Hluboká nad Vltavou (; until 1885 Podhrad, ) is a town in ÃÂeské BudÃÂjovice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,600 inhabitants. The town is known for the Hluboká Castle.
Hluboká nad Vltavou consists of 11 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
The name of the town was taken from the name of the local castle. The castle was named Frauenberg in German, which was derived from Old German vrôburg (i.e. "Lord's castle"). The Czech name Hluboká literally means 'deep' and originated from the location of the castle above a deep valley.
Hluboká nad Vltavou is located about north of ÃÂeské BudÃÂjovice. It is situated on both banks of the Vltava River. The stream Bezdrevský potok flows into the Vltava south of the town proper. There are many fishponds in the municipal territory. The town proper lies on the shore of the largest of them, which is Munický rybnÃÂk with an area of .
Hluboká nad Vltavou lies mostly in the Tábor Uplands, but the southern part with the ponds lies in the ÃÂeské BudÃÂjovice Basin, and the eastern part extends into the Tà Âeboà  Basin. The northern part of the large municipal territory is covered by forests. The highest point is the hill Velký KamenÃÂk at above sea level.
History of the town is connected with a castle, which was founded together with the city of ÃÂeské BudÃÂjovice by King Ottokar II on a rocky promontory above the Vltava river. A settlement was founded under the castle and named Podhrad (literally 'under-castle').
The castle later passed to the VÃÂtkovci dynasty. Held by the local noble Vilém II of Pernà ¡tejn from 1490 onwards, the castle and the town prospered. In 1496, Podhrad was promoted to a market town.
The acquisition by the Schwarzenberg family in 1661 brought even greater wealth to the area. After a brief capture by French forces and a blaze in 1742, during the War of the Austrian Succession, the medieval fortress was slighted and rebuilt into a Renaissance castle, then between 1839 and 1871 into the current Neo-Gothic castle.
The first Jews came into the market town around 1724. The old synagogue was replaced by a new one in 1907, but it ceased to serve its purpose after its interior was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II.
The present-day municipality arose in 1850. The majority of the population was Czech-speaking. The market town was renamed after the Hluboká Castle in 1885. In 1907, Hluboká became a town by decision of Franz Joseph I.
The I/20 road (part of the European route E49) from ÃÂeské BudÃÂjovice to Plzeà  and Karlovy Vary passes through the southern part og the municipal territory.
Hluboká nad Vltavou is located on the railway lines ÃÂeské BudÃÂjoviceâÂÂPÃÂsek and ÃÂeské BudÃÂjoviceâÂÂStrakonice.
The Townshend International School has been based in the town since 1992.
The main landmark of Hluboká nad Vltavou is the Tudor-style Hluboká Castle. Every year it is one of the most visited castles in the country.
The second significant castle in Hluboká nad Vltavou is Ohrada Castle. It is a Baroque hunting castle built in 1708âÂÂ1713. In 1842, the Hunting Museum, one of the oldest museums in the country, was established here. It still exist under the name Museum of Forestry, Hunting and Fishing, and is administered by National Museum of Agriculture in Prague.
Next to the castle is a zoological garden, colloquially known as Ohrada Zoo. It breeds about 300 species of animals.
Hluboká nad Vltavou is twinned with: