Libchavy (German: Lichwe) is a municipality in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,800 inhabitants.

Libchavy
Church of Saint Nicholas
Church of Saint Nicholas
Flag of Libchavy
Coat of arms of Libchavy
Libchavy is located in Czech Republic
Libchavy
Libchavy
Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°0′12″N 16°23′23″E / 50.00333°N 16.38972°E / 50.00333; 16.38972
Country Czech Republic
RegionPardubice
DistrictÚstí nad Orlicí
First mentioned1227
Area
 • Total22.11 km2 (8.54 sq mi)
Elevation
345 m (1,132 ft)
Population
 (2023-01-01)[1]
 • Total1,788
 • Density81/km2 (210/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
561 16
Websitewww.libchavy.cz

Administrative parts edit

The municipality is made up of the villages of Dolní Libchavy and Horní Libchavy.

Geography edit

Libchavy is located about 2 kilometres (1 mi) north of Ústí nad Orlicí and 42 km (26 mi) east of Pardubice. It lies in the Svitavy Uplands. The highest point is at 526 m (1,726 ft) above sea level. The elongated built-up area is located in the valley of the stream Libchavský potok.

History edit

The first written mention of Libchavy is from 1227, when it was a forested area called Nalubhave.[2] During the colonization between 1265 and 1285, the village was founded and was called Německé Libchavy ("German Libchavy") to distinguish it from the nearby village of České Libchavy ("Bohemian Libchavy"). Německé Libchavy was later divided to three villages: Dolní Libchavy, Horní Libchavy and Prostřední Libchavy. Prostřední Libchavy was later absorbed by Horní Libchavy. In 1976, Dolní Libchavy and Horní Libchavy were merged into one municipality.[3]

Until 1945, Libchavy was predominantly a German-speaking municipality, but most of the inhabitants could also speak Czech and a specific German dialect arose here. After World War II, most of the German population was expelled and the municipality was partly resettled by Czechs.[3]

Demographics edit

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18692,353—    
18802,324−1.2%
18902,342+0.8%
19002,198−6.1%
19102,089−5.0%
YearPop.±%
19211,900−9.0%
19301,884−0.8%
19501,350−28.3%
19611,437+6.4%
19701,329−7.5%
YearPop.±%
19801,354+1.9%
19911,431+5.7%
20011,562+9.2%
20111,645+5.3%
20211,734+5.4%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Economy edit

Since 1991, Libchavy is home to a major manufacturer of buses SOR Libchavy.

Sights edit

The main landmark of the municipality is the Church of Saint Nicholas, located in Dolní Libchavy. It was built in the Empire style in 1803 according to the design by Joseph Hardtmuth. It replaced an older Renaissance church, destroyed by fire. The interior is decorated with frescoes by Josef Matyáš Trenkwald from the end of the 19th century.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
  2. ^ "Historie" (in Czech). Obec České Libchavy. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  3. ^ a b "Historie obce Libchavy" (in Czech). Obec Libchavy. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  4. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Ústí nad Orlicí" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 7–8.
  5. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
  6. ^ "Kostel sv. Jana Křtitele" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2023-10-05.

External links edit