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Litoměřice-Czech Republic | Baroque Gems in the Garden of Bohemia.


Litoměřice is a splendid town of Czech Republic offering the visitor the chance to admire unique, magnificent Baroque gems in a stunning land called the Garden of Bohemia,  a wonderful, wide natural green territory situated in the region of Ústi nad Labem also known as Ústecky Kraj at the junction of the rivers Elbe and Ohře at approximately 65,0 kilometres northwest of the fascinating Prague  in direction Teplice towards the German border.

That municipality of 29,000 inhabitants major centre of a district with the same name lies on a low hill at 136,0 metres of altitude highlighted by a stupendous environment in the heart of Europe in which art and nature are great protagonists with very picturesque landscapes with a mild climate which permits the cultivation of excellent grapes in a territory highlighted by the presence of vineyards and several  orchards scattered on low scenic hilly plateaus.

That town which during the times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was called Leitmeritz is one of the oldest centres of the entire country declared  Historic National Patrimony and it is among the best destinations of the Nation to admire superb Baroque masterpieces  linked to an artistic movement which spread in Rome in 1600 encouraged by the Catholic Church but absorbed all around the continent.

That artistic style expressing a glitzy opulence, power, triumph but at the same time emotions, control with a constant  research of defined, specific, aesthetic lines to impress at first sight transmitting a strong emotional involvement in architecture but also in painting with main highlight the execution of Religious themes had a notable success in Bohemia strongly transmitted by Austria and Vienna during the times of the House of Habsburg.

For all that Litoměřice is a very recommended destination for all art lovers who will find in that centre a Paradise but also all around the region in centres including in many villages and hamlets boasting true diamonds, a great incentive that since a long time ago captured the attention of many passionate photographers. 

That land is a mine of surprise also for those who are searching the delightful tastes of central Europe with a production of excellent fine wines, notorious outstanding beers next to a delectable cuisine which is a perfect, exquisite mix between the typical Germanic and traditional Slavic culinary art making that territory an ideal place to plan without hesitations great enogastronomic itineraries.

Another aspect to take in notable consideration is the presence of very comfortable Hotels, with many excellent accommodations offering the visitors very pleasant stays.
  
The territory is perfect to practise a wide selection of outdoor activities such as trekking, mountain bike, cycling on road, cycle tourism but also fishing, rowing on numerous streams and rivers that land offers.

Litoměřice as well as the entire Bohemia have furthermore a notable historic patrimony, not only architectural or monumental but also cultural because that large territory was  settled by several important civilisations in different periods.

Celts, Marcomanni, Franks, Slavs, Germans and Austrian ruled that historic corner of Europe leaving important marks still visible nowadays in local traditions, folklore, costumes, music, painting, literature and much more.

The current town was inhabited since the paleolithic era by a Celtic tribe part of La Tène Culture corresponding to the Iron Age which had its major focal point in the Francophone Switzerland on the shore of Neuchâtel Lake but enlarged its influences in many European territories including reaching the Balkans.

 In the 2nd century a former village present appeared in a Ptolemaios map with the name Nomisterium but those former settlers did not survive to the several invasions  by many Germanic tribes who settled in that area, some remaining while others as the Lombards who between the 5th and 6th centuries left moving towards west replaced by the first Slavs, ancestors of of the current Czech citizens.


Despite that  there was also in the meantime an intense flow of Marcomanni, a Germanic tribal confederation related to the Suebi and the Buri who also fought against the Roman Empire in Gaul during the times of Julius Caesar also occupying part of the Danube valley developing several villages along the shore of the rivers Main and Rhine.

They  entered with strength in a large territory of Bohemia and Moravia creating since then several diatribes and clashes with the locals.mainly due to territorial domains but also for cultural contrasts, something similar happened some centuries later.

The first official town was founded in the 10th century by the Litoměřici, a Czech ethnic group who gave the current name to their former seat establishing a centre with the elevation of a fortress later occupied occupied by the Přemyslid, another tribe of western Slavs who originally lived in the outskirts of Prague, a medieval dynasty which also conquered a large part of Bohemia forming a Kingdom inside the Holy Roman Empire.


Litoměřice gained the official title of city in 1218 and just one year later of that event was elevated a statue representing, a symbol to pay homage to  the Monarch Václav I also known as Wenceslas the Good King who fortified that site due several  attacks, a place which in 1229 was awarded as Royal City of Bohemia.

In that period thanks its relevant, strategic geographic position  that centre was a important cross point of merchants including a seat hosting a very busy market for that the Sovereign supported a notable immigration of German settlers including giving several privileges to a numerous Jewish community in exchange of the payment of taxes to develop their trades. 

