Loučná nad Desnou (until 1948 Vízmberk; ) is a municipality and village in

Šumperk District Šumperk District () is a Okres, district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Šumperk. Administrative division Šumperk District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with extende ...

in the

Olomouc Region Olomouc Region (; , ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia (''Morava'') and in a small part of the historical region of Czech Silesia (''České Sl ...

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

Loučná nad Desnou consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Loučná nad Desnou (482) *Filipová (174) *Kociánov (268) *Kouty nad Desnou (98) *Přemyslov (19) *Rejhotice (359)

Geography

Loučná nad Desnou is located about northeast of

Šumperk Šumperk (; ) is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. It is an industrial town, but it also contains valuable historical and architectural monuments. The historic town centre is well preserved and i ...

and north of

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

. It lies in the Hrubý Jeseník mountain range in river valley of the Desná, which originates in the municipal territory. The highest point of Loučná nad Desnou is the highest mountain of the entire

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

, which is Praděd at above sea level. The Dlouhé stráně Reservoir is located in the eastern part of the municipality.

History

The oldest part of the municipality is the village of Rejhotice. The first written mention of Rejhotice is from 1494, but it was probably founded in the 14th century by lumbermen and

charcoal burner A charcoal burner is someone whose occupation is to manufacture charcoal. Traditionally this is achieved by carbonising wood in a charcoal pile or kiln. Charcoal burning is one of the oldest human crafts. History and technique Medieval charc ...

s. The area belonged to the

estate, owned by the

Zierotin The House of Zierotin or House of Žerotín () was a Czech Bohemian nobility, noble family in the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, one of the oldest and most illustrious noble families from Bohemia and Moravia. The ancestors of the family were first m ...

family. After 1608, the Wiesenberg (later Vízmberk) estate was established by Jan the Younger of Zierotin, and the construction of the castle began. In 1651, Přemysl II of Zierotin invited new settlers and founded the village of Přemyslov. In the second half of the 17th century, the area was hit by the infamous Northern Moravia witch trials and one woman from Rejhotice was killed. The village of Kociánov was established in 1784. The hamlet of Vízmberk, formed by houses around the Vízmberk Castle, established a separate village in 1799. In 1948, the municipality of Vízmberk was renamed Loučná. Since 1953, it has been known as Loučná pod Desnou.

Demographics

Transport

Loučná nad Desnou is the terminus on the railway line from

Nezamyslice Nezamyslice is a market town in Prostějov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,500 inhabitants. Administrative division Nezamyslice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 cen ...

to Kouty nad Desnou via

Prostějov Prostějov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 43,000 inhabitants. The city is historically known for its fashion industry. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zo ...

, Olomouc and Šumperk. There are three train stations and stops in the municipal territory, excluding ''Loučná n.Desnou-Filipová'', which serves Filipová, but is located in the neighbouring municipality of

Velké Losiny Velké Losiny () is a spa municipality and village in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,500 inhabitants. It is known for the Velké Losiny Castle and for the Paper Mill at Velké Losiny, Paper Mill, which ...

Sights

The main landmark is the Loučná nad Desnou Castle (formerly Vízmburk Castle). The castle was built by the Zierotins on the site of an old wooden hunting lodge. The castle park also dates from the 17th century. In 1839–1945, the park was redesigned to an English-style park. Today the castle is unused and inaccessible, but the park is freely accessible.

Notable people

Alfred Brendel Alfred Brendel (born 5 January 1931) is a Czech-born Austrian classical pianist, poet, author, composer, and lecturer who is noted for his performances of Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven. Biography Brendel was born in Wizemberk, Czechoslovakia ...

(1931–2025), Austrian pianist

Twin towns – sister cities

Loučná nad Desnou is twinned with: * Sośnicowice, Poland

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Loucna Nad Desnou Villages in Šumperk District