Former hotel Dvořáček

Former Hotel Dvořáček The grand Neo-Renaissance building known today as the former Hotel Dvořáček was constructed in 1899 on the site of Písek’s medieval town walls. Originally opened as the “Hotel Archduke Franz Ferdinand,” it was renamed “Dvořáček” after its owner following the establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918. In the early 20th century, it stood among the most luxurious hotels in South Bohemia.

Between the 1960s and 1994, the building operated under the name “Interhotel Otava”. Its façade features 11 striking paintings that chronicle the history of Písek, designed by renowned Czech painter and native of the region, Mikoláš Aleš.

Traces of Mikoláš Aleš can be seen throughout the town. He moved to Písek at the age of ten to attend the main school—then a German-language institution—and lived in several locations with his family. One of their residences was a house on Ningrova Street, where today his bust is displayed. The nearby square is named in his honor.

Aleš also contributed to the decoration of the historic Kodlův House on Národní Svobody Street. Visitors can see reproductions of humorous caricatures he sketched during a visit to Písek in 1897, now displayed in the local restaurant U Reinerů.