The power of that Czech Monarchy ended its cycle when the Luxembourg House with Johan del Linden von Luxembourg also known as John I or John the Blind, eldest son of the Holy Roman Empire Henry VII of Germany who took the throne of Bohemia and Poland.

That change due to a marriage of that character with Elizabeth of Bohemia brought many mutations when that new Monarch increased furthermore the flows of people from Germanic lands giving them major influence, an aspect much more highlighted during the Reign of his successor Charles IV crowned in Prague in 1347.

All that generated that the local Bishopric lost relevance moving under the sphere of the German city of Mainz, current, major centre of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate which was the capital of the Electoratus Moguntinus, official seat of the Archbishop Elector also Primate of Germany with an archdiocese founded in the 8th century.

In the14th century the city had a predominant German population living in the central area which increased its territorial size with the construction of new agglomerations while  several Czech inhabitants mainly lived in the outskirts and in the countryside mainly devoted to farmers, agriculture and pastures.
 
That King gave Bohemia its golden ages but that famous, active market also due that mutation lost its importance replaced for a higher volume of trade traffic by new emergent, active towns on the shore of the river Elbe such as Dresden, Magdeburg, Torgau and Pirna apart Hamburg which was already a powerful harbour established on that waterway.

  
The total lack of feeling, misunderstandings and especially the notable cultural, linguistic differences between Germans and Czechs in the entire Bohemia sentenced the beginning of the first internal struggles which endured for a long time.

All that continued for many years generating conflicts, intolerance, a multitude of contrasts, origin of that famous event well known as Hussite Wars linked to a revolutionary movement of protest  against the Roman Catholic Church created by the doctrine of Jan Hus, a Czech priest, philosopher and early Christian reformer Master at Charles University of Prague.

Those clashes were related to the notorious Thirty' Years War which took place between 1618 and 1648 probably one of the darkest pages of the European history with the entire central continent suffering destruction, devastation, 30 infamous, long years which represented one of the most bloody, sad historical chapters of Bohemia all time.


The notorious battle of the  White Mountain in 1620 which took place on the height of Bilá Hora notfar from the Czech capital saw the victory of the Catholic troops composed by 27,000 soldiers led by Ferdinand II Holy Roman Emperor member of the House of Hasburg supported by the German Catholic League  against the Protestant Army consisting in 30,000 Czech from Bohemia and mercenaries commanded by Christian I well known as Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg former Governor of Upper Palatinate.


That event played an important role in the destiny of  Litoměřice totally because it totally changed its history with the advent of the Habsburg hegemony which started since then a massive Germanisation of that land Incorporated in the Austrian Empire and the name of the city was replaced taking the denomination of Leitmeritz.

That was  a historical  chapter the Czech population never loved and accepted living in their opinion in the shade of an Imperial power which always privileged Vienna and in a second case Budapest with Prague totally obscured by those two cities something which since then increased the spirit of independence of the locals.

After the First  World War in 1918 with the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire arose the constitution of the new Czechoslovakia consisting in the unification of the regions of Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia and Slovakia, a young country in the European map created after the famous treaty of St.Germain, an event which in its kind re-designed a diverse image of a large part of the European Continent.

A wide territory of Bohemia, including Litoměřice was mainly populated by German speaking inhabitants who always wanted to join the Austrian influence as in previous times or in alternative as happened some years later to be  part of Germany.


Despite that the new government started to repopulate that land with numerous Czechs but the region remained culturally and for language German in its majority.  

That situation caused many problems during the post war period, for for many years there were several diplomatic accidents, claims of territories, borders, all that generated strained, tense relationships within the newly formed Nation, Austria and Germany.

The presence of a notable number of German speaking including continued to call that area Sudetenland and  Litoměřice with its former name, Leitmeritz, also that was a big historic problem with riots, revolts, repressions and intolerance.

Those endless troubles generated by the occupation by German troops in 1938 with a massive expulsion of Czech citizens occupied by the troops of the Wehrmacht which installed in the local fortress its headquarter and that was one of the faster operations of the Third Reich before the beginning of the Second World War occupying the entire territory from March to September of that year.

Litoměřice was also a centre which suffered the Holocaust, many Jewish residents were deported by the SS Divisions in the camps of Bergen-Belsen, Dachau,Ebensee, Theresienstadt but also one established in the municipal boundaries.

The castle was reconquered on 27th  April 1945 by Czech partisans and the entire municipality by the Soviet Red Army commanded by Marshal Ivan Konev on 10th August  of the same year which did not find resistance because the German troops led by Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner left the city the day before.


The reaction of the winners was immediate in the same month the city retook its Czech name and were sentenced the notorious Beneš decrees issued by the Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš, another infamous episode of the local history with the evacuation of over 2,5 millions of people of German ethnicity towards Austria and Germany generating a big exodus unique in its kind in that time.
 
