Lovosice


Lovosice is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,700 inhabitants. Located on the Elbe River, the town is a transport hub and is known for its chemical, engineering and food-processing industries.

Geography

Lovosice is located about southwest of Litoměřice and south of Ústí nad Labem. It lies mostly in the Lower Ohře Table. A small northwestern part of the municipal territory extends into the Central Bohemian Uplands and includes the highest point of Lovosice, which is a contour line at the foot of the Lovoš mountain at above sea level. The town is situated on the left bank of the Elbe River, which forms the northern municipal border.

History

The region of Lovosice was already inhabited during the Bronze Age. Some evidence indicates that the first Czechs lived here.
The first mention of Lovosice is from 1143. Duke Vladislaus II gave the small village to the Strahov Monastery. Emperor Rudolf II promoted it to a town in 1600.
Lovosice was the site of a major battle between Prussia and the Habsburg Empire in 1756, known as the Battle of Lobositz.
In 1850, a railway was built, which supported the industrialisation of the town and accelerated development.
During World War II, due to the Munich Agreement, Lovosice fell within a German occupation zone, commonly called Sudetenland. Only 600 Czechs stayed in the town at that time. After the war, the German population was expelled as a result of the Beneš decrees.

Demographics

Economy

Lovosice is known as an industrial town with a long tradition of chemical and food-processing industries. The main industrial employees with headquarters in Lovosice are TRCZ and Lovochemie.

Transport

Lovosice is a significant transport junction. Besides a cargo port on the Elbe River, the town has a great connection to Prague and Germany via the D8 motorway.
Lovosice is located on the railway lines Prague–Děčín and Litoměřice–Chotiměř. The town is served by three train stations.

Sights

The former town hall is one of the most valuable buildings in the town. It was built in the Art Nouveau style in 1906–1907. Today it serves as a library and tourist information office.
The Renaissance castle in Lovosice was built in the second half of the 16th century. After a fire in 1809, it was modified in the Baroque style and served as an archive and office. Today the building houses a secondary vocational school.
The Church of Saint Wenceslaus was built in the Baroque style in 1733–1748, on the site of the former wooden church. It contains valuable frescoes and a Saint Wenceslaus altarpiece.

Notable people

  • Karl von Czyhlarz, Czech-Austrian jurist and politician
  • Alfons Dopsch, Austrian historian

    Twin towns – sister cities

Lovosice is twinned with: