Loučeň is a market town in

Nymburk District Nymburk District () is a Okres, district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Nymburk. Administrative division Nymburk District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with e ...

in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

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 1,400 inhabitants.

Administrative division

Loučeň consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Loučeň (860) *Patřín (431) *Studce (81) *Studečky (16)

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Loučen (in old Czech written as Lúčen; probably a variant of the name Lukáš), meaning "Loučen's (court)".

Geography

Loučeň is located about north of

Nymburk Nymburk (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Mo ...

and northeast 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 on the border of the

Jizera Table The Jizera Table () is a plateau and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mostly in the Central Bohemian Region, northeast of Prague. Geomorphology The Jizera Table is a mesoregion of the Central Bohemian Table wit ...

and

Central Elbe Table The Central Elbe Table () is a plateau and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mostly in the Central Bohemian Region, but due to its size, it also extends to other regions. The axis of the plateau is the Elbe River, ...

. The highest point is at above sea level. There are several small fishponds around the market town.

History

The first written mention of Loučeň is in a deed of Bishop Peregrin from 1223. Until 1363, the village was divided into several parts with different owners. In 1363, all the parts were bought by the Barons of Kopidlno. It is not known how long this family held Loučeň. At the beginning of the 16th century, the village was a property of the Křinecký of Ronov family. After 1599, the estate was bought by the

Berka of Dubá Berka of Dubá () was a cadet branch of a Bohemian noble family of Lords of Dubá established by Hynek Berka of Dubá (1249–1306). It held estates in what is today the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany throughout the Middle Ages. Ancestors ...

family. Their properties were confiscated after the

Battle of White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain (; ) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the next three hundred years. It was fought on 8 November 16 ...

and Loučeň was acquired by the

Waldstein family The House of Waldstein (Valdstejn, Valdonio, or Wallenstein) is an old, wealthy and important noble family from Central Europe (Germany and the Czech Republic). They owned many castles across Europe. Origin The House of Waldstein or House of V ...

in 1622. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, in 1630 and 1639, the village was burned down. In 1756–1808, Loučeň was held by the Fürstenberg family, and then the estate was inherited by the

Thurn und Taxis The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (, ) is a family of German nobility that is part of the ''Briefadel''. It was a key player in the mail, postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and ...

family, who were the last noble owners of Loučeň. In 1906, Loučeň 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 ...

Demographics

Transport

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

Sights

Loučeň is known for the Loučeň Castle. The Baroque castle was built on the site of a dilapidated medieval fortress in 1703–1714. Today it is open to the public and partially serves as a hotel. The castle also includes a large castle park with a set of

labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...

s. Next to the castle a chapel was built, later rebuilt into the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Loucen Market towns in the Czech Republic