The integration of the reborn  Czechoslovakia integrated in the USSR sphere as a satellite Nation part of the Eastern European block  adherent to the Pact of Warsaw signed in the Polish capital on 14th May 1955 were other chronological stages of Litoměřice which lived the times of the Cold War until the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 with the collapse of the Socialist regimes.

The famous Velvet Revolution which took place between 17th and 29th December of the same year followed  since then the history of the former country until the birth of the new Česká Republika, the Czech Republic born in 1993 with the separation from Slovakia joining the European Community on 1st May 2004.

Despite those several occupations,  numerous changes of rulers, a very tumultuous past the town has conserved a very charming aspect with a relevant historical patrimony. 
  
The title of National Patrimony site is highly visible in its historic core highlighted by fascinating medieval streets, splendid Baroque palaces which largely replaced many older Gothic constructions.

That kind of style is nowadays the predominant with many structures representing that movement  mainly concentrated around Katedrala Svatý Stepan, the Cathedral dedicated to St. Stephan and Stará Radnice, the Town Hall. 


The Czech municipality in addition still conserves part of  its fortified walls although in the 90's there was an intense architectural renovation of that old defencive complex but extremely visible along the street Velká Dominikánská where you can see some of its polygonal towers while other sections were transformed in residences.

The old municipal beating heart of  Litoměřice is practically arranged north of the banks of the river Elbe also known in Czech language as Labe around the square Mirové Náměsti  north of the Cathedral with several narrow streets all around it among them the mentioned Velká Dominikánská, Pekařska, Machova highlighting that scenic, urban hub, called Staré Město, the old city.


Na Valech is a road immediately further north corresponding to a sort of border between the old and new town flanked by two big arteries as Masarykova at west which runs from the southern boundaries to the northern suburbs and Daliborova situated at east consisting in one of the main entrances and exits of the historic centre.

You can start the visit from  Mirové Náměsti, a beautiful square, bustling cultural, focal point of the former Leitmeritz boasting an extension of over 1,8 hectares and it is in the space in which the historical medieval market took place while nowadays it is the most important site where are celebrated local political, cultural and social events of relevance.

The translation of its name is Square of the Peace and it is considered one of the most fascinating monumental complexes established in the entire Czech Republic all time.

The majestic aspect of that large urban area arranged on a wide irregular rectangular plan shows the importance of that environment surrounded by some beautiful, restored, Gothic houses and buildings mainly dated 14th and 15th centuries.

In that charming place is situated Stará Radnice, the old, former City Council seat built in the late 14th century in Gothic style but totally reformed in the 16th century in a refined Renaissance style.

It is a very stylish construction highlighted by white ample facades, wide arched doors,  on its front side were inserted two splendid symmetrical lines of high rectangular windows while in the middle on the top was established a tower inserted between two small Neo-Gothic decorated walled sections flanking the roof on both sides.

In the lower section you can admire stupendous arcades forming a wonderful portico which hosted in the Middle Ages the merchants beneath  two Coat of Arms,  one representing the city and the other one reminiscent the former Austrian Empire.


It is undoubtedly one of the constructions with more grandeur elevated in the municipality and that site despite ceased to be the Town Hall in 1839 it is still considered one of the most emblematic, local symbols hosting nowadays a Museum.

In that superb square lies Kostel Všech Svatých, the Church of all Saints erected in the 13th century formerly part of the walled perimeter of  Staré Město established for defencive purposes but also to host the market place.

It is undoubtedly another great, artistic masterpiece, which was originally a splendid representation of Central European Gothic style but totally remodelled in a fine Baroque style by the Italian architect Giulio Broggio who is buried in that Sacred site with one of his sons who helped him in many works.

That talented master native from Albiolo, a municipality in the province of Como left in Litoměřice many marvellous artistic jewels and that stupendous Church is one of them.

The beautiful facade reflects the pure Central European canons of  the most loyal, fine architectural movement with in its layout a light background highlighted by stylish, detailed decorations executed on the sides of a large pediment.

One of the great attractions is the very original, special roof developed in 1570 by a talented architect called Valentin Schneider consisting in a scenic, copper, pyramidal spire placed on a square base surrounded by pinnacles while another section is surmounted by a tower topped by a onion dome of vague, Byzantine inspiration over 50,0 metres high.

Dieczézni Muzeum  representing the Bishopric Gallery inaugurated in the 90's is hosted in another architectural gem lying on that monumental square, a beautiful building originally developed in a magnificent Neo-Gothic style but with also a notable, strong Dutch-Flemish Neo-Renaissance influence.

 Historically In the 19th century that building was used by Officers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire later for administrative purposes but closed during the German occupation in 1941.

