Dolní Lukavice () is a municipality and village in
Plzeň-South District in the
Plzeň Region
Plzeň Region or Plzeňský Region (also known as Pilsen Region; ) is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the western part of the historical land of Bohemia and named after the capital, Plz ...
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 1,100 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Dolní Lukavice consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Dolní Lukavice (631)
*Krasavce (88)
*Lišice (190)
*Snopoušovy (121)
Geography
Dolní Lukavice is located about south of
Plzeň
Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...
. It lies on the border between the
Plasy Uplands and
Švihov Highlands Švihov may refer to places in the Czech Republic:
*Švihov (Klatovy District), a town in the Plzeň Region
**Švihov Castle in the town
*Švihov (Rakovník District), a municipality and village in the Central Bohemian Region
*Švihov, a village an ...
. The highest point is the hill Hájsko at above sea level. The
Úhlava River flows through the municipality.
History
The first written mention of Dolní Lukavice is from 1216. From the mid-15th century until 1596, the village was in possession of the Lukavský of Řenče family. The most notable owners of Dolní Lukavice was the Morzin Family, who bought it in 1666. They had the old local fortress demolished and had a new Baroque castle built. They held the estate until 1780, when
Karl Joseph, Count Morzin sold it to Count Karel Bedřich of Hatzfeld.
During the mid-18th century, the Morzin family was very musical, and in the late 1750s they hired the young composer
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...
to serve as their ''
Kapellmeister'' (music director), leading the family's small orchestra. Haydn followed the Morzins back and forth in their annual migrations: summers in Dolní Lukavice (referred to as "Lukavec" in most Haydn biographies), and winters in the imperial capital of
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
.
Demographics
Transport
The I/27 road (the section from Plzeň to
Klatovy, here part of the
European route E53) passes through the western part of the municipal territory.
Sights
Dolní Lukavice is known for the Dolní Lukavice Castle (also called
Morzin Palace). It was built according to design of
Jakub Auguston in 1707–1728. It is surrounded by a large English park. Today the palace is in poor condition and empty.
The Church of Saints Peter and Paul was built in the early Gothic style around 1340 and first documented in 1352. In the second half of the 15th century, late Gothic modifications were made, and in 1722, the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style probably by Jakub Auguston.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolni Lukavice
Villages in Plzeň-South District
Morzin family
Joseph Haydn