry of the Interior from April 30, 1920. During the German occupation in 1938–1945, the word Český was removed from the name, and the city was officially called Krummau an der Moldau (Krumlov nad Vltavou in Czech) during that time.

 

History

Prehistoric times

The provably oldest settlement in the region, and by extension also in South Bohemia, is evidenced by finds from the Dobrkovická Cave dating back 35 to 50,000 years. The oldest settlement directly on the territory of today's city was documented in the so-called New Town (Neustadt) from 14,000 years ago. The settlement of the first farmers from the 5th millennium BC was also identified on the same site in today's Lower Manor Garden. At that time, the hill on which the castle was later founded was also demonstrably inhabited. The first fort was built on this rock promontory as early as the 4th millennium BC and, like the Maiden's Stone, it was gradually used by different cultures. From the 5th to the 1st century BC, the region was dominated by the historical Celts, whose main centers included the nearby oppidum of Třísov. From the last century BC, at the time of the likely departure of the Celts from Bohemia under the onslaught of the Germans, there is also evidence of the existence of a Celtic settlement on today's castle hill.

Slavs settled Pošumaví in several waves since the 6th century AD. The main migration took place during the so-called Second wave of settlement in the course of the 7th century, when the Boletic and Doudleb tribes arrived in southern Bohemia, which, in contrast to the other Slavic tribes settling the rest of Bohemia, came from the south from the territory of the Avars, controlled by Pannonia. However, the presence of the Slavic community in the city is not documented until two centuries later. Among the most important settlements of that time is the nearby Slavic hillfort near Kuklov.

 

The beginnings of the city

In the 10th century, according to Kosma, the surrounding area allegedly fell under the rule of Slavníkovci. After their extermination, the Přemyslovs fell into the possession of one of the oldest and most powerful Czech families - the Vítkovs - as part of the settlement less than two centuries later. The so-called the ancestor of the family Vítek from Prčice came to South Bohemia in the second half of the 12th century and gradually controlled or founded all important settlements and castles in the area. At the end of his life, Vítek divided the family property (the so-called Division of Roses) among his sons, who subsequently founded separate Vítek clans - the Lords of Krumlov, Rožmberk, Hradec, Landštejn and Třeboň, from Ústí and from Stráž. The territory of Krumlov fell to the second-born son – Vítek II. to the elder, who probably founded the so-called Hrádek, the oldest part of today's castle, on the left bank of the Vltava sometime between 1230 and 1239. The legend about the founding of the city is also related to this event.

The first written mention of the existence of a settlement in Krumlov comes from 1240 by Oldřich of Liechtenstein, in whose autobiographical poem Der Frauendienst it is mentioned under the name Krumbenowe. According to this contemporary source, a great knightly tournament was supposed to take place in Krumlov. It can therefore be assumed that the residence of the lords of Krumlov there had to be sufficiently representative and at the same time able to accommodate a large number of knights and their retinues - i.e. well supplied. The town itself was founded in the bend of the Vltava river around 1274, and the presence of Czech and German settlers is documented from the very beginnings of the town. Sipota, a locator from Bavaria in the service of lords from Krumlov and Rožmberk, became the first ever mayor of the city.

Many lords from Krumlov achieved important positions within the Czech Kingdom, although they strenuously resisted the efforts of the Přemyslovians to control their territories. During the first revolt of the Vítkovs against the king, even Český Krumlov was probably briefly occupied by the Czech king Přemysl Otakar II. A typical and at the same time the most famous representative of the lords from Krumlov was Záviš from Falkenstein. However, the Krumlov branch of the Vítkov family died out already in 1302. The inheritance of the Krumlov family, with the permission of King Wenceslas II. they were taken in by their close relatives, lords from Rožmberk, and immediately afterwards they moved from Rožmberk Castle to Krumlov. At the same time, the arrival of the Rožmberks heralded the city's biggest boom and construction development.

