The Písek royal castle is an important sight of the Czech Gothic castle architecture. It stands near the centre of the town of the same name on the bank of the Otava river. It is not a typical castle built on the high rock, but the new type, which is integrated into the town walls and which was built together with the town.
The castle was founded with the town in the middle of the 13th century by King Premysl Ottakar II. During the Hussite Wars in the beginning of the 15th century the castle became a property of the town Písek, but soon it belonged to the King again. From 1509 it had been back under the control of the town and in the 17th century it was abandoned. The southern wing with the chapel was rebuilt into brewery, northern part was adapted as barracks and south-eastern part, which was used as a town hall, was demolished.
Písek castle had originally the regular square layout and it was accessible by the drawbridge from the square.
The west wing, the Royal palace, has been preserved up till this day. There is an arcade corridor arched with cross vault on the ground floor. In the Knight Hall there are valuable Late-Gothic wall paintings from the end of the 15th century.
The regional museum seats here.