Litovel

Sister cities

• Revúca
• Littau
• Wieliczka

History

The first written mention of Litovel is from 1287, older documents have been proven to be forgeries. The town was founded between 1252 and 1256 by King Ottokar II. In 1327, King John of Bohemia allowed the town to build walls. The royal town developed until the Hussite Wars. After the war, Litovel asked for the assignment of a protector and came under the protection of the Vlašim family from Úsov. In the 16th century, the Lords of Boskovice acquired the Úsov estate, Litovel became their property and lost its status of a royal town. In the early 17th century, Litovel was acquired by the Liechtenstein family and lost its significance. The town was further affected by the Thirty Years' War, during which was plundered by the Swedish army, and by plague epidemics. In 1850, Litovel became a district town and began to grow with the influx of inhabitants from the surroundings. The Czech population began to prevail over the German, and the town became a centre of Czech culture and education. At the beginning of the 20th century, trade and industry began to develop rapidly, and new factories for processing agricultural products were established.

Geography

Litovel is located about northwest of Olomouc. It lies in a flat agricultural landscape in the Upper Morava Valley lowland. The highest point is the hill Šumina at above sea level. The Morava River and six its branches flow through the town, which gave it the nickname "Moravian Venice". The northern part of the municipal territory lies in the Litovelské Pomoraví Protected Landscape Area, named after the town.