Twinning
Tredomen House
Tredomen Park
Ystrad Mynach
Hengoed CF82 7WF
01443 864321
Location and history
The picturesque town of Pisek is situated approximately 110km south of Prague in the Czech Republic along the banks of the Otava river. The castle and the town of Písek were officially founded by Czech kings shortly before the mid 13th century. The town was named Písek (Sand) because of the gold bearing sand that had been panned from the river to gain the precious and valuable metal.
Thanks to the gold mining the town grew very quickly and it became a favourite with a number of Czech kings. Towards the end of the Middle Ages the town was one of the largest regional centres in Southern Bohemia.
The expansion was halted due to various wars and sieges and only with the beginning of the 19th century did the town start to spread out of the fortification walls.
Today the town has a population of approximately 30,000 and is the administrative centre for some 60,000 people. Pisek boasts many higher education colleges and is well equipped with new media facilities like the Film Academy of Miroslav Ondříček.
With its historical centre Písek has been proclaimed a conservation zone and has become a popular tourist destination. One of its landmarks is the stone bridge across the river Otava, which was damaged during the 2002 floods, but since has been restored.
Industry
Pisek’s main industry is centred around the manufacture of textiles and foods and in recent years many automotive and electronic component production plants moved into Pisek’s northern industrial zone, which is one of the most successful in Southern Bohemia with a workforce of around 2,200 and area covering 64 ha.
Twinning History
In June 1994 a twinning partnership was set up between Islwyn Borough Council and Pisek, which has been continued by Caerphilly County Borough Council. Since that time many exchanges have taken place representing all quarters of the community. Formal declarations of partnership were entered into on 28 October 1997.
Other Pisek twinnings
Pisek is also twinned with a number of other countries: