Česká Lípa
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Česká Lípa (; ) is a town in the
Liberec Region Liberec Region () is an administrative unit (Czech language, Czech: ''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located in the northernmost part of its historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Liberec. The region shares international bor ...
of the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. It has about 37,000 inhabitants, making it the most populated Czech town without
city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a monarch, national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose. Historically, ci ...
. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.


Administrative division

Česká Lípa consists of 14 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Česká Lípa (33,028) *Častolovice (109) *Dobranov (383) *Dolní Libchava (551) *Dubice (407) *Heřmaničky (40) *Lada (258) *Manušice (90) *Okřešice (68) *Písečná (83) *Stará Lípa (331) *Vítkov (95) *Vlčí Důl (28) *Žizníkov (419)


Etymology

The word Lípa means '
lime tree ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Great Britain and Irelan ...
'. The settlement was probably founded near some old memorial lime tree. Later it was renamed ''Lipá'' (adjective from Lípa). After the German name ''Böhmisch Leipa'' ('
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
n Lipá') appeared, the Czech name Česká Lípa was derived from it.


Geography

Česká Lípa is located about west of
Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...
and north of
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. It lies in the Ralsko Uplands. The highest point is the Špičák hill with an altitude of . The
Ploučnice The Ploučnice () is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Liberec Region, Liberec and Ústí nad Labem Region, Ústí nad Labem regions. It is long, making it the List of rivers of the Czech Repu ...
River flows through the town. The Svitavka River joins the Ploučnice near the village of Vlčí Důl. The southeastern part of the municipal territory extends into the Kokořínsko – Máchův kraj Protected Landscape Area.


History

The first written mention of the settlement of Lipá is from 1263. It was originally a Slavic settlement on a trade route from
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
to
Zittau Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''Sitte''; ) is the southeasternmost city in the Germany, German state of Saxony, and belongs to the Görlitz (district), district of Görlitz, Germany's easternmost Districts of Germ ...
. A town was founded on the site of the settlement probably between 1310 and 1319. The first written mention of the town is from 1337. The history of the town is associated with Chval of Lipá of the Ronovci family, who founded Lipý Castle, and his son Henry of Lipá (1270–1329), a significant royal aristocrat. Thus Lipý Castle became another fortified seat in North Bohemia on the contemporary trade routes. There was a Slavic colony near the castle, later renamed as Stará Lípa (now a neighbourhood of the town). There is a reference to Arnold, said to come from Stará Lípa, who was a citizen of
Kravaře Kravaře (; ) is a town in Opava District the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,700 inhabitants. It is part of the historic Hlučín Region. Administrative division Kravaře consists of three municipal parts (in brack ...
in 1263. Historians have deduced from the reference to Stará Lípa that Lipý Castle and accompanying settlement were established around that time. Town walls were constructed at the beginning of the 14th century as well as the parish Church of Saints Paul and Peter, which was destroyed by a fire in 1787. In 1319, Henry of Lipá sold the castle with its surroundings to his cousin Hynek Berka. In 1327, Hynek Berka of the Ronovci family, was the lord of Lipá and its wider surroundings. When he died in 1348, his son Hynek took the title, and after his death his second son Henry succeeded him. His nephew Hynek Berka of Dubá then ruled the area. The oldest town charter, which he issued on 23 March 1381, states that discretions were granted to the town of Lipá and that it was he who contributed the most to the growth of the town and the castle bearing the same name. In the second half of the 14th century, the Veitmile family was significantly involved in the development of the town. Members of this family used to hold the positions of reeve and parson. Development of the town was paused by the plague epidemic in 1389. At the end of the 14th century, the castle was controlled by other members of lords of Lipá family, including a powerful individual named Hynek Hlaváč who was often mentioned in historical accounts, until the beginning of 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 Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...
, when in May 1426 it was conquered by
Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...
led by Jan Roháč of Dubá. Between 1502 and 1553, a large part of the town and its surroundings belonged to the Wartenbergs. Later, the lords of Dubá / Lipá regained the castle and it remained in their possession for over 100 years. The first evidence of Jewish settlement in the town dates from 1529. The Jewish community began to grow in 1570.
Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...
reunited the town in 1622–1623. He, and later the Kaunitzs, contributed to another boom in the town by founding a monastery and school. Large parts of the town were destroyed by fires in 1787 and 1820. In the mid-19th century, the Jewish community reached its peak and formed 12% of the town's population. The community contributed significantly to the industrialization of the town. Following the compromise of 1867, the town became part of
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
until 1918, and seat of the ''Böhmisch Leipa'' district, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
. In 1918, Česká Lípa became a part of independent
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. The town was ceded to
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
with the rest of the Sudetenland in October 1938 under the terms of the
Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...
and placed under the administration of the ''Regierungsbezirk Aussig'' of Reichsgau Sudetenland. Česká Lípa returned to Czechoslovak administration in May 1945 after the liberation of Czechoslovakia. The modern urban development of the town was influenced by industrial production and uranium mining in the region. Residential neighbourhoods consisting of large amounts of prefabricated housing were built on the outskirts, while the town centre was preserved and declared as an urban monument zone.


Demographics


Economy

There are several large industrial companies based in Česká Lípa, especially producers of automotive parts. The town's industry is concentrated in the Dubice industry zone, which has an area of . The major companies based in the industrial zone include Adient Czech Republic, Fehrer Bohemia and Bombardier Inc. The largest employer is the Adient Czech Republic company, which has its headquarters, development centre and one of factories in Česká Lípa. The factory, which focuses on sewing car seat covers, was founded in 1992 and employs about 1,100 people. The hospital is the largest non-industrial employer.


Transport


Rail

''Česká Lípa hlavní nádraží'' (main railway station) is a junction of the
Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...
Děčín Děčín (; ) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It is the seventth largest municipality in the country by area. Děčín is an important traffic junction. Administrative division Děč ...
,
Kolín Kolín (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urban monume ...
Rumburk and Česká Lípa–
Louny Louny (; ) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 18,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument ...
lines. Three smaller train stops, ''Česká Lípa-Střelnice'', ''Česká Lípa-Holý vrch'' and ''Vlčí důl-Dobranov'' are located in the suburbs of the town.


Bus transport

Regional and intercity transportation is mainly operated by ČSAD Česká Lípa, based at the town bus station from 1986, and provides connections to
Mimoň Mimoň () is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,400 inhabitants. Administrative division Mimoň consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *M ...
, Nový Bor and Prague, as well as surrounding villages. Small transport companies provide transport for commuters to large local companies, or offer alternative transport for Czech Railways in case of lockouts etc. Nevertheless, the municipal transit company BusLine a.s. has taken over most such services. BusLine a.s. is the only transit carrier in Česká Lípa. The municipal transit runs exclusively within the town while further parts of the county are covered by regional bus services. Česká Lípa municipal transit has been a member of the IDOL regional integrated transport network since July 2009. IDOL is based on the integrated tariff and the OpusCard contactless smartcard as a uniform fare carrier.


Road

The town's main road transport connection is the straight I/9 road, which connects Prague with the Czech-German border via Česká Lípa. From west to east there is also the II/262 road from
Děčín Děčín (; ) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It is the seventth largest municipality in the country by area. Děčín is an important traffic junction. Administrative division Děč ...
to Zákupy.


Education

The Česká Lípa Primary Art School was established in 1927. Since 1990, it has been located in a building called ''Bílý dům'' ("White House"), which had housed the Communist Party District Committee until then. The large hall on the ground floor is the home of the DUHA Dancing School, and the facility is also used for exhibitions and by other external music groups.


