Prachatice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpraxacɪtsɛ] ; German: Prachatitz) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.

Prachatice is made up of the town parts of Prachatice I, Prachatice II and Staré Prachatice, and the villages of Kahov, Libínské Sedlo, Městská Lhotka, Oseky, Ostrov, Perlovice, Podolí, Stádla and Volovice.

The name is derived from the old Slavic personal name Prachata. It meant "the village of Prachata's people".

Prachatice is located about 34 kilometres (21 mi) west of České Budějovice. It lies in the Bohemian Forest Foothills. The highest point is the Libín mountain at 1,093 m (3,586 ft) above sea level. The stream of Živný potok flows through the town. The Blanice River flows along the northwestern municipal border.

Prachatice was founded with the beginning of trade on the Golden Trail, an important salt trade route beginning in Passau, Bavaria. Probably in the 9th or 10th century, a settlement was founded in the area of today's Staré Prachatice ("Old Prachatice") town part. In the second half of the 12th century, it was acquired by Vyšehrad Chapter.

When the settlement ceased to suit its purpose, a new settlement was established near the old one at the end of the 13th century. In 1312, Prachatice was first referred to as a town. In 1323, King John of Bohemia confirmed to the town of Prachatice the right to use the trade route to Passau and to collect customs duties there. Prachatice was fully completed in the 3rd quarter of the 14th century.

During the Hussite Wars in the 15th century, Prachatice was attacked twice, It was eventually conquered by the Hussites, who killed most of the population. In 1436, after the end of the conflict, Prachatice was granted the status of royal town by King Sigismund, and all its old privileges were confirmed. Only one year later, the town was offered as collateral to Jan Smil of Krems, but it fell under the control of the Rosenberg family for a short period following Smil's execution in 1439 at Český Krumlov. Oldřich II of Rosenberg sold the town almost immediately after the execution, but it again became property of the family in 1501. In the second half of the 15th century, the number of inhabitants increased, and new houses had to be built.

In the 16th century, trade on the trail reached its peak and the town prospered. The Rosenbergs controlled Prachatice until 1601 when Peter Vok of Rosenberg, the last member of the family, sold the town to Emperor Rudolf II who would again make it a royal town in 1609. It remained firmly under royal control until the Bohemian Revolt during which it sided with the rebels. However, in 1620, the town was reconquered and connected to the Krumlov manor. After the Battle of White Mountain, Prachatice lost its royal town status and privileges and became the property of the Eggenberg family though the emperor's troops remained in the town throughout the remainder of the Thirty Years' War. Later in the war, the town was conquered by the Swedish army, and another large ransom was demanded. In the second half of the 17th century, trade on the Golden Trail declined and never revived.

The town and the whole Krumlov manor changed hands again in 1719, following the death of Princess Marie Arnoštka of Eggenberg and came under the control of the affluent Schwarzenberg family. The weak political and economic situation affected the condition of the houses. Old ones were not reconstructed, and new ones were not built.

Until 1918, the town was part of Austria-Hungary, in the district of the same name, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.

After 1945, the German population was expelled as a result of World War II.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 4,911 —     1880 5,682 +15.7% 1890 5,363 −5.6% 1900 5,573 +3.9% 1910 5,779 +3.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 5,482 −5.1% 1930 5,926 +8.1% 1950 5,130 −13.4% 1961 5,381 +4.9% 1970 7,100 +31.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 10,354 +45.8% 1991 11,805 +14.0% 2001 11,843 +0.3% 2011 11,203 −5.4% 2021 10,440 −6.8%
Source: Censuses

There are no large industrial companies. The largest employer based in the town is the hospital. The largest industrial employers are the companies of InTiCa Systems (manufacturer of electronic components) and Reinfurt-ČR (manufacturer of ball bearings), both with more than 250 employees.

Prachatice is located on the railway line Číčenice–Nové Údolí.

The town hosts the Golden Salt Path Celebrations every year with a rich cultural program.

The historic centre is formed by Velké Square and adjoining streets, and is delimited by the remains of the town walls. Due to the stagnation of economic life in the 17th and 18th centuries, Prachatice have many Renaissance buildings, some of then reconstructed in the Empire style. Since 1981, the historic core of the town has been protected as an urban monument reservation.

One of the main landmarks of the town centre is the Old Town Hall, a Renaissance building from 1570–1571. The New Town Hall was built in pseudo-Renaissance style in 1903.

The Church of Saint James the Great near the square is the largest building in the historic centre. It is a late Gothic building first mentioned in 1359. Its final form was achieved by reconstructions between 1505 and 1513.

Dolní Gate ("Lower Gate"; also called Písecká) is a preserved element of stone town fortifications, which comes from the first half of the 15th century. The gate is from around 1527 and creates the entrance to the historic centre.

• Christian of Prachatice (c. 1368–1439), astronomer, mathematician and medic
• Jan Hus (c. 1372–1415), theologian, philosopher and reformer, studied here
• John Neumann (1811–1860), first American male saint
• Miroslav Soukup (born 1965), footballer and football manager
• Adolf Zika (born 1972), photographer
• David Horejš (born 1977), football player and manager
• Kateřina Nash (born 1977), cross-country skier and cyclist
• Lucie Sekanová (born 1989), athlete

Prachatice is twinned with:

• Official website
• Official tourist portal