Letohrad

Letohrad (Czech pronunciation: [ˈlɛtoɦrat]; until 1950 called Kyšperk; German: Geiersberg) is a town in the Ústí nad Orlicí District, Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 6,500 inhabitants. The town lies beneath Orlice Mountains, on the river Tichá Orlice.

Letohrad
Town
Letohrad Castle
Flag
Coat of arms
Letohrad
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°2′9″N 16°29′56″E
CountryCzech Republic
RegionPardubice
DistrictÚstí nad Orlicí
First mentioned1308
Government
 • MayorPetr Fiala
Area
 • Total23.55 km2 (9.09 sq mi)
Elevation
372 m (1,220 ft)
Population
 (2019-01-01[1])
 • Total6,402
 • Density270/km2 (700/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
561 51
Websitewww.letohrad.eu

Villages Červená, Kunčice and Orlice are administrative parts of Letohrad.

History

Kyšperk

The first mention in a written document comes from 1308 – during the reign of a weak king the castle Geiersberg[2] harbored villain noblemen harassing their neighbourhood. In 1513 Kyšperk was first mentioned as a town. During the last quarter of the 17th century, the owner of the town Hynek Jetřich Vitanovský from Vlčkovice greatly improved its state: he ordered to rebuild the fortress into a baroque palace, founded a baroque church of St. Wenceslas (this church is beautifully decorated with fabulous plasters (stucco) by the Italian master Giovanni Maderna), handcraftsmen were allowed to establish guilds, and a hospital for poor and old people was founded. The large fire from 1824 burned down 76 houses. In 1874 a railway crossed Kyšperk, starting the growth of industry in the town.

Červená village

The village was called Rotnek until 1950. It is separated from the rest of the town by a cliff called Hrubý Kámen with a cross on its top.

Kunčice village

The village was first mentioned in a written document from 1292. In 1685 a brick church building was founded. It was rebuilt in 1761. Castelet Ovčín was built in 1686. From the second half of the 19th century until 1922, a phosphorus matches manufacture existed here. The village became a part of Letohrad in 1950.

Orlice village

The place was first mentioned in a written document from 1361 (a small fortress existed here) under its original name Pratum (in Latin). Since 1406 it has been called Orlice. The village has an old church building which was burned down during the Hussite Wars and for the last time was rebuilt in 1711. Since the end of the 19th century, several textile factories have been built here.

Letohrad today

The main source of employment after World War II have been electrotechnical industry and production of construction materials, as well as agriculture. Paneláks were built to provide housing. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989 the historical centre of the town was renovated.

The town tries to attract tourists with cultural festivals, sport events and rich collection of historical sights.

Main attractions of the town
  • Letohrad Castle [3]
  • Wenceslas's Square [4] with dominating baroque Marian Plaque Column [5]
  • Chapel of St. Jan Nepomuk [6]
  • Municipal Museum [7] and Museum of Handcrafts [8]
  • Park [9]

Notable people

Twin towns — sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Letohrad is twinned with:[10]

gollark: It is a mystery.
gollark: So is this a scheme implementation in scheme?
gollark: Just implement RISC-V or something in CC then run Linux on that, and compile emacs for it too.
gollark: Procedurally generate arbitrary lisps until you find one you like.
gollark: Just convert lisp syntax to amulet.

References
  1. "Population of municipalities of the Czech republic". Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  2. More precisely, according to the Chronicon Aulae Regiae, the place is called "Geyrsberg". In the chronicle itself, merely the lord of the castle, Jenisius de Geyrsberg, is mentioned. Look it up yourself in Chapter CVII of the Liber Primus: Chronicon Aulae Regiae
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-11-11. Retrieved 2005-10-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-11-13. Retrieved 2005-10-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-11-11. Retrieved 2005-10-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-11-12. Retrieved 2005-10-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-11-13. Retrieved 2005-10-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-11-11. Retrieved 2005-10-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-11-13. Retrieved 2005-10-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "Partnerská města" (in Czech). Město Letohrad. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
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