Litoměřice

Litoměřice (ˈlɪtomɲɛr̝ɪtsɛ; Leitmeritz) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. The town is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Litoměřice. Litoměřice is made up of four town parts: Litoměřice-Město, Pokratice, Předměstí and Za nemocnicí. Litoměřice is located about south of Ústí nad Labem and northwest of Prague. The northwestern half of the municipal territory lies in the Central Bohemian Uplands, the southeastern half lies in the Lower Eger Table, on the edge of the Polabí lowlands. The highest point, located in the northern tip of the territory, is at above sea level. The town is situated on the right (northern) bank of the Elbe River, at its confluence with the Ohře, which flows from the south. The settlement of Litoměřice has a deep history of Paleolithic cultures as well as large Celtic settlements of the La Tène culture, which did not survive the incoming Germanic attacks. The area was later settled by Germanic tribes, when Litoměřice first appeared on Ptolemy's world map in the 2nd century under the name of Nomisterium. The Germanic tribes later migrated west and those remaining mingled with the incoming Slavs. The earliest evidence of the Slavic settlement comes from the 8th century. In the 9th and 10th century, Litoměřice fell under the control of the Přemyslid dynasty. Přemyslids built here an early medieval fortress, one of the most important Přemyslid centres in Czech lands. The area was settled by the Czech tribe of Litoměřici, after which the town was named. In 1057, the Litomeřice Chapter was founded by Duke Spytihněv II, and it is the oldest written evidence of the existence of the town. A royal-town statute was granted in 1219 by King Ottokar I of Bohemia. At the beginning of the 13th century, Litoměřice was an important political, cultural and economic centre. The population suffered during the 15th century Hussite Wars.