Litoměřice
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Litoměřice (; german: Leitmeritz) is a town in the
Ústí nad Labem Region Ústí nad Labem Region or Ústecký Region ( cs, Ústecký kraj, , ), is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of the historical land of Bohemia, and named after the capital, Ústí nad La ...
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 23,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. The town is the seat of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Litoměřice The Roman Catholic Diocese of Litoměřice la, Litomericen(sis) is a diocese located in the city of Litoměřice in the Ecclesiastical province of Prague in the Czech Republic. History * July 3, 1655: Established as Diocese of Litoměřice fro ...
.


Administrative parts

Litoměřice is made up of four town parts: Litoměřice-Město, Pokratice, Předměstí and Za nemocnicí.


Geography

Litoměřice is located about south of
Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (, , ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of its eponymous region and district. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway ju ...
and northwest 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 ...
. The northwestern half of the municipal territory lies in the Central Bohemian Uplands, the southeastern half lies in the
Lower Eger Table Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eig ...
, on the edge of the
Polabí Polabí (german: Elbeland) is the traditional and informal name for a lowlands region located mainly in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Etymology The name comes from Czech ''po Labi'', meaning "along the Elbe". The same linguist ...
lowlands. The highest point, located in the northern tip of the territory, is at above sea level. The town is situated on the right (northern) 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
Ohře The Ohře () or, slightly less commonly in English sources, the Eger (, Czech also: ''Oharka'' or ''Ohara'', Celtic: ''Agara'', pl, Ohrza), is a 316 km river in Germany (50 km) and the Czech Republic (266 km), left tributary of ...
, which flows from the south.


History


Early history

The settlement of Litoměřice has a deep history of Paleolithic cultures as well as large
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
settlements of the
La Tène culture The La Tène culture (; ) was a European Iron Age culture. It developed and flourished during the late Iron Age (from about 450 BC to the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC), succeeding the early Iron Age Hallstatt culture without any defini ...
, which did not survive the incoming Germanic attacks. The area was later settled by Germanic tribes, when Litoměřice first appeared on
Ptolemy's world map The Ptolemy world map is a map of the world known to Greco-Roman societies in the 2nd century. It is based on the description contained in Ptolemy's book ''Geography'', written . Based on an inscription in several of the earliest surviving manusc ...
in the 2nd century under the name of Nomisterium. The Germanic tribes later migrated west and those remaining mingled with the incoming Slavs. The earliest evidence of the Slavic settlement comes from the 8th century. In the 9th and 10th century, Litoměřice fell under the control of the Přemyslid dynasty. Přemyslids built here an early medieval fortress, one of the most important Přemyslid centres in Czech lands. The area was settled by the Czech tribe of Litoměřici, after which the town was named. In 1057, the Litomeřice Chapter was founded by Duke Spytihněv II, and it is the oldest written evidence of the existence of the town. A royal-town statute was granted in 1219 by King
Ottokar I of Bohemia Ottokar I ( cs, Přemysl Otakar I.; c. 1155 – 1230) was Duke of Bohemia periodically beginning in 1192, then acquired the title of King of Bohemia, first in 1198 from Philip of Swabia, later in 1203 from Otto IV of Brunswick and in 1212 ( ...
. At the beginning of the 13th century, Litoměřice was an important political, cultural and economic centre.


15th–19th centuries

The population suffered during the 15th century
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 Protestant tensions with the Catholics that triggered 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 the Protestants' defeat in the
Battle of White Mountain ), near Prague, Bohemian Confederation(present-day Czech Republic) , coordinates = , territory = , result = Imperial-Spanish victory , status = , combatants_header = , combatant1 = Catholic L ...
, the surviving population of the town was forced to accept
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
or face property confiscation and the obligation to leave the kingdom. In this way, the town became a Catholic bishop's residency in 1655. As a result, the Czech Protestant population shrank and the town became largely
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 ...
. In the 18th century, many Baroque building, which are today cultural monuments, were built. However the prosperity of the town suffered from the
War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...
and the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
.


