Litovel (; german: Littau) is a town in
Olomouc District
Olomouc District ( cs, okres Olomouc) is a district (''okres'') within the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Olomouc.
Complete list of municipalities
Babice -
Bělkovice-Lašťany -
Bílá Lhota -
Bílsko -
Bla ...
in the
Olomouc Region
Olomouc Region ( cs, Olomoucký kraj; , ; pl, Kraj ołomuniecki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia (''Morava'') and in a small part of t ...
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 9,600 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an
urban monument zone.
Administrative parts
Villages of Březové, Chudobín, Myslechovice, Nasobůrky, Nová Ves, Rozvadovice, Savín, Tři Dvory, Unčovice and Víska are administrative parts of Litovel.
Geography
Litovel lies in the Upper Morava Valley lowland. The
Morava River and six its branches flow through the town, which gave it the nickname "Moravian
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
".
The northern part of the municipal territory lies in the
Litovelské Pomoraví Protected Landscape Area, named after the town. The highest point in the territory is the hill Šumina with an elevation of .
History
The first written mention of Litovel is from 1287, older documents have been proven to be
forgeries
Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbid ...
. The town was founded between 1252 and 1256 by
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his dea ...
.
In 1327, King
John of Bohemia allowed the town to build walls. The royal town developed until the
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...
. After the war, Litovel asked for the assignment of a protector and came under the protection of the Vlašim family from
Úsov. In the 16th century, the lords of Boskovice acquired the Úsov dominion, Litovel became their property and lost its statute of a royal town.
In the early 17th century, Litovel was acquired by the
House of Liechtenstein
The House of Liechtenstein, from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the throne. The dynasty's ...
and lost its significance. The town was further affected by the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, during which was plundered by the
Swedish army, and by plague epidemics.
[
In 1850, Litovel became a district town and began to grow with the influx of inhabitants from the surroundings. The Czech population began to prevail over the German, and the town became a centre of Czech culture and education. At the beginning of the 20th century, trade and industry began to develop rapidly, and new factories for processing agricultural products were established.][
]
Demographics
Economy
Litovel is known especially for the food industry. In the village of Tři Dvory is located a factory of ''Adriana'', a manufacturer of pasta, and ''Brazzale'', a cheese-producing company which has here one of the largest hard-cheese producing factories in the world.
Litovel is also known for its brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...
. The tradition of brewing beer here began in 1297.
Pro-Ject
Pro-Ject Audio Systems is a manufacturer of audiophile equipment, founded in 1991 by Heinz Lichtenegger and located in Mistelbach, Austria. Pro-Ject Audio Systems designs the products in Austria and produces them in Europe (the manufacturing plan ...
brand turntables and audio equipment are manufactured in Litovel.
Sights
The historic town centre is formed by the Přemysla Otakara II. Square and its surroundings. It was delimited by the Morava and its branches, and by town walls, which remnants are preserved. The landmark of the town square is the town hall. It was originally a manor house which was sold to the town in 1557. It was reconstructed in 1572 and baroque modified in 1724. The town hall tower, tall, was built right over the Nečíz, one of many branches of the Morava that runs underneath the square.
The town square is lines by preserved burger houses. A plague column stands in the middle of the square. It was created in 1724. The pillar is decorated with seven statues of plaque patrons and The Holy Virgin on the top.[
The Bridge of Saint John ( cs, Svatojánský most) is a stone ]bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
over the Morava River. It was constructed in 1592, and it is the third oldest bridge in the country (and the oldest stone bridge in Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The m ...
).[
A notable building is the Gymnasium of Jan Opletal. The Neorenaissance school building comes from 1901 and is decorated with four ceramic mosaics designed by ]Jano Köhler
Jano Köhler (sometimes spelled Jano Koehler; 9 February 1873 – January 1941) was a Czech painter. He is known for decorating sacral buildings with frescoes and sgraffiti.
Life and education
Köhler was born in a Czech-German family, but his ...
, which depict scenes from the history of the town.[
The Church of Saints Philip and James is the probably the oldest church in Litovel. Its existence was first mentioned in 1342. It was completely rebuilt after in the early Baroque style in 1692–1694.][
The Church of Saint Mark was originally a Gothic church, also first recorded in 1342. The extensive renaissance reconstruction took place in 1529–1532, after the Thirty Year's War it was baroque modified.][
]
Notable people
*Gustav Tschermak von Seysenegg
Gustav Tschermak von Seysenegg (19 April 1836 – 24 May 1927) was an Austrian mineralogist.
Biography
He was born in Litovel, Moravia, and studied at the University of Vienna, where he obtained a teaching degree. He studied mineralogy at Heidel ...
(1836–1927), Austrian mineralogist
* Karl Kostersitz von Marenhorst (1839–1897), Austro-Hungarian general
* Marija Ružička Strozzi (1850–1937), Croatian actress
* Hans Temple (1857–1931), Czech-Austrian painter
* Gustav Frištenský (1879–1957), strongman and wrestler; lived and died here
* Henry Kulka (1900–1971), Czech-New Zealander architect
* Jan Čep (1902–1974), Czech writer and translator
* Přemysl Krbec (1940–2021), gymnast
Twin towns – sister cities
Litovel is twinned with:
* Littau (Lucerne), Switzerland
* Revúca, Slovakia
* Wieliczka
Wieliczka (German: ''Groß Salze'', Latin: ''Magnum Sal'') is a historic town in southern Poland, situated within the Kraków metropolitan area in Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. The town was initially founded in 1290 by Premislaus II of ...
, Poland
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Populated places in Olomouc District
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic