Horní Libchava () is a municipality and village in

Česká Lípa District Česká Lípa District () is a Okres, district in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Česká Lípa. Administrative division Česká Lípa District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities ...

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 900 inhabitants.

Etymology

The earliest writing of the name Libchava was ''Lubchava''. The name consists of the adjective ''ľubý'' (meaning 'nice', 'pleasant') and the suffix -ava, used to name watercourses. The name was therefore transferred to the village from the local stream. The attribute ''horní'' ('upper') distinguished it from Dolní Libchava (today part of

Česká Lípa Česká Lípa (; ) is a town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 37,000 inhabitants, making it the most populated Czech town without city status. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monume ...

Geography

Horní Libchava is located about northwest of

and 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 ...

. It lies mostly in the

Ralsko Uplands The Ralsko Uplands () are highland, uplands and a Geomorphological division of the Czech Republic, geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Liberec Region, Liberec, Ústí nad Labem Region, Ústí nad Labem and Centr ...

, but the municipal territory also extends into the

Central Bohemian Uplands The Central Bohemian Uplands (also known as Central Bohemian Highlands; , ) is a highland and Geomorphological division of the Czech Republic, geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mostly in the Ústí nad Labem Region. ...

in the northwest. The highest point is at above sea level. The Šporka Stream flows through the municipality. The village is surrounded by several small fishponds. Half of the municipal territory lies within the České středohoří Protected Landscape Area.

History

The first written mention of Horní Libchava is in the register of the Papal tithes from 1352. The village was founded in the castle grounds of the Klištejn Castle, which was founded after 1300 and was first documented in 1339. In 1426, the village and the church were burned down by the

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 ...

. From 1653 to 1925, Horní Libchava was the centre of an estate owned by the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

Demographics

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Sights

The main landmark of Horní Libchava is the Church of Saint James the Great. The original church was as old as the village, but it has to be completely rebuilt after 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

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

was added in 1499. The current appearance of the church is the result of the Baroque reconstruction from 1736. The Horní Libchava Castle was originally a small manor house from the 16th century, which was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence in 1574. Nothing survived from the above-ground parts of Klinštejn Castle, and the location is now just an archaeological site.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Horni Libchava Villages in Česká Lípa District