Litultovice () is a market town in

Opava District Opava District () is a Districts of the Czech Republic, district in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Opava. Administrative division Opava District is divided into four Districts of the Czech Republic#M ...

in the

Moravian-Silesian Region The Moravian-Silesian Region () is one of the 14 administrative regions of the Czech Republic. Before May 2001, it was called the Ostrava Region (). The region is located in the north-eastern part of its historical region of Moravia and in most ...

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 900 inhabitants.

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Litult, Lutult, or Litolt. It was the founder of the village.

Geography

Litultovice is located about southwest of

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

and west of

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

. It lies in the

Nízký Jeseník Nízký Jeseník (, ) is a flat highland and Geomorphological division of the Czech Republic, geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the east of the country in the Olomouc Region, Olomouc and Moravian-Silesian Region, M ...

range. The highest point is at above sea level. The Hvozdnice River flows through the southern part of the municipal territory.

History

The first written mention of Litultovice is from 1289. It was a part of the Moravian enclaves in Silesia owned by the bishops of Olomouc, who gave it to various nobles as a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

. A small fortress in the village was first mentioned in 1446. The most significant holders of the village were the Běrka of Násilé family (1451–1516), the Stoš of Kounice family (1516–1567) and the Bítovský of Bítov family (1580–1614). In 1582, Litultovice was destroyed by a fire and only the fortress survived. The fortress was replaced by a new castle in 1609. In 1792, Litultovice was bought from the Olomouc bishops by the Putz of Rolsberg family. In 1887, Litultovice 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 ...

. The hamlet of Choltice (today an integral part of Litultovice) was founded in 1846 and annexed to Litultovice in 1949.

Demographics

Transport

The I/46 road from

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 ...

passes through the municipality. Litultovice is located on the railway line Opava–

Svobodné Heřmanice Svobodné Heřmanice () is a municipality and village in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. History The first written mention of Svobodné Heřmanice is in a deed of Pope Innocent ...

, but trains run on it only on weekends and holidays during the summer season.

Sights

The most important monument is the Litultovice Castle. It is formed by two buildings called ''Starý zámek'' (Old Castle) and ''Nový zámek'' (New Castle). The Old Castle was built in the Renaissance style before 1579, on the site of an old fortress. It has preserved the original interior painting from the years 1580–1600. The New Castle is a Baroque building from the 18th century. Today the castle houses the municipal office and a library. Next to the castle is a park. A cultural monument is the wooden Choltice windmill from 1833. It was originally built in nearby Sádek. In 1878, it was transferred to its present location. The mill operated until 1953 and the complete technical equipment has been preserved. Among the main landmarks of Litultovice is the Church of Saint Bartholomew. It was built in 1844–1847.

References

External links

* {{authority control Market towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Opava District