Křemže

Křemže (Krems) is a market town in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,000 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The villages of Bohouškovice, Chlum, Chlumeček, Chmelná, Lhotka, Loučej, Mříč, Stupná and Vinná are administrative parts of Křemže.

Geography
Křemže is located about 10 km north of Český Krumlov and 13 km southwest of České Budějovice. It lies in the Bohemian Forest Foothills. The highest point is the mountain Kleť at 1087 m above sea level, located on the southern border of Křemže. There are several fishponds in the municipal territory. The entire territory of Křemže lies within the Blanský les Protected Landscape Area.

History
The first written mention of Křemže is from 1263. Until 1444, the village was owned by the Dubenský of Chlum family, then it was acquired by Oldřich II of Rosenberg. He sold it back to the Dubenský of Chlum family in 1451. In 1547, Křemže was inherited by the Častolár family. From 1678, the village was property of the monastery in Zlatá Koruna, which lasted until the abolishment of the monastery is 1785. Then it was merged with the Český Krumlov estate. In 1863, Křemže was promoted to a town.

Transport
Křemže is located o nthe railway line České Budějovice–Volary.

Sights
The main landmark of Křemže is the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel. It was probably built at the end of the 13th century. Pseudo-Gothic reconstruction took place in 1885–1887. The rectory next to the church dates from 1840 and was built after the old rectory was destroyed by fire.

The oldest stone observation tower in the Czech Republic was built on Kleť in 1825. It was built by Count Josef Schwarzenberg. The tower was built in the neo-Gothic style and is 18 m high. It used to be a trigonometric point for cartographic works. In 1925, a mountain hut was built on Kleť for tourists. It contains a sundial, the highest in the Czech Republic.