Prachatice District (Czech: okres Prachatice) is a district in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Prachatice.

Prachatice District is divided into two administrative districts of municipalities with extended competence: Prachatice and Vimperk.

Towns are marked in bold and market towns in italics:

Babice - Bohumilice - Bohunice - Borová Lada - Bošice - Budkov - Buk - Bušanovice - Chlumany - Chroboly - Chvalovice - Čkyně - Drslavice - Dub - Dvory - Horní Vltavice - Hracholusky - Husinec - Kratušín - Křišťanov - Ktiš - Kubova Huť - Kvilda - Lažiště - Lčovice - Lenora - Lhenice - Lipovice - Lužice - Mahouš - Malovice - Mičovice - Nebahovy - Němčice - Netolice - Nicov - Nová Pec - Nové Hutě - Olšovice - Pěčnov - Prachatice - Radhostice - Stachy - Stožec - Strážný - Strunkovice nad Blanicí - Šumavské Hoštice - Svatá Maří - Těšovice - Tvrzice - Újezdec - Vacov - Vimperk - Vitějovice - Vlachovo Březí - Volary - Vrbice - Záblatí - Zábrdí - Zálezly - Zbytiny - Zdíkov - Žárovná - Želnava - Žernovice

Prachatice District borders Germany in the southwest and briefly Austria in the south. Most of the territory has a foothill character, but along the state border, the landscape is mountainous, and in the east, the terrain is only slightly undulating. The majority of the district is located at an altitude of 600–800 m. The territory extends into three geomorphological mesoregions: Bohemian Forest Foothills (north, centre and southeast), Bohemian Forest (south and west), and České Budějovice Basin (small part in the east). The highest point of the district is the mountain Plechý in Nová Pec with an elevation of 1,378 m (4,521 ft), the lowest point is the river bed of the Bezdrevský Stream in Malovice at 410 m (1,350 ft).

From the total district area of 1,376.8 km (531.6 sq mi), agricultural land occupies 495.8 km (191.4 sq mi), forests occupy 728.5 km (281.3 sq mi), and water area occupies 28.2 km (10.9 sq mi). Forests cover 52.9% of the district's area.

The most important river is the Vltava, which originates here as the Teplá Vltava and flows across the Bohemian Forest mountain range. The Volyňka also originates here and flows to the north. The eastern part of the territory is drained by the Blanice River. This part of the district is rich in fishponds, otherwise there are not many bodies of water. The largest body of water is the Husinec Reservoir, with an area of 61 ha (150 acres). A small part of the Lipno Reservoir also extends into the district. Near Plechý is Plešné Lake, one of the few natural lakes in the country.

From west to south, the Šumava National Park stretches across the territory of the district, while the centre of the territory falls under the protection of the Šumava Protected Landscape Area.

A German minority used to live in Prachatice, composing 47% of the district's population by 1930. After World War II, the German population was expelled, and the district experienced a notable demographic change as more ethnic Czechs were settled in the region.

As of 2024, Prachatice District is the third least populated district in the country.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 86,745 —     1880 92,183 +6.3% 1890 90,390 −1.9% 1900 90,588 +0.2% 1910 91,757 +1.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 88,058 −4.0% 1930 85,789 −2.6% 1950 47,835 −44.2% 1961 48,239 +0.8% 1970 47,925 −0.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 50,119 +4.6% 1991 50,985 +1.7% 2001 51,387 +0.8% 2011 50,028 −2.6% 2021 49,379 −1.3%
Source: Censuses

Name	Population	Area (km)
Prachatice	11,250	39
Vimperk	7,364	80
Volary	3,715	108
Netolice	2,498	26
Lhenice	2,109	39
Vlachovo Březí	1,748	20
Zdíkov	1,748	32
Čkyně	1,561	21
Vacov	1,459	35
Husinec	1,414	10

The largest employers with headquarters in Prachatice District and at least 500 employees are:

Economic entity	Location	Number of employees	Main activity
Prachatice Hospital	Prachatice	500–999	Health care
Rohde & Schwarz závod Vimperk	Vimperk	500–999	Manufacture of devices

There are no motorways in the district. The most important road is the I/4, which separates from the D4 motorway and leads through the district to the Czech-German border.

The most important monuments in the district, protected as national cultural monuments, are:

• Birthplace of Jan Hus in Husinec
• Kratochvíle Castle
• Vimperk Castle
• Schwarzenberg Canal (partly)
• Prachatice Town Hall

The best-preserved settlements, protected as monument reservations and monument zones, are:

The most visited tourist destination is the Kratochvíle Castle.

• Prachatice District – profile on the Czech Statistical Office website