 

Rožmberk Dominion

Český Krumlov joined the two Vítkov territories and became the main seat of an extensive estate, for which the name Rožmberské Dominium was later adopted, which brought extraordinary growth to the city. Already during the first Rosenbergs, in addition to the rebuilding of the castle, almost a hundred stone houses were built. Meat shops and regular fairs appeared, and the city was also granted many city rights. Under Peter I of Rožmberk, who was considered the most powerful nobleman in the kingdom, the church of St. He also welcomes St. Jošta and religious orders and Jews were invited to the city. In the course of the 14th and 15th centuries, the city, as well as the entire Rožmberk family, gained such importance that it could, as was customary in the Vítkov families, resist the centralist efforts of the Czech rulers, which culminated in the double imprisonment of Wenceslas IV. in 1394 and 1402 at Krumlov Castle.

At the time of the Hussite revolution, Oldřich II. from Rožmberk first sided with the Hussites, but later he radically re-evaluated his position and became their staunch opponent, making Krumlov the center of the Catholic opposition and intelligentsia in southern Bohemia. Thanks to its importance and zero damage during the Hussite Wars, Český Krumlov was an important center of the Renaissance in the Czech Kingdom.

Even after the end of the Hussite period, the Rožmberk estate continued to expand along with the economic rise of the city. Gold and silver mining began in the 15th century, followed by a significant influx of miners from German regions. Mining activity peaked in the 16th century – a silver smelter was in operation, on the Vltava under the church of St. A paper mill was founded in Vita and Krumlov was called a free mining town. Many farms and ponds were also established on the estate.

Since the 15th century, the city has been governed by the so-called great city council consisting of 12 aldermen, from whom the supreme burgomaster was regularly elected. Next to the Great Council, there was a so-called small council, and until 1555 the Lateran functioned as an independent unit with its own mayor and representatives. Candidates for the highest positions always had to be approved by the Rožmberk ruler.

 

Renaissance reconstruction and decline

The magnificent reconstruction of the castle into a Renaissance castle from the second half of the 16th century took place during the reign of William of Rožmberk. This most famous Rožmberk, the highest royal burgrave, Czech viceroy and two-time candidate for Polish king, raised the Krumlov residence to the level of European royal courts. Krumlov Castle was completely rebuilt and the city was given its current Renaissance form by an unprecedented construction boom. In addition to Italian artists, the most famous alchemists of their time also worked at Vilém's court.

After the death of the childless Vilém, his also childless brother Petr Vok from Rožmberk inherited the domain. However, the Rožmberk estate was on the verge of collapse due to Vilém's previous generous projects, and Petr Vok was forced to sell the family estates, including the estate Krumlov. In 1601, Krumlov came under the ownership of Emperor Rudolph II, thereby temporarily losing the importance of a residential town. Rudolph II however, he removed his left-hand man and only son, Julius Caesar, to Krumlov Castle, who lived here as a prisoner after the murder of his lover.

However, 10 years later in 1611, the last Rožmberk, Petr Vok, intervened once again in the history of the city, when it was conquered and occupied by the troops of the Passau. In order to protect the city and its surroundings from further plundering, he paid off the Passau conquerors to leave. However, this definitively ends the Rožmberk era over the Krumlov estate.

 

Duchy of Krumlov

At the beginning of the 17th century and during the Thirty Years' War, the city was plundered three times - first by the Passov, then by the imperial troops and finally by the Swedes. However, in 1622, Ferdinand II donated the entire Krumlov estate for his support of Jan Oldřich of Eggenberg, who is granted the title of duke in 1628, thereby establishing the Duchy of Krumlov within the Czech lands. Only Jan Kristián I of Eggenberg begins the first Baroque reconstruction of the castle as the official seat of the Czech branch of the family. A large number of Italian and German artists are once again coming to Český Krumlov.

