The town takes its name from the Litoměřici, one of more than a dozen West Slavic tribes who settled in the Czech lands from the sixth century. The eastern Bohemian town of Litomyšl emerged in the 13th century on the site of an older fortified settlement on the Trstenice path - an important trading route linking Bohemia and Moravia. From 30 April 1344 till its suppression in 1474 in the Hussite Wars the town was the seat of a Latin CatholicDiocese of Leitomischl / Litomyšl / Lutomislen, until its territory was merged back into the Diocese of Prague. In 1970 it was nominally restored as Titular bishopric. Until 1918 Leitomischl–Litomyšl was part of the Austrian monarchy, head of the district with the same name, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften or "okresní hejtmanství" in Bohemia. Litomyšl had a Jewish community until 1942, when it was deported in The Holocaust. Litomyšl's synagogue survived until the 1960s, when it was demolished and an apartment block was built in its place. Litomyšl had a German-speaking community until it was expelled in 1945 as a result of the Beneš decrees.
Main sights
The dominant feature of Litomyšl is the monumental Renaissance castle built in the years 1568–81. The buildings of the castle precincts are exceptional not only for their architectural refinement, but have also as the birthplace of the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. On the elongated square, which is one of the largest in the Czech Republic, is a town hall of Gothic origin and a series of Renaissance and baroque houses, many with arcades and vaulted ground floor rooms. One of the most important houses is Dům U rytířů, a 16th-century building with a notable stone façade. In the past the town was also a significant religious centre. It was in Litomyšl in 1344 that the second bishopric to be established in Bohemia was founded, although it ceased to exist in the Hussite Wars. In the 19th century the Litomyšl Grammar School was of great importance. The cultural traditions of the town go far beyond regional and national frontiers. The exquisite interiors of the castle, especially the baroque castle theatre, the amphitheatre in the castle park and Smetana House, all offer varied programmes of concerts and theatrical performances and thus enrich the life of the town throughout the year. In 1994 the meeting of the seven Central European presidents was held at the castle. The chateau complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. Litomyšl is also home to the "Portmoneum", a museum of the artist and writer Josef Váchal in the home of his admirer Josef Portman, who commissioned Váchal's murals and painted furniture in the house.
Near Litomyšl is a large broadcasting station for short and medium wave. The short wave transmitter at is the most important short wave broadcasting facility of Czech using towers with heights up to. Slightly southeast at are two guyed masts, tall, used for medium wave broadcasting on 1287 kHz with 150 kW
Notable people
Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová, author of the first cookbook written in Czech, lived here in 1834–1845
