Litvínov (; ) is a town in
Most District 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 22,000 inhabitants. It is known as an industrial centre.
Administrative division
Litvínov consists of 12 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Dolní Litvínov (43)
*Horní Litvínov (15,058)
*Chudeřín (1,356)
*Hamr (1,867)
*Horní Ves (22)
*Janov (3,795)
*Křížatky (47)
*Lounice (25)
*Písečná (16)
*Růžodol (0)
*Šumná (148)
*Záluží (11)
Etymology
The initial name of the settlement was Lutvínov (in old Czech written as ''Lutwinow''). It was derived from the personal name Lutvín, meaning "Lutvín's (court)". The German name Liutwin, from which the name Lutvín was derived, is made up of
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...
words ''liut'' ('people') and ''wini'' ('friend').
History

The first written mention is from 1352. Originally there were two settlements – Horní Litvínov and Dolní Litvínov. In 1715, Count Jan Josef Valdštejn founded a large
cloth
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is n ...
factory, one of the first in the Czech lands.
Litvínov was promoted to a town on 5 October 1852. In the 19th century, the industrialization of Litvínov deepened. Many new factories were established. Toys and wooden goods were made here, cotton was processed. The mining of
lignite
Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered the lowest ...
, which persists to this day, began, and after a new part of the railway was put into operation in 1870, other coal mines were opened. In a short time, a total of 19 mines were built. Employment opportunities attracted many new residents.
[
As a result of the global economic crisis in the 1930s, the largely industrial Litvínov was also severely affected. Production was limited in factories or was completely stopped, and the mines were also affected.][
In 1939, a large oil refinery was founded south of the town.]
Demographics
Economy
The largest oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial processes, industrial process Factory, plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refining, refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, Bitumen, asphalt base, ...
in the Czech Republic (owned by Orlen Unipetrol) is located there.[
]
Transport
In addition to buses, trams also provide public transport. The town operates a transport company together with the neighbouring city of Most.
The I/27 road (the section from Most to Dubí) runs through the town.
There are two train stations in Litvínov. The station named ''Litvínov'' is the terminus and start of a line to 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.
...
. The station named ''Litvínov město'' is located on the line Rakovník
Rakovník (, ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.
Administrative division
Rakovník consists o ...
–Osek
OSEK (''Offene Systeme und deren Schnittstellen für die Elektronik in Kraftfahrzeugen''; English: "''Open Systems and their Interfaces for the Electronics in Motor Vehicles''") is a standards body that has produced specifications for an embedded o ...
.
Sport
Lítvínov is a traditional centre of ice hockey. Local club HC Litvínov
HC Litvínov, called HC VERVA Litvínov for sponsorship reasons, is an ice hockey team in the Czech Extraliga. Their home arena is Ivan Hlinka Stadion in Litvínov.
Honours
Domestic
Czech Extraliga
* Winners (1): 2014–15
* Runners-up (1) ...
is a stable part of the top national league ( Extraliga) since 1959. Many famous ice hockey players and coaches are connected with HC Litvínov, including 1998 Olympic gold medalists Ivan Hlinka, Vladimír Růžička
Vladimír Růžička (; born 6 June 1963, nickname "Rosie") is a Czech ice hockey coach and former professional player. Růžička was twice named the top player in the Czechoslovak Elite League, and was on the gold medal team in the Ice Hockey ...
, Jiří Šlégr
Jiří Šlégr (; born 30 May 1971) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman, and was a member of the 2001–02 Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup championship team after being acquired in a late-season trade. Šlégr was inducted into th ...
, Robert Reichel and Martin Ručinský
Martin Ručinský (; born 11 March 1971) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Ručínský was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round as the 20th overall selection i ...
.
Sights
Church of Saint Michael is the oldest and most important state-protected monument of Litvínov. It was built in 1685–1694 in the early Baroque style. The church has been renovated many times, for the first time in 1763. During the major renovation, which took place between 1887 and 1902, the interior was significantly beautified.
Waldstein's Castle (also called Litvínov Castle) serves today social and cultural purposes. It was rebuilt into the form of today's Baroque chateau in 1732–1743 by the architect František Maxmilián Kaňka
František Maxmilián Kaňka (19 August 1674 – 14 July 1766) was a Czech architect. He was among the most important and most prolific Baroque architects in the Czech lands.
Life
František Maxmilián Kaňka was born in Prague on 19 August 16 ...
. After the abolition of the castle garden, an English-style castle park with an area of was established in 1878. From the end of the 19th century, the castle was used for economic purposes, and since 1964 a museum has been established here.
Osada, a locality in Horní Litvínov, is protected as an urban monument zone. It includes a well-preserved uniform and high-quality urban area with apartment buildings, which were built by the occupation authorities during World War II for employees of the chemical factory in Záluží.
Notable people
* Květoslav Minařík (1908–1974), yogi and mystic
* Milan Šťovíček (born 1958), politician and mayor of Litvínov in 2006–2009 and 2010–2014
* Josef Beránek (born 1969), ice hockey player and coach
* Robert Reichel (born 1971), ice hockey player
* Eva Herzigová (born 1973), model
* Iva Frühlingová (born 1982), singer and model
* Zuzana Tvarůžková (born 1983), TV presenter
* Jakub Petružálek (born 1985), ice hockey player
Twin towns – sister cities
Litvínov is twinned with:
* Brie-Comte-Robert, France
* Olbernhau, Germany
References
External links
*
Brief history of Litvínov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Litvinov
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Most District