Česká Lípa

Sister cities

• Bardejov
• Bolesławiec
• Uzhhorod
• Molde Municipality
• Mittweida

History

The first written mention of the settlement of Lipá is from 1263. It was originally a Slavic settlement on a trade route from Bohemia to Zittau. The history of the town is associated with Chval of Lipá of the Ronovci family, who founded Lipý Castle, and his son Henry of Lipá (1270–1329), a significant royal aristocrat. Thus Lipý Castle became another fortified seat in North Bohemia on the contemporary trade routes. There was a Slavic colony near the castle, later renamed as Stará Lípa (now a neighbourhood of the town). There is a reference to Arnold, said to come from Stará Lípa, who was a citizen of Kravaře in 1263. Historians have deduced from the reference to Stará Lípa that Lipý Castle and accompanying settlement were established around that time. Town walls were constructed at the beginning of the 14th century as well as the parish Church of Saints Paul and Peter, which was destroyed by a fire in 1787. Between 1502 and 1553, a large part of the town and its surroundings belonged to the Wartenbergs. Later, the lords of Dubá / Lipá regained the castle and it remained in their possession for over 100 years. The first evidence of Jewish settlement in the town dates from 1529. The Jewish community began to grow in 1570. Albrecht von Wallenstein reunited the town in 1622–1623. He, and later the Kaunitzs, contributed to another boom in the town by founding a monastery and school. Large parts of the town were destroyed by fires in 1787 and 1820. In the mid-19th century, the Jewish community reached its peak and formed 12% of the town's population. In 1918, Česká Lípa became a part of independent Czechoslovakia. The town was ceded to Nazi Germany with the rest of the Sudetenland in October 1938 under the terms of the Munich Agreement and placed under the administration…

Geography

Česká Lípa is located about west of Liberec and north of Prague. It lies in the Ralsko Uplands. The highest point is the Špičák hill with an altitude of . The Ploučnice River flows through the town. The Svitavka River joins the Ploučnice near the village of Vlčí Důl. The southeastern part of the municipal territory extends into the Kokořínsko – Máchův kraj Protected Landscape Area.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,091
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,037
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,020
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  931
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  865
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  829
• Common Chiffchaff

  Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  828
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  811

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2008-08-13
  4 km NE of Kodersdorf, Germany
• M 2.7 — 2006-04-04
  8 km W of Olszanica, Poland
• M 3.1 — 2004-11-15
  5 km ENE of Kada?, Czechia
• M 2.7 — 2004-08-13
  3 km SSW of Karpacz, Poland
• M 2.7 — 2004-07-21
  7 km NNE of Lwówek ?l?ski, Poland
• M 2.5 — 2004-06-10
  11 km NNE of Wle?, Poland