The charming little town of Jistebnice is situated less than 12 km north-west of Tábor. A brook with a Biblical name, Cedron, flows through the town.

The town was first mentioned in records of 1262 as a market village. At that time the Jistebnice demesne belonged to the Lords of Rožmberk who built a stronghold there, of which some remains are apparent. Jistebnice is the birthplace of Petr Hromádka, a co-founder of Tábor who was burned to death by crusaders in Chrudim in 1421. The famous Jistebnice Hymnbook with the text of a famous Hussite hymn was found in the local parish by Leopold Katz in 1872. Nowadays the hymnbook is deposited in the National Museum in Prague. North-west of the town there is the Jistebnická Vrchovina (The Jistebnice Highlands) Nature Park.