Liběchov (; german: Liboch) is a town in
Mělník District
Mělník District ( cs, okres Mělník) is a district ('' okres'') within Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Mělník.
Complete list of municipalities
Býkev -
Byšice -
Chlumín -
Chorušice -
Chvatěrub ...
in the
Central Bohemian Region
The Central Bohemian Region ( cz, Středočeský kraj, german: Mittelböhmische Region) is an administrative unit ( cz, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in ...
of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. It has about 1,100 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
The village of Ješovice is an administrative part of Liběchov.
Etymology
The name is derived from the personal name Luběch or Liběch, meaning "Luběch's/Liběch's (court)".
Geography
Liběchov is located about north of
Mělník
Mělník (; german: Melnik) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Mělník lies in one of the most im ...
and north of
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. It lies on the border between the
Ralsko Uplands
Ralsko (german: Roll) is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,100 inhabitants. It comprises area of the former military training area with Hradčany Air Base.
Because of the former military ...
and
Jizera Table
The Jizera Table ( cs, Jizerská tabule) is a plateau and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mostly in the Central Bohemian Region, northeast of Prague.
Geomorphology
The Jizera Table is a mesoregion of the Centr ...
. The municipality is situtated on the right bank of the
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
River, at its confluence with the Liběchovka Stream.
History
The first written mention of Liběchov is from 1311. In the early 15th century, it was owned by a branch of the lords of Dubá. From 1440, it was property of a family that called itself the lords of Liběchov. In the second half of the 16th century, Liběchov was acquired by Knight Kašpar Belvic of Nostvice. He har rebuilt the local fortress into a Renaissance residence. The settlement was depopulated as a result of the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
and then
Germanized
Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In ling ...
. Among the most notable owners of Liběchov were the noble families of Pachta (18th century) and Veith (19th century).
[
Before World War II, half of the population were ethnic Germans and half were Czechs. As a result of the ]Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...
, the municipality was annexed by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
and was administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland
The Reichsgau Sudetenland was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1939 to 1945. It comprised the northern part of the '' Sudetenland'' territory, which was annexed from Czechoslovakia according to the 30 September 1938 Munich Agreement. ...
. After the war, Germans were expelled and Liběchov was resettled by Czechs.[
]
Demographics
Sights
The main landmark is the Liběchov Castle. It was originally a water fortress from the 14th century, rebuilt into a Renaissance castle in the 16th century. In 1720–1730, the castle was baroque rebuilt by the architect František Maxmilián Kaňka
František Maxmilián Kaňka (9 August 1674 in Prague – 14 July 1766 in Prague) was a Czech architect and builder. He was known for modifying castles, palaces and churches. In 1724 he was appointed emperor's architect.
Work
He is most famous f ...
and extended. After the fire in 1811, Neoclassical modifications were made. The castle was damaged during the 2002 European floods and has been inaccessible since then, but is surrounded by a freely accessible castle park.[
The Church of Saint Gall was built in the Baroque style in 1738–1741.]Václav Levý
Václav Levý (also known as Wenzel Lewy; 14 September 1820 – 30 April 1870) was a Czech sculptor. He was considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern style in Bohemia.
Biography
Levý was born in the village of Nebřeziny (today part ...
.
Notable people
* Antonín Veith (1793–1853), patron of the arts; lived and died here
* Kurt Loos (1859–1933), German forester and ornithologist; lived here and was buried here
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Libechov
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Mělník District