Litomyšl (; ) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. It is a former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see. Litomyšl is known for the château-type castle complex of the Litomyšl Castle, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument reservation.

Administrative division

Litomyšl consists of ten municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

  • Litomyšl-město (6,026)
  • Kornice (137)
  • Lány (441)
  • Nedošín (526)
  • Nová Ves u Litomyšle (99)
  • Pazucha (130)
  • Pohodlí (290)
  • Suchá (101)
  • Zahájí (1,147)
  • Záhradí (1,130)

Nová Ves u Litomyšle and Pohodlí form an exclave of the municipal territory.

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Litomysl (in old Czech written as Ľutomysl), meaning "Litomysl's (castle)".

Geography

Litomyšl is located about northwest of Svitavy and southeast of Pardubice. It lies in the Svitavy Uplands. The highest point is at above sea level. The Loučná River flows through the town. There are several fishponds in the municipal territory; the largest of them is Velký Košíř, located northwest of the town proper.

History

thumb|Litomyšl Castle

The first written mention of Litomyšl is from 981. It is a record in Chronica Boemorum mentioning death of Duke Slavník. Litomyšl was originally a protective fortified settlement of the Slavník dynasty principality on a significant trade route from Bohemia to Moravia. In 1259, Litomyšl was promoted to a town by King Ottokar II.

During the following centuries the town was owned by various noble families: Kostka of Postupice, Pernštejn, Trauttmansdorff, Waldstein-Wartemberg and last Thurn und Taxis. The Litomyšl Castle was built in 1568–1581 by the Pernštejns.

A congregation of the proto-Protestant brotherhood Unitas Fratrum (Unity of the Brethren) was documented in Litomyšl as early as 1490. The Brethren flourished in Litomyšl, being protected by the Kostka family. The Brethren founded a printing press there. The town, along with Mladá Boleslav, became a major centre for the Brethren. However, after the Catholic emperor emerged victorious from the Schmalkaldic War, bishop Jan Augusta was captured and imprisoned in 1548 and the Brethren were expelled from Litomyšl and many emigrated to Poland and Moravia.

In the 19th century, Litomyšl ceased to be the main economical centre of the region, but remained the cultural and educational centre.

Existence of the Jewish community is documented at least from the late 16th century. During the Holocaust, in 1942, the last families were deported. Litomyšl had a German-speaking community until it was expelled in 1945 as a result of the Beneš decrees.

Demographics

Transport

The I/35 road (the section from Hradec Králové to Svitavy, part of the European route E442) passes through the town.

Litomyšl is the starting point of the railway line of local importance heading to Choceň. The town is served by three train stations and stops.

Culture

Since 1946, the town hosts Smetanova Litomyšl, a large annual festival of classical music. It bears the name of the composer Bedřich Smetana, who is the most famous local native.

There is an extensive permanent exhibition of Olbram Zoubek's sculptures and art in Litomyšl Castle Vault Gallery.

Language

Until the late 19th century, the Litomyšl area had its own unique variety of the Czech language. This variety, named Teták by linguist Henning Andersen (after its word for "five", /tet/, as opposed to Standard Czech pět /pjet/), underwent an unusual sound change: bilabial consonants (/p/, /b/, /m/) became alveolars (/t/, /d/, /n/) before front vowels. Examples are /tekɲe/ ('nicely'; Standard Czech pěkně), /diːlej/ ('white'; Standard Czech bílý) and /nesto/ ('town'; Standard Czech město).

Sights

thumb|160px|House U Rytířů

The main landmark of Litomyšl is the Litomyšl Castle, one of the largest Renaissance castles. The buildings of the castle precincts are exceptional for their architectural refinement. The castle complex also includes the birthplace of Bedřich Smetana, carriage house, stables, riding school, castle brewery, castle park and French-style garden. The castle complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.

Next to the castle is the Piarist college with the seat of members of the order, the Church of the Finding the Holy Cross and adjacent monastery gardens. Today the gardens serve as a town park. The gardens include sculptures by Olbram Zoubek.

  • Levoča, Slovakia
  • Noordenveld, Netherlands
  • San Polo d'Enza, Italy

References

  • Basic facts, sights, history