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This beautiful Czech town is the administrative capital of South Bohemia and its main cultural and industrial centre. Today the town boasts a population of 90.000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Vltava and Mal�e rivers. The Dominican monastery was built in 1265 by the Bohemian king P�emysl Otakar II. In the centre there is one of the largest town squares in Europe. Almost all the houses lining the square have arcades, in its centre there is the Baroque Samson's fountain built in 1727. Other architectural monument is the Black Tower, 70 meters high, with an excellent view from the top, or the Church of St. Nicholas. This town is also known as the starting-point for the horse-drawn railway to Linz, opened in 1832. �esk� Bud�jovice is the home of Budweiser beer and the factory manufacturing pencils and writing aids Koh-i-noor /Hardtmuth/.