Ceske Budejovice, lying at the confluence of the Rivers Vltava and Malse, was founded in 1265 by order of King Premysl Otakar II and was undoubtedly expected to provide strong support for royal power in this region. Its creation was not an isolated act for it falls in the great period, in the third quarter of the 13th century, when establishment of towns reached its climax on the territory of the Czech Lands and also affected other parts of the then Premyslide state.

The layout of the town drawn up by locator, has basically survived in Ceske Budejovice without too great change. Its focal point is a large square out of which runs a symmetrical network of streets vertical to each other, dividing the area into a chees-board arrangement of blocks. One of the first concerns of the residents of this new town was, unquestionably to build strong fortifications towers, so characteristic of mediaeval towns, provided Ceske Budejovice with a striking silhouette which stood out clearly from the surrounding countryside. Only a few remains are left of the fortifications which on many occasions were strengthened and supplemented.

Immediately after the town was founded two Gothic churches - the parish and the Dominican - were constructed and they were among the main architectural dominants of Ceske Budejovice. Work of them continued until the 14th century.

The period of Late Gothic, in the 15th century and the first decade of the 16th century, is marked especially by the architecture of burghers' houses, apart from a big reconstruction of the parish church whose appearance we know of only from the oldest depiction of the town. In these houses, many Late Gothic portals, arches, windowed walls and other building details have survived. evidence of the great construction work that went on. In Ceske Budejovice at this time a number of Late Gothic statues were erected and these have been preserved in the town or its environs.

In the course of the 16th century the economic position of the Ceske Budejovice townspeople was strenghthened. The town profited from the import of salt from Passau and Salzburg, and an important role was played by the production of cloth, malt and beer. The mining of silver ore also developed in the vicinity of Ceske Budejovice.

During the Renaissance the character of certain parts of the town's historical core was stabilised for centuries to come. Many houses were given a Renaissance faade and sgraffiti were an inseparable element of their decoration. Between 1549 and 1577 the so-called Black Tower was constructed, which is the dominating feature of the town's historical centre. Construction and artistic work went on busily in Ceske Budejovice even the 17th and 18th centuries, although it was almost all on a provincial level. Among the most outstanding undertakings was the Early Baroque reconstruction of the Town church - today the cathedral, and the Town Hall, which gave the square its final appearance. Among the many Baroque sculptures, the big fountain with the statuary of Samson, in the middle of the Square, is most outstanding.

At the beginning of the 19th century Ceske Budejovice had not quite 8,000 inhabitants, but a century later this number had risen to more than 50,000. The building of new lines of communication was of great importance for the town's development. In 1824, for instance, construction began on the first horse-drawn railway line on the European continent, linking Ceske Budejovice with Linz. Industrial production began to develop in Budejovice during the 19th century. The most important enterprise was Koh-i-noor, founded in 1847, which produced pencils.

In the first half of the 20th century there was a stagnation in Ceske Budejovice's population growth. After the end of the Second World War, however, there was a gradual increase so that by 1975 Budejovice could claim more than 82,000 residents. In the post-war period a number of new industrial plants were built here. An important element in the town's appearance is the extensive new housing estates now going up. Ceske Budejovice today is a modern town agglomerate and is truly the cultural, industrial and administrative centre of the South Bohemian Region.