That high white, palace boasts splendid arcades with a group of symmetrical rectangular windows on a red painted background while the scenic roof is the result of four polygonal elements superimposed on a decreasing scale topped by a pinnacle.


Visiting that museum is mandatory because you will have the chance to admire some superb masterpieces among them the great  St.Anthony the Hermit by Lucas Cranach, notable works by Flemish Czech masters and beautiful sculptures. 

Dům U Kalicha is one of the iconic, Renaissance buildings elevated in the 16th century in that wonderful space by the Italian architect Ambrogio Balli, a work commissioned by the noble family Mraz to be used as official residence and closely related to that you can see on the wall of the building the heraldic Coat of Arms of those former owners..

That elegant house with a scenic, light blue tonality boasts very defined architectural lines, an ample, refined facade with two huge arcades forming a fascinating portico and a big circular clock inserted on the upper section beneath a gable roof above two beautiful lines of framed, white windows.

Dům U Kalicha translated means at the chalice  because over the roof was built a polygonal turret with a circular shape in its summit reminiscent that object which is also the symbol of Litoměřice and it is pretty famous all around Czech Republic with the nickname Pod Bani  meaning under the dome and it is nowadays one of the usual meeting points of the locals.

There is a legend related to that building saying that the officers and councillors stayed long time under that sort of chalice to drink a lot of wine and after many glasses they left that place happy for the positive results after a meeting which solved difficult political issues but also glad to enjoy long social drinks beneath than unusual architectural representation which maybe gave inspiration them to have a cup more than normal.

Today that structure hosts in memory of its past an office of the Municipality Assembly and the Tourism Office Centre where you can collect every information about the town, the surroundings and all the tourist information you need regarding the region of Ústi nad Labem.

Dum u černého orla which means at the Black Eagle is another highlight established in Mirové Náměsti, a great Renaissance work by the Florentine architect Ambrogio Balli erected in the second half of the 16th century for the noble family Housek later headquarter of the Knights of Třebnice, a military order loyal to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

At the entrance you can see written Salva Guarda an Italianated motto in vogue in those times as a hymn of power, respect referred to something to defend and preserve with impetus forever.

The building is absolutely wonderful subdivided in two sections, in its lower part you can admire a magnificentt portico with two stunning arcades surmounted by a decorated bend with graffiti executed in a horizontal section covering the facade while over that space the front side has a dark colour with two symmetrical lines of four windows

The top of the palace is completely white highlighted by four small Renaissance windows placed in stone blocks, a work pretty unusual in that time in entire country.

The other wing forms an angle with that nearest construction but it has exactly the same architectural elements and colours,the only difference is the presence of white allegoric, religious graffiti on a dark background scattered around the windows.

In the square you can admire two fountains one was executed in the early 18th century in a stupendous Baroque style replacing a previous dated the 16th century depicting four stone dolphins with mouths opened spreading water while the other one is much more modern developed in the site of a former totally destroyed during the war of the thirty years.

Next to that square in the street Máchova ulice you can admire another relevant Baroque work by Giulio Broggio called Biskupská rezidence, the Bishop Palace which simply for its size it is absolutely impressive.

That imposing construction was elevated on the foundations of a former medieval building dated 11th century on two levels with a relevant number of windows inserted in its entire layout all surmounted by lunettes.


The huge main facade is topped by a small, light Neoclassical pediment perfectly adapted to that red Baroque building highlighted by the execution of fine, white, interwinded lines greatly combined with refined decorations. 

That palace continues nowadays to be the official  residence of the Bishopric of  Litoměřice  and it is a very distinctive, iconic construction also because it is the biggest erected in the entire municipality.

In front of the square starts Michalská a long central street and at the civic number 29 you can see another beautiful building hosting the Art Gallery of  Litoměřice

That majestic construction is the result of the link of three old Gothic houses remodelled by the Italian architect Ambrogio Balli in Florentine style but renovated later in the 18th century in Baroque style.

One of its main highlights is the perfect symmetry of  superb, Belle Époque windows with Baroque, stuccoes and decorations in the central body in the perfect harmony with the arched doorway in the nearest shaped, former Gothic buildings.

The museum displays a collection of notable paintings of the 16th century, considerable Baroque works dating back the 19th and 20th centuries and furthermore it contains some statues and sculptures by important local artists.

Along that street were also elevated fortified walls in the 16th century and you can see one of the bastions called Basta which was in different periods used for different purposes as part of the defencive system, prison and sadly also as a torture room becoming later a residential house while currently it hosts some offices of local Institutions.

In a charming square called  Václavské Náměsti you can admire a splendid Church called Chrám svathéo Václava Kostel, a splendid Church originally erected in 1363 but destroyed in the war of the thirty years. 

Rebuilt in the early 18th century in a charming Baroque style that splendid construction  dedicated to St. Václav or Wenceslas it was since its elevation considered as  one the gems of Litoměřice.