 

Schwarzenberg Dominion

Due to the sudden extinction of the Czech branch of the Eggenbergs, the Duchy of Krumlov passed into the ownership of a new family in 1719 - the Schwarzenbergs, who made Krumlov their capital city for the third time in history. During the reign of Joseph I. Adam of Schwarzenberg, the castle was again monumentally rebuilt, today's baroque theater was built, and the unique Mantle Bridge and Masquerade Hall were given their current form. The Krumlov court was not to be confused with the imperial court in Vienna. However, Josef I. Adam was also responsible for the beginning of the Schwarzenberg economic miracle by introducing the necessary reforms. For example, lead mining was started in Krumlovsk and, above all, the so-called Schwarzenberg pension fund for employees was established, which was unprecedented in its time and thanks to which in the following centuries it was possible to ensure the economic and social prosperity and stability of the entire region even in pre-war times.

John Nepomuk I and Joseph II. from Schwarzenberg continued with the reforms. They played a significant role in the economic development of the region and the entire Šumava through the construction of the Schwarzenberg Canal and a targeted economy in the fields of agriculture and forestry. The Schwarzenberg Dominion thus supplied wood to the two largest cities of the monarchy – Prague and Vienna. The so-called Economic Institute, i.e. a school for future manor employees, was founded in the city. John Adolph II carried out thorough modernization and mechanization of the infrastructure, forestry, water management, as well as industry and mining (graphite in the Krumlov region) throughout the estate. After the abolition of serfdom in 1848, which brought the Dominium to 2/3 of its original area, efforts to streamline were even more pronounced to ensure the continued prosperity of business and industry.

 

The turn of the 19th and 20th centuries

Although the Krumlov castle remained in the hands of the Schwarzenberg primogeniture after 1848, the main seat was de facto moved to the Hluboká castle. Nevertheless, Krumlov retained its status as the symbolic ancestral seat of both branches of the Schwarzenbergs. Český Krumlov subsequently became a district town and the former lordly offices were replaced by state ones, while the remaining Schwarzenberg properties in the region were transformed into princely estates. In the 19th century, there were two schools, a barracks, an orphanage, one princely and one municipal brewery, mills and two paper mills in the town. The biggest change in the appearance of the city was the demolition of the city walls and historic gates, of which only the youngest - Budějovická - has been preserved. In the entire region, Jan Nepomuk II was then. a railway network was built from Schwarzenberg.

It was not until the turn of the century that the development of industry represented the history of the city itself, which is particularly associated with two names - Ignác Spiro and Arnošt Porák. Ignác Spiro founded a paper mill in Větřní, which became the most important paper mill in Austria-Hungary (in 1911, the largest paper spinning machine in the world was launched here) and, after the creation of Czechoslovakia, the largest in the republic. The Spir family also played a large part in life in the city, the founding of the Jewish association in Český Krumlov and the construction of the Krumlov synagogue. Arnošt Porák was engaged in graphite mining in the Krumlov region, while in 1885 he founded a paper mill in Loučovice and financed only the second electrified railway in Bohemia. To his memory, one of the bridges in the city still bears his name. In 1900, the interiors of the castle were made available to the public by Adolf Josef from Schwarzenberg, and a hospital was built in the town.

 

The beginnings of national frictions

In the second half of the 19th century, 8,300 inhabitants lived in Český Krumlov (72% speaking German, 18% speaking Czech). In 1900, the population rose to 9,600. The first significant national differences between Czechs and Germans in Krumlov date back to the second half of the 19th century. German-speaking citizens joined together in German associations and Czech-speaking citizens in their own - Reader's Forum from 1879, Craftsmen's Unity, Včela workers' association and from 1892 the first Czech school. The exceptions were the factories, workers' unions and Schwarzenberg enterprises, in which the policy of impartiality and, if possible, half-and-half representation in the management was essential. The highlight of the German-Czech battle for the city was the unveiling of the monument to Emperor Joseph II, which the local German settlers wanted to use for national proclamations. Although Prince Adolf Josef of Schwarzenberg strongly condemned the whole event and refused to contribute to the monument in any way, the statue was unveiled on July 20, 1890 near the Plešivec district.

