The South Bohemian countryside is so varied - wide spreading fields and meadows, national reserves and biosphere reserves, delightful lakes, lovely wooded hills, marshes, valleys through which such large rivers as the Vltava, Lužnice, Otava and Malše flow, and whose waters keep the land fresh and green. You can travel several paths of GREENWAYS on foot bicycle or on horseback. South Bohemia is also renowned for its wealth of folk art and artistic monuments which had a great influence on later arts: folk songs, national costumes /especially those of the Blata region/, folk architecture, particularly farm buildings with Baroque gables and arched gates in the walls enclosing the farm yard, and architectural treasures which include castles, chateaux, churches, monasteries and even whole towns /e.g. Český Krumlov, Třeboň, Slavonice/. South Bohemia is the birthplace of the Hussite movement that came into being at the beginning of the 15th century. Here is the birthplace of Jan Hus - Husinec near Prachatice. The area of South Bohemia is an almost independent geographical whole whose centre is formed by Třeboň and České Budějovice basins. This region is full of huge dams such as Lipno and Orlík on the Vltava River. One of the South Bohemian specialities is the breeding of fish /carp/ in some of 5000 local ponds, of which 45% of the whole Republic's production takes place here. As for industry, the region is known for its manufacture of pencils at the Hardtmuth factory in České Budějovice, and its excellent Budvar beer, also brewed at České Budějovice.