That high, light building elevated on an irregular rectangular plan  has a huge facade on which was inserted a refined, rectangular portal surmounted by an ample stained glass window  and over it you can see a sculpture depicting St.Wenceslas, Saint Patron of Czech Republic.


Very relevant is also the execution of the dark sloping roof with a big iron cross placed over a curved pediment behind a turret on which was placed a splendid onion dome.

For a period the Church was also used as Orthodox Religious temple until the end of the Second war and to preserve its relevant architectural value the Church had a restoration in the 90's.

In the same square lies the Plague Column remembering a tragic event which took place in 1680 when the Czech municipality suffered that event which sadly decimated the population. 

That work commemorating the victims was erected in 1681 by the Italian architect Giulio Broggio in collaboration with the sculptor Abraham Kitzinger with the support of the stonemasons Ambrose Wald and Andreas Kolderer.


The monument consists in a high Baroque column on which was placed an image depicting the Immaculate Virgin Mary on the top and at her foot a snake representing the evil the plague, a work with a religious philosophy representing the victory of the Christian faith against the bad and the sin. 

In the pedestal were placed a series of images of Saints consisting in St.Francis Xavier, St. Roque, St.Sebastian and St.Bartholomew as paladins supporting that action. 


In a charming square called Dominikánské Náměsti, you can admire another superb notable Baroque masterpiece consisting in Kostel svatého Jakuba, a splendid Church which was for a long time a Monastery occupied by a Franciscan Order of  monks before to be devastated during the war of the 30 years.

After long time of abandon the usual Broggio family architects re-arranged that Ecclesiastic complex in Baroque style ending the works in 1758.

It is a a high building erected on a rectangular base with a very attractive facade boasting stylish lines, marked outlines with a long brick gable roof, in the lower section of the front side was placed a rectangular doorway surmounted by a lunette with golden decorations.

Others of the same colour are present in the upper part of the facade while in the centre and on the sides you can see long curved stained glass windows while on the top of the roof approximately in correspondence of the presbytery you will notice an onion dome placed on a copper, cylindrical element.

In the street Na Valech ulice you can see Královský Hrad, the Royal castle erected in  the 13th century during the Reign of King Premsyl Otakar II but under rule of King Charles IV, the fortress apart to take his name was totally rebuilt and used later as second residence by the Czech Royalty during the stays outside Prague.

The structure has had several restorations during its history, it also suffered a terrible  devastating fire in the half of the 17th century and after  those damages it was for a period abandoned but re-used in the 18th century as headquarter of a Brewery.

The construction you can see today was totally remodelled in the 80's, a big building covered by a long red gable roof flanked by a wall, it is in its kind a great replica o the original structure with a strong Neo-Gothic inspiration created to find a right harmony with the rest of the urban architectural environment developed in the immediate surroundings.

In the same street you can see another building called Soudní Budova a Věznice,  a very attractive palace erected in the early 20th century in Neo-Renaissance style  as Courthouse afterwards used as a prison.
 
That huge structure arranged on three levels with a long facade developed on three blocks, corresponding to one central body and two wings covered by a long dark sloping roof was the site where was jailed the Commander of the camp of Terezin from1945 to 1946 and other  prisoners of the Second World War linked to Nazi collaboration.

Rooseveltova ulice is another important point of special interest representing a street  which is in its kind a local symbol of the Modernism and Art Nouveau styles of the municipality.

That artery boasts splendid, elegant buildings highlighted by decorated facades, stupendous framed windows, stylish portals, elaborated stuccoes and among them you can admire the City Spa erected in the early 20th century, a high construction with a fascinating facade packed by wide rectangular windows established on three levels and a beautiful, rounded roof.

Facing Siadkova ulice, a pleasant street in proximity of the notorious Hotel Roosevelt you can see a big park called Jiráskovy Sady where you can admire a relevant example of Neo-Gothic art erected in the early 20th century.

That Religious Temple originally hosted the former German Protestant Evangelical community but it was closed in 1945 by the Czech authorities accusing that Religious Institution to support the Nazi occupation and  after years of inactivity it is currently the seat of the local Baptist Church.

It is an architectural example pretty similar to other Ecclesiastic structures you can see in Denmark, Sweden or Northern Germany  with a clear Nordic, romantic inspiration highlighted by light brown walls, high curved windows, a tower and a long, copper spire.


Dlohuá ulice is another highlight of the municipality for its history and importance, a street developed in the 14th century used for a long time by merchants and it also hosted along it a section of the medieval market.

It continues after many years to be one of the liveliest and bustling urban municipal axes, it is  approximately 350,0 metres long flanked by stylish buildings erected in different periods in Baroque, Renaissance and Neo-Renaissance styles.