 

20th century

The First World War significantly affected the city. A non-negligible number of men fell on the front, and the city's coffers were burdened by the financing of infirmaries and sanatoriums for soldiers, which were purposefully established in the city as an official hospital city in Bohemia. Among the Czechoslovak legionnaires there were also 200 Krumlovans. In 1917, there were the first major manifestations of disagreement with the war policy of the monarchy. Three joint workers' demonstrations of Czechs and Germans took place, and on July 17, a thousand workers from Český Krumlov gathered in the square.

With the end of the war approaching, a Czech national committee was established in the city, which immediately began to negotiate with the city council regarding the co-optation of Czech representatives among its members. However, the German majority of the Šumava population responded to the creation of Czechoslovakia by declaring an independent Šumava County with its capital in Český Krumlov. After the declaration of accession to Austria, the Czechoslovak government decided on an immediate military intervention in the border area. Although the Český Krumlov National Committee spoke out against the intervention of the army at the request of the city council, on November 29, 1918, the city was occupied without a fight by the newly established Czechoslovak army.

The following year, in the first regular municipal elections, a new mayor, Dr. Tannich and Czech representatives also sat in the council, who were subsequently offered the position of deputy mayor. In 1928, a commemorative plaque to the founder of the republic, T.G., was unveiled in the city. Masaryk and the 1930 memorial to the victims of the First World War. In 1929, a new Czech school was opened.

In the 1920s, Krumlov prospered economically and culturally. In 1937, President Edvard Beneš even visited JUDr. Adolf Schwarzenberg, who ceremoniously donated 1,000,000 CZK to him to strengthen the defense of the Czech-German border against the Nazi threat.

 

The Battle of Krumlov and World War II

Due to the preponderance of the population of German nationality, however, the city was to be ceded to the German Empire in 1938 according to the Munich Dictatorship. The so-called the battle for Krumlov from October 1 to 2, when light tanks were also deployed, represented one of the most serious battles of retreating Czechoslovak units protecting Czechoslovak citizens and German anti-fascists from attacks by Nazi gunmen and fanatics. The city suffered considerable damage as a result, and Czechoslovak power could not be restored in the city until the arrival of the Wehrmacht on October 8, 1938. Subsequently, on October 20, Adolf Hitler triumphantly entered the city. However, his stay was not too triumphant because, despite the insistence of the Nazi authorities, JUDr. Adolf Schwarzenberg refused to welcome him and forbade him to enter the Krumlov castle.

During World War II, the city suffered further. Democracy in general as well as communal democracy was completely suppressed. Germans and remaining Czech residents (approx. 350 persons of Czech nationality from mixed marriages) had to join the German army units en masse very soon, regardless of personal attitudes, and go to the front, where most of them perished. Due to public anti-Nazi attitudes, JUDr. Adolf Schwarzenberg was put under forced administration as early as 1940. JUDr. Adolf Schwarzenberg fled with his family – his brother, authorized representative of the family in Bohemia JUDr. However, Jindřich Schwarzenberg was arrested and sent to a concentration camp. During the occupation, Czech residents were second-class citizens with no real rights, and the Czech language was forbidden. However, it is also necessary to add that there were no documented attacks by local German residents against fellow Czech citizens in the city.

In 1945, Český Krumlov was liberated by the American army without a fight, and Czechoslovak citizens could return to the city after five years. Although the Krumlov National Committee intended to deport only true collaborators with Nazism, in 1945-1946 the German-speaking population was deported en masse as part of a nationwide policy. The city thus lost most of its population, which was gradually replaced by immigrants - in 1946 there were already 4,550 new Czech settlers. As part of the honoring, all monuments bearing German names in the city were destroyed.

 

1945–1989

In 1947, all the Schwarzenberg property of the Krumlov-Hlubock branch in Czechoslovakia, including all businesses in Krumlov and the Krumlov castle, was unconstitutionally expropriated by the so-called Lex Schwarzenberg law and placed in the hands of the state. As was JUDr. Adolf Schwarzenberg was forbidden to return to Czechoslovakia from the USA, and most of the famous industrialists who fled from Nazism were not allowed to return home to Krumlov from exile - for example, the Jewish Spir family.