20th century

In 1918, Bohemia,
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 me ...
and
Czech Silesia Czech Silesia (, also , ; cs, České Slezsko; szl, Czeski Ślōnsk; sli, Tschechisch-Schläsing; german: Tschechisch-Schlesien; pl, Śląsk Czeski) is the part of the historical region of Silesia now in the Czech Republic. Czech Silesia is, ...
became constituent parts of the newly-created
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
), along with a large border area inhabited predominantly by Sudeten Germans. Local Germans tried to join
German Austria The Republic of German-Austria (german: Republik Deutschösterreich or ) was an unrecognised state that was created following World War I as an initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking and ethnic German population ...
(which in turn aimed to join post-war
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...
), but Czechoslovak troops prevented this. Known under the informal name of the Sudetenland, the region became the subject of political controversy in the following years. Czechs settled there again, but remained a minority. In 1938, after 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 ...
, German troops occupied the Sudetenland (and all the rest of Czech lands a few months later). The Czech population, which had grown to about 5,000 people, had to leave again. Jews from Litoměřice were forced to flee to the Protectorate or were deported during
the Holocaust in the Sudetenland The Holocaust in the Sudetenland resulted in the flight, dispossession, deportation and ultimately death of many of the 24,505 Jews living in the Reichsgau Sudetenland, a Nazi German administrative region established from former Czechoslovak te ...
. From March 1944 to May 1945,
Leitmeritz concentration camp Leitmeritz was the largest subcamp of the Flossenbürg concentration camp, operated by Nazi Germany in Leitmeritz, Reichsgau Sudetenland (now Litoměřice, Czech Republic). Established on 24 March 1944 as part of an effort to disperse and inc ...
was located west of the town. 18,000 prisoners passed through the camp and were forced to work mostly on excavating underground factories (Richard I and II) under Radobýl. 4,500 died. In the final stages of World War II, German troops retreated to escape the advancing
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
. The
Czech resistance Resistance to the German occupation of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia during World War II began after the occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia and the formation of the protectorate on 15 March 1939. German policy deterred acts of ...
took control of the castle on 27 April 1945, and after a few days they started negotiations with the German commander about the terms of his surrender. The
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
capitulated in the night after 8 May, but German troops fled on 9 May, just before Soviet troops entered the town on 10 May 1945. Most of the German population of the town was expelled by the
Beneš decrees The Beneš decrees, sk, Dekréty prezidenta republiky) and the Constitutional Decrees of the President of the Republic ( cz, Ústavní dekrety presidenta republiky, sk, Ústavné dekréty prezidenta republiky) were a series of laws drafted by t ...
in August 1945, along with about 2.5 million other former Czechoslovak citizens of German ethnicity from the country.


Demographics


Economy

There are no large industrial enterprises located in Litoměřice. The largest employer is the hospital. Litoměřice is known for
viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
and wine-making. It is the centre of the Litoměřická wine sub-region. The existence of vineyards is already documented in the first written mention of Litoměřice from 1057.


Religion

The town is the seat of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Litoměřice The Roman Catholic Diocese of Litoměřice la, Litomericen(sis) is a diocese located in the city of Litoměřice in the Ecclesiastical province of Prague in the Czech Republic. History * July 3, 1655: Established as Diocese of Litoměřice fro ...
(part of
Archdiocese of Prague The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Prague (Praha) ( cs, Arcidiecéze pražská, la, Archidioecesis Pragensis) is a Metropolitan Catholic archdiocese of the Latin Rite in Bohemia, in the Czech Republic. The cathedral archiepiscopal see is St. Vit ...
), the 4th oldest (and 3rd still existing) Catholic diocese on present Czech territory.


Culture

Litoměřice is known for the annual event ''Zahrada Čech'' ("Garden of
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
"). It is an extensive
horticultural Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
trade fair A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and c ...
, attended by tens of thousands of people. North Bohemian Gallery of Fine Arts is based close the main square. Extensive collection spans from 13th century to contemporary art with numerous other exhibitions during the year. On the Mírové Square there is also the Gallery and Museum of Litoměřice diocese.


Sights

Since 1978, the historic centre of Litoměřice has been an urban monument reservation. The protected territory is delimited by remains of town walls. About of town walls is preserved to this day. Originally they had four town gates, none of them is preserved. Part of the town fortifications was Litoměřice Castle. Today it contains an exposition of Czech
viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
. Its core form Mírové Square, a large square with an area of about 2 hectares. Most of the houses on the square are in the
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
style. The Old Town Hall building on the square is the oldest Renaissance building in the town. Today, the building serves as a regional museum. Other sights on the square include the "Chalice house" (new town hall with a lookout tower in the shape of chalice), ''Dům u černého orla'' ("Black Eagle House"; one of the most significant Renaissance houses), or Museum of Crystal Touch. There are several valuable sacral buildings in Litoměřice. On the main square, there is the All Saints Church. Its existence was firstly mentioned in 1235. Originally it belonged to the town fortification. It has a high bell tower. The
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
Saint Stephen's Cathedral at the Dómské Square was built in place of an older Romanesque basilica in the years 1664–1668. It has a high tower open to the public. The interior is almost completely authentic with main and six side altars and a lot of original paintings. Right next to the dome is a bishop's residence built in 1683–1701 by Giulio Broggio. There is also the Jesuit Church of the Annunciation. It is a massive Baroque church built by Giulio and Octavio Broggio in 1701–1731. There are numerous cellars connected by an extensive web of underground ways under the town. In some places, the cellars were built in three floors. The ways are about long and they belong to the longest of their kind in the county. Only of these underground ways are open to the public.


Notable people

* Master of the Litoměřice Altarpiece (c.1470–?), painter *
Antonio Rosetti Francesco Antonio Rosetti (c. 1750 – 30 June 1792) was a classical era composer and double bass player, and was a contemporary of Haydn and Mozart. There is considerable confusion regarding his name. The occasional mention of a supposed, ...
(c.1750–1792), composer and double bass player *
Josef Jungmann Josef Jungmann (16 July 1773 in Hudlice, near Beroun – 14 November 1847 in Prague) was a Czech poet and linguist, and a leading figure of the Czech National Revival. Together with Josef Dobrovský, he is considered to be a creator of the moder ...
(1773–1847), poet and linguist, lived and taught here * Vincent Bochdalek (1801–1883), anatomist and pathologist * Josef Emanuel Hilscher (1806–1837), Austrian soldier, poet and translator * Karel Hynek Mácha (1810–1836), poet, originally buried here *
Ferdinand Blumentritt Ferdinand Johann Franz Blumentritt (10 September 1853, Prague – 20 September 1913, Litoměřice) was an Austrian teacher, secondary school principal in Leitmeritz, lecturer, and author of articles and books in the Philippines and its ethno ...
(1853–1913), Austrian teacher and ethnographer *
Alfred Kubin Alfred Leopold Isidor Kubin (10 April 1877 – 20 August 1959) was an Austrian printmaker, illustrator, and occasional writer. Kubin is considered an important representative of Symbolism and Expressionism. Biography Kubin was born in Bohemia ...
(1877–1959), Austrian printmaker and illustrator * Štěpán Trochta (1905–1974), cardinal *
Kurt Honolka Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and i ...
(1913–1988), German musicologist and music critic *
Peter Lerche Peter Lerche (January 12, 1928 – March 14, 2016) was a German jurist. Between 1964 and 1996 he held a chair for constitutional law at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. His research interests also included media law. Born in Leitmer ...
(1928–2016), German jurist * Johann Georg Reißmüller (1932–2018), German journalist *
Dietrich Mattausch Dietrich Mattausch is a German stage, film and television actor. Life and career Dietrich Mattausch was born on April 26, 1940, in Leitmeritz, Sudetenland (now Litoměřice, Czech Republic). He is a stage, film and television actor best known ...
(born 1940), German actor *
Rudolf Buchbinder Rudolf Buchbinder (born 1 December 1946, Litoměřice, Czechoslovakia) is an Austrian classical pianist. Biography Buchbinder studied with Bruno Seidlhofer at the Vienna Academy of Music. In 1965, he made a tour of North and South Americas. In ...
(born 1946), Austrian classical pianist * Zdeněk Pecka (born 1954), rower *
Jiří Macháček Jiří Macháček (born 6 July 1966 in Litoměřice) is a Czech actor and singer. Education Macháček graduated from high school in Prague before attending Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory, the Law Faculty at Charles University in Prague, and th ...
(born 1966), singer and actor *
Milan Hnilička Milan Hnilička (born June 25, 1973) is a Czech Republic, Czech former ice hockey goalie who played in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers and the Los Angeles Kings and politician. He was a member of the Ch ...
(born 1973), ice hockey player and politician *
Martin Škoula Martin Škoula (born October 28, 1979) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman, who enjoyed a lengthy career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Colorado Avalanche, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Pitt ...
(born 1979), ice hockey player * Oldřiška Marešová (born 1986), high jumper


Twin towns – sister cities

Litoměřice is twinned with: * Armentières, France (2011) * Calamba, Philippines (1974) *
Dapitan Dapitan, officially the City of Dapitan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dapitan; Subanon: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dapitan/Bagbenwa Dapitan cbk, Ciudad de Dapitan''), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. According to ...
, Philippines (2006) *
Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. History ...
, Germany (2001) *
Meissen Meissen (in German orthography: ''Meißen'', ) is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrecht ...
, Germany (1996)


References


External links

* *
Crystal Touch Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Litomerice Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Litoměřice District Populated places established in the 10th century Populated riverside places in the Czech Republic Populated places on the Elbe