Culture


Buildings

The Crystal House of Culture is a multifunctional building in the town centre built in 1975–1990. It contains a cinema, two halls, a restaurant, a ballet hall and a gallery. The Homeland Museum and Gallery in Česká Lípa is located in the grounds of a former Augustinian monastery. This museum focuses on the history and nature of the Česká Lípa region, zoology, geology, uranium mining in the region, and others. The museum also manages Šatlava – the archeological museum of the Česká Lípa region, the Víska Magistrate in
Kravaře Kravaře (; ) is a town in Opava District the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,700 inhabitants. It is part of the historic Hlučín Region. Administrative division Kravaře consists of three municipal parts (in brack ...
, and the
Karel Hynek Mácha Karel Hynek Mácha () (16 November 1810 – 5 November 1836) was a Czechs, Czech Romanticism, romantic poet. His poem ''Máj'' is among the most important poems in the history of Czech literature. Biography Mácha was born on 16 November 1810 ...
Memorial in Doksy. There is a three-floor municipal library on T. G. Masaryk Square, which has three small branches in the town named Špičák, Lada and Holý vrch.


Cultural events

The town organizes the Town Festivities at the beginning of every summer. This event first took place in the town park in 2000, to celebrate the park's 125th anniversary, moving to T. G. Masaryk Square the following year. After Lipý Castle was renovated in 2003, the festival moved to its grounds, where it has been held since. The festival includes an antique fair, concerts, fireworks and theatre performances, and the Town Awards are presented. The first annual Lípa Musica international festival was held in 2000, primarily featuring classical music. It is the most important festival of classical music in the North Bohemian region with an overlap to Germany. Concerts are held at several locations throughout the town.


Media

After 1850 the ''Leipaer Zeitung'' was released in German for the Česká Lípa area, and its competitor ''Deutsche Leipaer Zeitung'' from 1884, both twice a week. Today, local press includes the '' Českolipský deník'' (Česká Lípa Daily), established in 1993 and now part of Vltava Labe Media, and ''Městské noviny'' (Municipal Journal) issued by the municipal council.


Sport

Sport Česká Lípa, a contributory organization established by the town, manages local sports facilities including: U Ploučnice municipal stadium, which includes an open football pitch, ''5. května'' football ground, tennis hall and outdoor tennis courts, Old Sports Hall, New Multi-purpose Hall, Sever Swimming Pool, and a sports complex featuring a winter stadium, an indoor pool with water slide, a sauna and fitness centre. The town is home to Arsenal Česká Lípa, a football team playing in lower amateur tiers. TJ Lokomotiva Česká Lípa is a sports club with football, swimming, handball, volleyball, judo, rock climbing, table tennis and gymnastics sections. Between the villages of Lada and Písečná, there is a sports airport where Aeroclub Česká Lípa operates.


Sights


Ecclesiastical monuments

The Augustinian monastery, located on what is today the Svobody Square, was founded by
Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...
in 1627. The monastery complex was gradually built until the 1760s. The Loretan chapel dates from 1698, the Church of All Saints was completed in 1707, and the Chapel of the Holy Trinity dates from 1767. The monastery complex also once contained a school and printhouse. The Homeland Museum and Gallery in Česká Lípa is now located in the premises of the former monastery. The museum was founded in 1900 and has been based in the monastery premises since 1968. The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on Palackého Square was built in the Baroque style in 1710–1714, but it has a Gothic core. The tower was added in 1873. An old church was built in 1253 as part of the monastery hospital, but it was probably destroyed during 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 Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...
. The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene was then founded on the site next to the former church by Jindřich Berka of Dubá around 1460, and was first documented in 1503. In 1514, it was rebuilt into its current late Gothic appearance. The provost office next to the church, today deanery of the Roman Catholic parish, was completed in 1756. The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was built in the second half of the 14th century and is the oldest church in Česká Lípa. It has a Gothic core. In 1897, the building was adjusted to the neo-Gothic style by Josef Mocker. The former Evangelic church was built for German Lutherans in 1927–1928. In 1946, it was taken over by the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and was renamed the Church of Master Jan Hus. A notable monument remarking the Jewish community is the enclosed Old Jewish Cemetery from the 16th century. The site where a synagogue from the 1860s stood until its destruction by the Nazis in 1938 is marked by a historical memorial stone, installed in 2008.