After 1948, the nationalization of local enterprises led to the development of new industries, especially textiles (the Jitka and Otavan plants), woodworking and food processing (the South Bohemian Dairy plant). New functionalist housing estates were built – Plešivec, Špičák, Vyšný, Dubík, Domoradice, Havraní Skála and Mír, a new hospital building and a new office (especially after the creation of the modern Český Krumlov district in 1960). A road bypass of the city center (Objížďková street) was also built, while a large number of historic houses were destroyed.

Buildings from this era, however, did not significantly affect the historical core of the city, as happened, for example, in nearby Prachatice or Kaplica. In 1963, the center was also declared a city conservation area. During the period of totalitarianism, however, monument care was not at a significant level, therefore, until 1989, many important monuments of the city were unsightly, some even in very bad condition. The fact that trucks and buses passed through it also had a bad effect on the historic center. Even then, however, the run-down town attracted not only visitors, but also filmmakers (e.g. Hop - a je tu ape ape 1977).

During the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops in 1968, many protest actions and demonstrations against the occupying forces took place in Krumlov, as in other Czech and Slovak cities. There were protest strikes in businesses, civic meetings were held on Svornost Square, and the locals tried their best to prevent the movements of the occupying troops, who penetrated the city and occupied important buildings, such as the Krumlov barracks. Citizens, businesses and likewise the local committee resolutely refused to collaborate with the occupying forces. By 1969, however, the process of so-called normalization was initiated in Czechoslovakia, which excluded any further mass manifestations of disapproval of the occupation.

Cultural life in the era of totalitarianism could not be compared with the culture of pre-war Krumlov. Fortunately, it was possible to preserve many things, for example the institution of the Music School at the church of St. Víta, or the tradition of historical celebrations (1909, 1968, 1969), from which the Five-leaf Rose Festival arose after the revolution.

 

Present

After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, Krumlov became one of the most important destinations for foreign tourists in the Czech Republic. Civil and cultural life was restored and many civic associations and cultural institutions were founded, the Five-leaf Rose Festival was renewed and many music festivals were established. Substantial funds were invested in the restoration of historic buildings, and Český Krumlov today ranks among the most beautiful cities in the Czech Republic, Europe and the world. In 1992, the town and castle were included in the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List - UNESCO.

Within the framework of European regional policy, Český Krumlov is significantly involved in mutual Czech-German-Austrian understanding, from student exchange stays to cultural events and exhibitions (Zemská výstavsta žíchní Czechy - Upper Austria 2013).

The city has also been visited by several important personalities, such as the Danish Queen Margaret II, the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf or the British King Charles III.

 

Population

Czech and German residents have lived side by side since the city was founded. With the development of mining already in the Middle Ages, German quickly began to prevail in the town, which is why in the 19th century, 72% of the town's 8,300 inhabitants spoke German and 18% Czech. However, the Second World War ended the sometimes wild, sometimes peaceful coexistence of Czechs and Germans in Český Krumlov after 700 years. In 1938, the majority of the Czech population had to leave the city, after 1945, on the contrary, the vast majority of the German population.

As of September 24, 2007, of the 14,056 inhabitants, 14.7% were under the age of 15. According to census data, 26% of the city's residents were religious. Approximately 93% of the population claimed Czech nationality, 2% Slovak nationality, and 1% German nationality.

 

Economy

The transformation of the economy after 1989 meant the demise of some Krumlov racing enterprises, e.g. the OTAVAN clothing factory. On the other hand, thanks to the tourism industry, many jobs have been created in services, especially in accommodation and hospitality. Today, tourism is the basis of the local economy. It focuses on Czech and foreign visitors, participants of local festivals and boaters on the Vltava. The main tourist season takes place in the summer months.

In the north of the city, on the outskirts of Domoradic, a new industrial zone was established in the 1990s. Among the food businesses operating in the city are bakeries, a branch of South Bohemian dairies Madeta and the local Krumlov brewery, formerly known as Eggenberg.

Unemployment in the city was 3.61% as of April 30, 2018.