In addition it was the main passage to reach Dlohuá Brana, one of the most important gates which was with its tower part of the defencive system of Staré Město since the Middle Ages but demolished in the 19th century.

Very close to Dlohuá ulice, a short distance from that landmark in the street Katovny ulice you can see a building very similar for the decorations of its exterior to a British Tudor structure. 

That white house  erected in the early 18th century was  originally Dům u Kat, the  Executioner house used for that purpose until the 19th century. 

It boasts  stylish wooden details on its facades with a beautiful gable roof and today after some restorations it hosts a Historic Museum containing some objects linked to that infamous historical cycle related to executions.

A short walk from that street in Kapucinské  Náměsti, the square of the Capuchins you can admire Ludmily Kostel  Svaté Ludmily, a Church which is the former Monastery of the order of the monks who gave that square their name destroyed in the war of the thirty years.

That building is the composition of a main body with two annexed constructions, one established behind the central structure and another smaller erected on one side, restored in the mid 19th century was re-arranged in a traditional, Baroque style, a bit sober with  light walls and a sloping red roof

 Inside you can see the image of the venerated St. Ludmila on a charming Baroque altar established on a spacious, luminous apse.

In its proximity lies a sculpture depicting St. John of Nepomuck, protector from drownings and floods erected in that place in the 18th century.

Along Machova ulice a narrow street leading to the Cathedral you can see Na Vicárce, a famous restaurant arranged on two storeys with large windows

Karel Hynek Mácha, a famous romantic poet from Prague who lived and died in the town inhabited that site and by the adjacent courtyard it is possible to visit the room where the writer worked spending many years of his life.

Kaple svatého Jana Křtitele is a chapel established on the same street  dedicated to st.John Baptist, it was originally a medieval Religious temple but remodelled in Baroque style  by the eternally active Broggio architects in the 18th century.

It has a very sober aspect with a white facade bordered by large red lines, a sloping brick roof with a double window on the top and behind it was established a cylindrical element topped by a pinnacle.

In the small interior there is a tomb dating back the 16th century, sculptures linked to the plague column of Litomerice, the Church has had several restorations in the 20th century, the last one took place in the 90's but today it is pretty well preserved.

At the end of the street you can reach Domské Náměsti, a large square in which lies Stepana Katedrala the Cathedral dedicated to St.Stephen erected in the mid 11th century.

Established with  a traditional, Romanesque Basilica layout although during its history was largely mutated saving just the foundations, re-elevated the 17th century with a typical Baroque profile.

The main facade is subdivided in two blocks, the lower is highlighted by a central rectangular doorway with a decorated lunette, a wide stained glass window is situated in the middle of the front side flanked by a couple of pinnacles and on the top was placed a pediment surmounted by a cross.

The bell tower was added in the late 19th century in a typical, Austrian Imperial style, an architectural element very evident with canons in vogue in the nearest Nation with also a circular clock placed on on an additional element beneath a beautiful copper spire.

All that is very similar to the traditional Churches you can see nowadays in Vienna and closely related to that the work was by an architect from that city called Heinrich von Ferstel who designed the splendid Votivikirche of Vienna but also other great works in Schonau, Trieste and in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

The interior is very charming with a splendid Baroque altarpiece, several decorations in golden colour and interesting paintings by Czech School.

Kapitula Dům is another local attraction ,it is the chapter house of Litoměřice with a long history to narrate. 

Founded in the mid 11th century it is a site particularly important for some relevant and significant archives, among them some old manuscripts linked to the first trade documents related to tax and prices, declarations and sentences about transport of goods in medieval times, the oldest related to commercial activities of the Middle Ages found in Czech Republic.

Approximately 350,0 metres from Machova Ulice in the street Machovy Skody ulice  you can admire Divadlo Katel Hynek Mácha, a theatre dedicated to that artist who was also actora sober light construction arranged on two levels erected in the early 19th century over a former farmhouse.
 
During the period before the the Second War it was property of the Deutsche Chormusik,the German Music Choir hosting different kinds of performances mainly devoted to classic music and opera but the name was changed in the present in 1945 and it had some restorations in different periods in the 20th century.

Not far along  the street Jezuitska ulice you can reach Jezuitský Zvětosván Panny Marie Kostel, a Church dedicated to the Virgin of the Annunciation built in the 18th century in Baroque style by the Broggio family on a former Jesuit Convent felt in total abandon.

Considered among the most distinguished works in that Czech centre, it is a wide, high construction painted in white tonality with light violet lines, a series of windows of different size  and two high bell towers topped by metallic crosses. 

Other highlights are in its interior with a splendid marble altar and some excellent frescoes by Jan Hiebel, a prominent artists very active in Prague too.

