Dubbed a “treasury of cultural and natural beauty”, this small town located on the banks of the River Vltava forms the starting point for thousands of boaters to head down the stream via Rožmberk, Zlatá Koruna, and Český Krumlov. In addition to being literally stitched with rent-a-boat operators, the town has a wide range of attractions and reasons for visit. Primarily, there is a Cistercian monastery towering over the site and boasting a beautiful church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with a tomb of the Rožmberk family as well as a library with 70,000 books, Vyšebrod Madonna, and the legendary golden cross of Záviš covered with precious stones. The cross has been designated a national cultural monument and some put it at the same level with Czech coronation gems.