Tábor (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populated town in the region. It lies in the Tábor Uplands on the Lužnice River. The town is a road and railway junction.

Tábor was founded by the Hussites in 1420 and named after the bibical Mount Tabor. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument reservation. The town has four national cultural monuments, including the Old Town Hall, which houses the Hussite Museum. Tábor Zoo is also one of the town's well-known tourist destinations.

Administrative division

Tábor consists of 15 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

  • Tábor (25,625)
  • Čekanice (1,355)
  • Čelkovice (680)
  • Hlinice (208)
  • Horky (1,047)
  • Klokoty (1,092)
  • Měšice (1,759)
  • Náchod (340)
  • Smyslov (58)
  • Stoklasná Lhota (180)
  • Větrovy (393)
  • Všechov (37)
  • Zahrádka (49)
  • Záluží (189)
  • Zárybničná Lhota (348)

Etymology

Although the town's Czech name translates directly to 'camp' or 'encampment', these words were derived from Tábor's name, and the town was named after the biblical Mount Tabor located in Israel. The town also gave its name to the Taborites, a radical wing of the Hussites. Tábor was initially called Hradiště hory Tábor ().

Geography

thumb|Jordán Reservoir

Tábor is located about north of České Budějovice and south of Prague. It lies in the Tábor Uplands. The highest point is the Hýlačka hill at aboce sea level. The Lužnice River flows through the town. The historic old town is situated on a hill above the river, which was used for the protection of the town.

In the middle of the town lies the Jordán Reservoir, which was created in 1492 and named after the biblical Jordan River. It was originally used for storage of water, but nowadays it is mainly used for recreation. It is the oldest reservoir in Central Europe. There are also many fishponds in the municipal territory.

History

The area is known to have been settled since the early Iron Age (6th–5th century BC). The next permanent settlement is documented in the Middle Ages. In around 1270, a short-lived settlement called Hradiště (meaning 'gord') was founded, which was destroyed most likely in a rebellion against King Ottokar II in 1276.

Tábor was founded in the spring of 1420, probably by Petr Hromádka of Jistebnice and other members of the most radical wing of the Hussites, who became known as the Taborites. Soon after the Taborites were victorious in the Battle of Tábor. The fortified settlement became the base from which the Hussites led their victorious expeditions. After the defeat of the Hussites in the Battle of Lipany, the Taborites reconciled with King Sigismund, and in 1437, it was promoted by Sigismund to a royal town. In 1452, the town surrendered to the troops under the command of the country's steward of George of Poděbrady. In 1648, the town was stormed and looted by Swedish army. After the Thirty Years' War, a long period of peace occurred and the town recovered. In the mid-17th century, the monks from the Order of Discalced Augustinians were invited to spread the Catholic faith.

Demographics

Economy

The Tábor Hospital is by far the largest employer based in the town. The largest industrial employer is Brisk Tábor, producer of spark plugs. The tradition of this production in Tábor dates back to 1935.

There is a military base that hosts 42nd Mechanized Battalion of the 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade. Czech Armed Forces Territorial Command headquarters is also located in the town.

Transport

Tábor is a significant transport hub. It lies on the D3 motorway that is part of the European route E55 that connect it with Prague and České Budějovice. The other important road is the I/19 that connect Tábor with Plzeň, Písek, Pelhřimov and the D1 motorway in Humpolec.

The town also lies on the mainline railway linking Prague with České Budějovice and Linz and local branch lines to Písek, Pelhřimov and Bechyně. The Tábor–Bechyně railway, built in 1903, was the first electrified railway line in Austria-Hungary.

Tábor is rich in monuments. There are four monuments, protected as national cultural monuments: Old Town Hall, Kotnov Castle with the Bechyně Gate, the monastery in Tábor-Klokoty with the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and the Altar Wings of Roudníky in the Hussite Museum.

Town fortifications

thumb|Kotnov Tower and Bechyně Gate

The Kotnov Castle was probably founded at the end of the 13th century and was first documented in 1370. It was rebuilt into a brewery in the 16th century. The current appearance of the castle is the result of modifications made after 1860. Major parts of the town fortifications, including the Kotnov Tower and the Bechyně Gate near the tower, still exist. Kotnov Tower is a landmark on the town's skyline, and today it serves as an observation tower.

A labyrinth of tunnels lies under the houses and streets. The townspeople dug cellars under their houses, and these were subsequently interconnected; an approximately -long section of the tunnel system is open to the public and is a part of the Hussite Museum.

Main square

thumb|Church of the Transfiguration of Jesus on the Mount Tabor

The largest building on the square is the Dean Church of the Transfiguration of Jesus on the Mount Tabor. It was built in 1480–1512 in the style of the Bohemian Renaissance. In the centre of the square are a Renaissance fountain created in 1567–1568 and a statue of Jan Žižka, the greatest of the Hussite leaders. The statue was created in 1884 by Josef Strachovský and replaced a defective statue from 1877 by Josef Václav Myslbek.

Natural sights

In Klokoty, there is the Pod Klokoty Geological Exposition along the Lužnice.

On the east edge of the town, there is a rock formation called ('garnet rock'). The rock is a deposit of red garnets that can be as large as hazelnuts and is protected as a nature monument. The majority of the rock was mined and used as construction material.

Tábor Zoo in Větrovy is the largest zoological garden in the South Bohemian Region with the area of . It was opened in 2015. In 2023, it bred 81 species. In 2024, the zoo had more than 118,000 visitors.

The botanical garden in Tábor was founded in 1866, which makes it the second oldest in the country. It belongs to the neighbouring Secondary Agricultural School. It contains more than 4,000 plants and 400 trees. The seeds from there are sent to more than 400 places in the world. Most of the garden is occupied by an arboretum. There is a small lake and a rock garden. The three glasshouses contains cacti, succulents, orchids, carnivorous plants and many other exotic plants.

U Popraviště is the largest park in Tábor. The park is built around a former gallows, which was used in 1942 during World War II. There is a monument to 156 victims of repression by the Nazi German occupiers that was built in 1947–1948, which includes a bronze board with lions and bronze relief board with figures. The rest of the park was created in the 1980s.

Notable people

  • Johan Peter Wotapek von Ritterwald (1676–1763), judge
  • Rosa Junck (1850–1929), Esperantist, educator and translator
  • Oskar Nedbal (1874–1930), violinist, composer and conductor
  • Petr Zenkl (1884–1975), politician
  • Jiří Traxler (1912–2011), Czech-Canadian jazz pianist and composer
  • Karel Černý (1922–2014), art director; lived and died here
  • Bohumil Němeček (1938–2010), boxer, Olympic winner
  • Ivana Markova (1938-2024), Czech-British social psychologist
  • Rudolf V. Perina (1945–2018), American diplomat
  • Jan Sovák (1953–2025), painter
  • Jiří Balík (born 1953), agroscientist
  • Jiří Lála (born 1959), ice hockey player
  • Helena Fuchsová (born 1965), track and field athlete
  • Daniel Ignác Trubač (born 1969), sculptor
  • Radek Dvořák (born 1977), ice hockey player
  • Jan Šimák (born 1978), footballer
  • Jana Sedláčková (born 1993), footballer

International relations

Tábor is a part of the Commonwealth of towns with hussite past and tradition, along with other 11 Czech and 6 German municipalities.

Twin towns – sister cities

Tábor is twinned with:

  • Dole, France
  • Konstanz, Germany
  • Nové Zámky, Slovakia
  • Orinda, United States
  • Škofja Loka, Slovenia
  • Wels, Austria

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px" class="center">

Tabor-kościół i pomnik Rolanda.jpg|Church and statue of Roland

Tábor from north.jpg|View of Tábor from the north, end of the 19th century, with well-visible town fortification, Ignác Šechtl

Tábor Žižka Square.jpg|Žižkovo náměstí with town hall and church, 1895, Ignác Šechtl

Tabor,Czech Republic.jpg|Southwest corner of Žižkovo náměstí as viewed from the church tower

Tábor-pohled od řeky Lužnice.jpg|View of Tábor from the river Lužnice

Pomník Jana Husa v Táboře.jpg|Monument to Jan Hus by sculptor František Bílek

Klokoty-klášter-2007.jpg|Pilgrimage church in Klokoty

Tabor Old Town.jpg|Old Town, Šechtl and Voseček

Tábor, náměstí TGM.jpg|Higher Vocational School and Secondary Agricultural School Tábor

</gallery>

References

Further reading

  • Official tourist portal
  • Historical photographs of the town
  • Hussite Museum in Tábor