During its history it was used for several purposes including as a hospital hosting injured people during the world of the 30 years later as headquarter of the order of the Jesuits before to become a official Church with an annexed a seminary.

In the same street you will notice the presence of a very interesting building called Gotický Dvojče which means the Gothic Twins, a very special construction dated the 15th century.

The architectural aspect of that structure is very influenced by a traditional, German artistic school with a double roof very similar to the style o the notorious Römer buildings you can admire in Frankfurt.

On its facade you can see two coat of arms, the building was restored in the 80's and it is part of the local historical patrimony heritage for date of construction and also because it is a work with a very unusual image for that period in Bohemia.

Jezuitska Schody is the Jesuit stone staircase developed in proximity of a former bridge on the river Elbe in the 19th century leading by a passage across an arcade to the previously mentioned Jezuitský Zvětosván Panny Marie Kostel.

Some years later on that staircase was placed a statue depicting Josef Emanuel Hischler,  an Austrian soldier and poet fervent admirer of Lord Byron poetry considered in that time a very prominent figure for his talented, Romantic literature skills.  

After the Second War the statue of that character was removed and replaced by the Czech Institutions with another one representing the figure of St.John of Nepomuk.

In Mezibrani Ulice a long street flanking the Labe river you can see another section of the fortified walls with some of  the bastions erected in the early 16th century.

That walled complex had different kinds of purposes after a radical restoration in the 18th century, century incorporating a small Church and a space hosting the prisons.

There is a legend about that place and the small Church telling that a local citizen called Vaclav Babinsky known to be a popular, local thief helped the priest several times during worships and religious rites to hide himself by the guards until he was jailed in the nearest prison for over 20 years.

 At the end of his forced stay to pay his crimes that figure left his homeland moving to  Prague where he continued to live working honestly and where he died.

In Vojtěšská ulice, a street not far from the park Klášterni Zahrada at the end of the long avenue Na Valech you can admire in a  a green garden Kostel svatého Vojtěcha, a Church that according to historical documentations existed on the current place since the 11th century.

Despite that the construction visible today was erected in the 14th century but totally renowned in the early 18th century in Baroque style. 

On the light facades were inserted ample curved windows, some doors and one of the great attractions is the red roof topped by a splendid, onion domed turret of the same colour.

The nearest bell tower dated the late 18th century is an independent structure elevated on the left side of the entrance covered by a flattened dome surmounted by a polygonal element with an additional onion dome of clear Byzantine influence as terminal.

Outside the centre of the town on a small hill called Mostna Hora which name is the composition of Mostna deriving from the word Most meaning bridge and Hora which means  hill, that denomination because from that place started the transport of timber to establish a bridge on the Elbe in the 18th century.

That hilly plateau had several nicknames, one under Austrian rule when it was called Franz Joseph Hora to pay homage to that famous Emperor, iconic exponent of the House of Habsburg renamed after the fall of that Empire Svoboda Hora, the hill of freedom and afterwards Mostna Hora,the unctuous hill.

In that that place was opened a restaurant, erected a tower used as check point and meteorological station, after the Second World War all the complex became property of the new Czechoslovakia led by the Socialist Party which built a state restaurant in the 50's. 

In the 90's after the collapse of the regime, the municipality bought the entire building opening another catering establishment refurbished in the former Renaissance style.

Litoměřice  is a diamond of Czech Republic,  a fascinating,charming town rich in history, culture, certainly one of the most shining jewels of the region of  Ústi nad Labem packed by Baroque gems present all around its historic centre but also the immediate surroundings are extremely fascinating.

The territory is packed by forests ,many intact green areas, verdant hills with vineyards and also for that that geographic area is nicknamed the Garden of Bohemia. 

I recommend for that to visit other places as the picturesque Radobýl, at just 3,0 kilometres from the city, a scenic basalt hilly plateau on which was established a quarry but abandoned years ago, a place which was declared a natural monument, surrounded by enchanting green countryside, a scattered woodland, rows of vines that site is since a long time ago ideal destination for trekkers and mountain bikers.

On its summit at 399,0 metres of altitude you can see a giant metallic cross established in 1992, a place where  you can enjoy spectacular views of Litoměřice, Lovosice, Terezín and the village of Žahlostice.
  A further place I suggest you is a small, scenic village already existing in the 13th century called Podsedice, well known for its fascinating meadows, farms on low hills of approximately 300,0 metres of altitude with several orchards, an oasis of peace and serenity with very picturesque landscapes.

Do not miss a visit to the mount Milešovska, a beautiful, high hill of 837,0 metres which offers from its summit stunning sights, a favourite subject for many photographers in the region because its image is like a verdant pyramid dominating green forests.

That height was  declared by Alexander von Humboldt, a famed Prussian, geographer, Romantic philosopher and explorer of the 18th and 19th centuries the third most beautiful view of the world.

