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	Litoměřice
	Town
	Cathedral of St. Stephen with belfry.
Flag	Coat of arms
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Ústí nad Labem
District	Litoměřice
Commune	Litoměřice
River	Elbe, Ohře
Elevation	136 m (446 ft)
Coordinates	50°32′3″N 14°7′58″E / 50.53417°N 14.13278°E
Area	17.99 km2 (6.95 sq mi)
Population	25,517 (2006-10-02)
Density	1,418 /km2 (3,673 /sq mi)
Founded around	10th century
- Royal status	1219
Mayor	Ladislav Chlupáč
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	412 01
	Location in the Czech Republic
	Wikimedia Commons: Litoměřice
	Statistics: statnisprava.cz
	Website: www.litomerice.cz/

Coordinates: 50°32′3″N 14°7′58″E / 50.53417°N 14.13278°E

Litoměřice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈlɪtomɲɛr̝ɪtsɛ]; German: Leitmeritz) is a town at the junction of the rivers Elbe (Czech: Labe) and Ohře (German: Eger) in the north part of the Czech Republic, approximately 64 km (39,7 mi) northwest of Prague.

The area within the Ústí nad Labem Region is called Garden of Bohemia thanks to mild weather conditions important for growing fruits and grapes. During the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, many pensionists chose it over more southern areas of the Empire.

[edit] History

Litoměřice as seen from the Radobýl Hill.

One of the oldest Czech towns, Litoměřice was established in the 10th century at the place of an early medieval Slavic fort. The royal town statute was granted in 1219. From the 12th to the 17th century it was a significant trade center in the Holy Roman Empire. The German population suffered during the 15th century Hussite Wars. After the Protestant insurrection that triggered the Thirty Years' War, and their defeat in the Battle of White Mountain, the population of the city had to accept Catholicism, or leave the town, which became a bishop residency in 1655. As a result, the Czech population shrunk and the town became largely Germanized.^{[citation needed]}

After the Austro-Hungarian Empire was dissolved in late 1918, the areas along the border with Germany, where a majority of the former Austrian citizens were speaking German language, tried to join German Austria (which in turn aimed to join Germany), but Czechoslovak troops prevented this. In 1919, all of Bohemia and Moravia was put under the Czechoslovak rule by the Treaty of St. Germain, including the large area stretching around central Bohemia and Moravia, which became as Sudetenland a matter of political controversy in the following years. Slavs settled there again, but remained a minority. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, German troops occupied the Sudetenland. The Czech population that had grown to about 5,000 people had to leave again.

Main square

Occupation, 1938

In the final stages of the World War II, German troops were retreating to escape the advancing Red Army. Czech resistance took control of the castle on 27 April 1945, and after a few days they started negotiation with the Nazi commander about the terms of his surrender. The Wehrmacht capitulated in the night after 8 May, but German troops fled on 9 May just before Soviet troops entered the town on 10 May 1945. Most of the German population of the town was expelled by Beneš decrees in August 1945 along with about 2.5 million other Czechoslovak citizens of German ethnicity.

[edit] Sights

Main Square with the Town Hall.

The symbol of the city is a chalice, since the watchout tower on the Town Hall has this shape. There are numerous cellars connected by an extensive web of underground ways under the town. In some places the cellars were built in three floors. The ways are about three kilometers long and they belong to one of the longest in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, only 336 meters of these underground ways are open to public. One can notice the ancient town wall when entering the town. The original town wall was built in the Gothic style.

[edit] Population

1 December 1930 : 18,498
17 May 1939: 17,267
22 May 1947: 14,402
2 June 2004: 25,517

[edit] Notables people

The greatest representative of Czech romanticism, Karel Hynek Mácha, died in Litoměřice, shortly after he had moved to the town, and was buried there. Later his grave was moved to Prague where he is buried now at the Vyšehrad cemetery.
Josef Jungmann, creator of the modern Czech language, lived and taught here from 1799 to 1815.
Štěpán Cardinal Trochta was a bishop of Litoměřice from 1947.
The Master of the Litoměřice Altarpiece received his name from this town.
Karel Pejml, co-founder of modern historical climatology, lived here from 1978 to 1989.
Ferdinand Blumentritt, teacher, historian, ethnologist and close friend of the Philippine national hero José Rizal, lived and taught here 1877 - 1913.
Martin Škoula, a professional hockey player playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL, USA.
Kamil Kreps, a professional hockey player playing for the Florida Panthers of the NHL, USA.
Josef Rudolf Zavrtal, composer and conductor.