Historic centre

Lipý Castle is a water castle that was built in the 13th century by members of the Ronovci lineage, who later called themselves the Lords of Lipá. The castle was first documented in 1277. The original wooden building was built on an island between the arms of the Ploučnice river. The river was later rerouted. In 1515, part of the castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance palace. In the mid-17th century, Lipý Castle ceased to be the residence of the nobility and began to deteriorate. There was a sugar refinery in the castle in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and after the collapse of part of the castle, the building was demolished in 1957. In 1992, an archaeological survey and reconstruction of remains of the castle was started. Today, the castle ruin offers a sightseeing tour and the premises are also used for cultural purposes. The "Textile Print Centre" historical exhibition is located next to the castle. The ''Červený dům'' ("Red House") near the Lipý Castle was built as a hunting lodge by Jetřich Jiří Berka of Dubá in 1583. It was built in the Renaissance style and decorated with sgraffiti. Currently, the building houses the workplace of the museum. The town hall was built in 1515. In 1884, the façade was reconstructed in the Neo-Renaissance style. On the ground floor is the town information centre with a portal from 1555. The Holy Trinity Column in the middle of the T. G. Masaryk Square was created in 1689 after the plague pandemic, which hit the town and surroundings in 1680. The second landmark of the town square is the fountain from 1837.


Technical monuments

The Špičák Observation Tower is a 14-metre tower built on the Špičák hill in 1885. However, it was soon renovated and by 1906 there were 2,500 tourists recorded in its memorial book. It was used for anti-aircraft patrols in World War II. In 1997, it was renovated and converted into a radio and cellular phone networks transmitter. It is normally inaccessible, but it has occasionally been opened to the public. A technical monument is the former hatch bridge weir on the Ploučnice. It was built in connection with the regulation of the river in 1910. The movement of the hatches suspended on the frames under the bridge automatically regulated the water level and the speed of the current with its pressure. It is now used as a footbridge.


Notable people

* Hugo Salus (1866–1929), physician, writer and poet * Leopold Moll (1877–1933), Austro-Hungarian paediatrician and court counsellor * Erwin Sembach (1879–1919), opera singer * Rudolf de la Vigne (1920–2004), German footballer * Angela Jursitzka (born 1938), Austrian journalist and writer *
Petr Kellner Petr Kellner (20 May 1964 – 27 March 2021) was a Czech billionaire entrepreneur, the founder and majority shareholder (98.93%) of the PPF Group. At the time of his death, he had an estimated net worth of $17.5 billion, making him the wealthi ...
(1964–2021), businessman *
Luboš Bartoň Luboš Bartoň (born 7 April 1980) is a Czech professional basketball coach. He is a 2.02 m tall small forward who last played for FC Barcelona Bàsquet B, FC Barcelona B of Spain's second division. College career Bartoň played college basketbal ...
(born 1980), basketball player * Tomáš Ladra (born 1997), footballer


Twin towns – sister cities

Česká Lípa is twinned with: *
Bardejov Bardejov (; , , , , ) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia. It is situated in the Šariš region on a floodplain terrace of the Topľa River, in the hills of the Beskids, Beskyd Mountains. It exhibits numerous cultural monuments in its completely i ...
, Slovakia *
Bolesławiec Bolesławiec (pronounced , ) is a historic city situated on the Bóbr River in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the administrative seat of Bolesławiec County, and of Gmina Bolesławiec, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Gm ...
, Poland * Mittweida, Germany *
Molde Molde () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the seat of Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Pen ...
, Norway *
Uzhhorod Uzhhorod (, ; , ; , ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality on the Uzh, Uzh River in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistan ...
, Ukraine


References


External links

*
i-noviny.cz – Regional newsHistory and old postcards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ceska Lipa Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Česká Lípa District