ÿþ<html> <head> <title>,Litomysl, about Unesco Heritage Town!</title> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="town-styles.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="nav-bar.css" /> </head> <body> <h2>Litomyal  almost untouched since the Renaissance</h2> <p><strong>Litomyal s late 16th-century chateau is a superb example of Renaissance architecture inspired by Italian style. Despite alterations carried out to the interiors at the end of the 18th century, the chateau has kept its original Renaissance appearance almost intact including its unique sgraffito-decorated facades. A number of outbuildings and gardens have also survived. The chateau was added to UNESCO s list of world heritage sites in 1999. </strong></p> <p>The East Bohemian town of Litomyal was established in the late 10th and early 11th centuries on the site of an earlier fort that watched over a trade route between Bohemia and Moravia. The Pernatejn family had the original medieval castle rebuilt in the mid 16th century into a Renaissance chateau. The town is also well-known for its long, thin square lined with townhouses. The dominating feature of the town, the Renaissance chateau decorated with more than 8,000 pieces of sgraffito, is a superb example of Italian architecture adapted to Czech surroundings, and a of a central European Renaissance residence which shows the influence of subsequent artistic trends. The building also houses a 200-year-old Baroque theatre with some original pieces of stage scenery.</p> <p>Litomyal is also the birthplace of the great Czech composer, BedYich Smetana, in whose honour the Smetana s Litomyal opera festival is named. Back on the almost 500m-long square, lined with arcading, we find a Gothic town hall and numerous Renaissance and Baroque townhouses. Among the finest of these is the Renaissance Knights House dating from the 16th century, and now home to an art gallery. </p> <p>nother interesting place is the Portmoneum, a unique museum with walls covered in murals and carved furniture, all the work of the Czech artist, Josef Váchal. There is also a permanent exhibition of sculptural works by Olbram Zoubek in the cellars beneath the chateau. Litomyal was declared Historical Town of 2000 for it s the exemplary care with which it looks after its historical sites. This town of 10,000 souls isn t just about history; there are a number of modern buildings, and Litomyal is striving to be a  modern historical town.</p> <p>Litomyal is located around 50km south-east of Hradec Králové on the main road out to Svitavy and Brno </p> <br /> <br /> <div id="navbar"> <ul><li><a href="index.html" class="current">Home</a></li> </div> </body> </html>