Levín () is a market town in

Litoměřice District Litoměřice District () is a Okres, district in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Litoměřice. Administrative division Litoměřice District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Munici ...

in the

Ústí nad Labem Region Ústí nad Labem Region or Ústecký Region () is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of the historical land of Bohemia, and named after the capital, Ústí nad Labem. I ...

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 200 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Levín consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Levín (124) *Horní Vysoké (22)

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name

Lev Lev or LEV may refer to: People and fictional characters *Lev (given name) *Lev (surname) Places *Lev, Azerbaijan, a village *Lev (crater), a tiny lunar crater Religion *an abbreviation for Leviticus, the third book of the Hebrew Bible and the ...

, meaning "Lev's (castle, court)".

Geography

Levín is located about northeast of

Litoměřice Litoměřice (; ) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument reservation. The town is the seat of the Roman C ...

and east of

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction. ...

. It lies in 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. ...

and within the České středohoří Protected Landscape Area. The highest point is a hill at above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Levín is from 1352. At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, during the rule of Václav of Vartenberk, Levín was promoted to a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

. In 1402 at the latest, the potters' guild was founded in Levín. The town was known for pottery until the beginning of the 20th century, when the supply of good quality clay was exhausted. It was the only place in the country with such long continuous production. There was a climatic spa in Horní Vysoké. It was founded in the first third of the 19th century, but ceased to exist during World War II.

Demographics

Transport

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

Sights

The main landmark of Levín is the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1788. After the fire in 1791, it was rebuilt in 1798. The Baroque rotunda of the church is supposed to resemble a

potter's wheel In pottery, a potter's wheel is a machine used in the shaping (known as throwing) of clay into round ceramic ware. The wheel may also be used during the process of trimming excess clay from leather-hard dried ware that is stiff but malleable, ...

and thus reminds of the tradition of this craft in Levín. A notable building is the former town hall. It was built in the late Baroque and Neoclassical styles in 1793. The ruin of the Levín Castle is located on a hill above Levín. It was built in the 13th century or at the beginning of the 14th century. In the 1420s, 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 castle was destroyed. In 1699, a bell tower was built next to the ruins using material from the castle. From the ruins, only the relics of the fortress wall have survived to this day.

Notable people

* Wilfried Hanke (1901–?), German violinist

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levin Populated places in Litoměřice District Market towns in the Czech Republic