“We live in Ceske Budejovice, the city of hockey and beer.”
 
It was a line that got cut from a 2014 Czech movie, which is a shame because hockey and beer are perhaps the two things that Ceske Budejovice, host city of the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, is best known for.
 
The host venue for the tournament even takes its name from Ceske Budejovice’s largest brewery, using a combination of the city’s name and pivovar, the Czech word for brewery.
 
During the Women’s Worlds, there are sure to be multiple references to the town’s beer-brewing history. It began in the 13^th Century when Bohemia was part of the Holy Roman Empire and the city was, for a time, the imperial brewery for the emperor. In the days of the Holy Roman and Austrian empires, German was the language that business was conducted in. Ceske Budejovice’s German name is Budweis, and Budweiser beer became a world-famous style of lager.

Hockey takes hold in the region

Whereas beer is a centuries-old tradition in Ceske Budejovice, ice hockey was only introduced to the region in the early 20th century, but it’s quickly become an important part of the city and region. Jan Palous was an early player from the city and won a bronze medal as part of the Czechoslovak team that competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium.
 
The arena in Ceske Budejovice opened in 1946 but you’d never guess that if you’ve been inside – it was almost completely rebuilt in 2002. When it opened, Ceske Budejovice was just the third city in Czechoslovakia to have an artificial ice rink, following Prague and Bratislava.
 
Several players have made names for themselves skating on the city’s artificial ice rink for local club HC Motor before gaining wider recognition. Jaroslav Pouzar played for Motor until he was 30 years old and then went to the NHL, becoming the first Czech player to win the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984, 1985 and 1987.
 
Jaroslav Modry, Stanislav Neckar, Vaclav “Vinny” Prospal, Radek Belohlav and goaltender Roman Turek were the next ones to come along, followed by Josef Melichar and Martin Hanzal. HC Motor’s current captain is 39-year-old Milan Gulas, a hometown boy who played abroad for many years but has returned home late in his career.
 
Internationally, the city and arena were the primary venue for 2005 IIHF U18 World Championship, where Phil Kessel led the USA to victory.

Other famous Budejovicani

But it would be a mistake to assume there is nothing to this town other than beer and hockey. Ceske Budejovice has produced athletes from other sports, such as kayaker Ludmila Polesna and tennis player Vladimira Uhlirova, as well as contributors to the arts and sciences.
 
It produced a famous Hasek – no, not the Hall-of-Fame goalie, but one that’s sold far more books. Jaroslav Hasek was a Czech writer who wrote, among other things, The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Svejk During the World War – the story about a simple man who gets drafted to serve Austria-Hungary during the First World War but, through dumb luck and apparent incompetence, manages to consistently avoid combat. The book has been translated into over 50 languages and is considered one of the most important works in Czech literature, while the titular character Svejk is iconic in Czech culture.
 
Vladimir Remek was a pilot and astronaut who, in 1978, became the first and so far only Czech to go into outer space. He later became a politician and diplomat.
 
Karl Roden is a Czech actor who has appeared in several internationally known films, such as 15 Minutes, Blade II, Hellboy, Mr. Bean’s Holiday, and The Bourne Supremacy. He also lent his voice to the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.
 
While Jiri Madl isn’t as accomplished internationally as Roden, he’s made quite a name for himself in Czechia as an actor and director. In his childhood, Madl played hockey in Ceske Budejovice and dreamed of playing professionally before an elbow injury at age 16 caused him to concentrate on acting.
 
In early drafts of Madl’s debut film as a director – 2014’s To See The Sea – he wrote the line, “We live in Ceske Budejovice, the city of hockey and beer,” for one of the characters. For a variety of reasons, the line didn’t make the final cut, but it’s telling that a Budejovican would write the line for a fictional Budejovican to say.
 
During the Women’s World Championship, it is hockey that will take centre stage in the city but the beer will always be brewing in the background.