Černá věž (České Budějovice) Tower

The Black Tower in České Budějovice is a Renaissance building from the 16th century, located in the heart of the city near St. Nicholas Cathedral. In the past, it served as a guard and reporting object, bell tower and symbol of urban wealth. Today it acts as a sought-after tourist view of the historical core.

The decision to build the tower was taken by the Česká Budějovice City Council in 1547. Due to the difficult hydrological conditions on the ground, the soil had to be reinforced by oak pilots before the work began. The base stone was laid in 1550 and the construction itself took place until 1577. It was involved by builders Hans Spatz, Lorenc and Vincenc Vogarelli. In 1606, the tower was supplemented with clocks and in the 17th century, the indicator of the monthly phases, known as the clock clock, was added to its southern side.

The building has a square ground plan with a length of 11.6 metres and reaches 71.9 metres. The walls are three feet thick at the base and narrowing upwards to less than two metres. The interior is divided into nine floors; On the ninth floor there was an apartment for a prisoner and his family. The architectural construction combines Gothic elements that predominate to the fifth floor, with a Renaissance style applied from the sixth floor to the roof pit.

The naming of the Black Tower lived only around 1890. Although it is reported that the name relates to the city's fire in 1641, the real cause of blackening stone blocks was air pollution due to industrial development and coal burning in the 19th century, when the remains of painted plaster fell off the surface. The tower underwent several repairs, of which the last general reconstruction took place between 1982 and 1985. In 1993, Jan Valerián Jirsík's memorial was restored to its surroundings.

The tower is equipped with seven bells and two cymbals. The oldest are the Silver Bell from 1630, the bells Maria (1684), Díráček (1705), Bumerin (1723), Oktava (1724) and Marta (1723). The youngest addition is the Budvar bell, cast in 1995, which was purchased by the city in 2021. People's reputation, such as the Bumerin bell, which was to be found by a pig or a skeleton helping the tower with the dying bell, is bound to be remembered.

In the season the tower is open to the public and offers a view of the historical centre of České Budějovice. The visit allows you to see the history of the city administration and technical maturity of the 16th century. For those interested in architecture and history, this dominance represents an important proof of the prosperity of the then royal city.