Another historic fetail is that since the times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire when it was called Milleschauer or also  Donnersberg, the thunder mountain it started to be visited by geologists to analyse its special, phonolite formation.

From its summit you can have many beautiful views of the region, the city of Teplice but also part of the district of Náchod District. 
 
Another place to fill your plan of excursions is the area of the Ore Mountains which formed for over 800 years the natural historical border between Saxony and Bohemia currently they forming the mountainous frontier dividing Czech Republic from Germany

Once there you can admire different peaks over 1000,0 metres of altitude, the highest heights are the Klinovec with its 1244,0 metres and the Fichtelberg of 1215,0 metres of altitude, great places for hiking, mountain bikers, nature lovers with also the chance to visit protected nature spaces.

All the region is simply spectacular,  a mosaic of colours with a superb flora, a stunning place to admire flowered gardens surrounded by huge woody areas and in addition you can enjoy there several outdoor activities tasting an excellent gastronomy.

There are many local gastronomic specialities to enjoy starting from the famed Knedliky, similar to the Austrian Knödeln, small gnocchi prepared with pieces of bread, flour and with a vague resemblance are the popular Škubánky a sweet variant made with with flour, sugar and poppy seeds.

Very popular is the Vepřo Knedlo Zelo, a delectable pork roast seasoned with spices served with Knedliki and sauerkraut. The trout is another highlight prepared in many styles and do not miss to try the delicious Prague ham often present as starter, appetiser or in assorted buffets.

Another speciality very traditional is the Svičiková na consisting in marinated meat prepared with with vegetables especially carrots, parsley and spices.


You can find a large variety of  sausages some of the most recommended are Utopenci, Tlenka, Špekáček often present as snacks or also in combined plates.

The renowned Kulajda is a kind of soup made with a pretty liquid mash potatoes with an addition of mushrooms and aromatic herbs.You can try also the traditional Brambory, a sort of pancake made with flour, milk and mashed potatoes.

The Česnečka is a typical consommé, a garlic soup pretty common in the local gastronomy and another renowned soup is the Kuřeci Polévka consisting in noodles cooked with a chicken stock.

The Gulašova polievka is the Czech replica of the famous Hungarian Goulash you can find in several restaurants but also prepared by many families introduced in the country since the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Linked to those Imperial times is also the notorious Smažený Vepřový řízek which is the twin of the famed Austrian Schnitzel, a breaded pork fillet or cutlet fried served with potatoes, salads or boiled vegetables.

Excellent are also the local mushrooms and you can taste the Smažené žampiony a recipe made with them breaded adding butter and fried.The Karbanátky is another famous plate consisting in meat balls similar to Frikadeller prepared with pork and beef meats and there are also other variants one of them using fish mixed with flour and eggs.

About cakes the Medovnik, Kolache and many kinds of other sweet specialities are prepared with fresh fruit and sugar and very famed are the Palačinky, very similar to the Austrian, Hungarian Slavic pancakes. They  have several variants prepared with jam, chocolate, fruit as strawberries or cherries, including some are made with nuts or adding whipped cream.

Another dessert of clear Austrian influence is the Jablečný závin which is the name of the classic and famous Apfel Strudel.

About drinks the famous beers,Pilsner Urquell, Branik, Staropramen, Budejovicky Budvar and many others are very common in all the bars and taverns of Litoměřice, national icons well known worldwide.

If you love wine apart the superb from Moravia also Bohemia has its fine icons as a superb Melnik original from Central Bohemia approximately 40,0 kilometres from Prague

Other suggested wines are a local, elegant, fine Riesling, a superb Müller-Thurgau, an aromatic St.Laurent and a Pinot Noir of very good level, smooth, highly palatable and very versatile.


Prague Ruzyně Václav Havel Airport is situated at approximately 70,0 kilometres south of  Litoměřice and in less than one hour driving from the Czech Capital you can reach that destination in a very easy way.

The town has a lot to offer and show the visitor including in its immediate outskirts, the famous Garden of Bohemia is an Eden of green forests with a blooming flora and more than pleasant landscapes which will conquered you.

If you are planning to visit Czech Republic to discover the beauty and the jewels of that historic region apart the marvellous Prague not far you will have the chance to discover a diamond in  the region of  Ústi nad Labem called  Litoměřice packed by an endless number of Baroque masterpieces, a destination which will certainly delight you.
.

Francesco Mari


Recommended Accommodations in Litoměřice

Hotel & Café Dejmalík
Hotel Apollon
Hotel Roosevelt 
Hotel Salva Guarda
Hotel Racek

Recommended Restaurants in Litoměřice

Restaurant Hradni Vinarna
Restaurant Radnicni Sklipek

Useful links


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