Putim

And on entering the village he was extremely surprised to see a board on the first cottage bearing the inscription: "Putim". "Crikey", sighed Schweik. "Why, I'm back again in Putim. That's where I slept in the haystack." He was, however, not at all surprised when from a white cottage behind a pond a policeman stepped forth, like a spider lurking in its web. He went straight up to Schweik and said: "Where are you off to?" "To Budějovice, to join my regiment." The policeman gave a sarcastic smile. "But you're coming away from Budějovice. You´ve left Budějovice behind you," and drew Schweik into the police station.

"Can you show us on the map which way you went to get to Budějovice?" "I can't remember all the places. But I remember that I've been in Putim once before."

How to reach Putim from Písek

By car:

• road II/140 (6 km)

By bus:

• from the main bus station in Písek, some buses on weekdays

By train:

• line no. 200 and 201, frequent daily connections

By bike:

• Otava cycling route or 1043 from Písek via Hůrky

On foot:

• red square route (10,5 km)

Things to do

• Get to know this famous South Bohemian village a bit better. If you walk up and down its streets you will realize that each view of the village is worth a photo and each corner has its specific atmosphere. The main landmark of the village is the Church of St Vavřinec from the 13th century with a cemetery and an ossuary. You might notice the tombstone of Jan Cimbura, a figure in the novel of J. Š. Baar. If you go through the whole village you will get to the farm where the real hero used to live. It is only a stone's throw away to the large Podkostelní Pond known for its October emptying of the ponds of fish. One can not only buy live fish here but also enjoy smoked or baked carp on the banks of the pond.
• Look up the gendarme station where Schweik got arrested and interviewed. The house can be easily identified as it has signs from the era of the Habsburg Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The film "Good Soldier Schweik" was filmed there.
• You might like to walk from Písek to Putim. It is a pleasant walk starting at the Putim Gate where you will find an information board with a map of the journey. Walk towards the U Smetáka hotel where you might like to have a drink or something to eat. Continue along the so called Devil's Path and the Otava River will take you all the way to Zátavský Bridge. At this point you will leave the water, bypass the cottage area and walk underneath the high voltage cables along the newly marked cycle track until you reach the conflux of two rivers. It is an easy walk to the place where the Otava and Blanice rivers meet and here again you have the chance to take some refreshment. It is only a short way to Putim now through the woods. You can return to Písek by train - to reach the railway station walk past the Podkostelní Pond. Or you might like to continue to Ražice (www.razice.cz), which won the award of South Bohemia Village 2007, and is also on the Č. Budějovice - Plzeň train line, and return to Písek by train from there.

Schweik´s Recommendation

• Schweik stayed the night in a haystack behind Putim and as there are haystacks behind the village every year, there is no need for you to look for a place to stay.
• The U Cimbury pub has a large dance hall decorated with paintings of Schweik.

Municipality Putim

Putim 198, CZ-39701 Písek
Telephone: +420 382 261 820
E-mail: obecputim@volny.cz
www.putim.cz

File date: 5.11.2010