Letovice

Letovice (German: Lettowitz) is a town in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants.

Letovice
Town
View from the west
Flag Coat of arms
Letovice Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°32′50″N 16°34′25″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Moravian
District	Blansko
First mentioned	1145
Government
• Mayor	Petr Novotný
Area
• Total	51.01 km2 (19.70 sq mi)
Elevation	330 m (1,080 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	7,124
• Density	140/km2 (360/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	679 61
Website	www.letovice.net

Administrative division

Letovice consists of 17 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):^[2]

• Letovice (4,210)
• Babolky (50)
• Chlum (49)
• Dolní Smržov (112)
• Jasinov (96)
• Kladoruby (214)
• Klevetov (29)
• Kněževísko (35)
• Kochov (92)
• Lhota (55)
• Meziříčko (190)
• Novičí (82)
• Podolí (83)
• Slatinka (71)
• Třebětín (1,008)
• Zábludov (102)
• Zboněk (126)

Geography

Letovice is located about 21 kilometres (13 mi) north of Blansko and 37 km (23 mi) north of Brno. It lies mostly in the Boskovice Furrow. The highest point is the hill Ve Vrších at 590 m (1,940 ft) above sea level. The town is situated in the valley of the Svitava River, at its confluence with the Křetínka River. West of the town is the Letovice Reservoir, built on the Křetínka.

History

The first written mention of Letovice is from 1145.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 5,152 —     1880 5,054 −1.9% 1890 5,561 +10.0% 1900 6,121 +10.1% 1910 6,850 +11.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 6,562 −4.2% 1930 6,468 −1.4% 1950 6,196 −4.2% 1961 6,336 +2.3% 1970 6,483 +2.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 6,811 +5.1% 1991 6,608 −3.0% 2001 6,640 +0.5% 2011 6,637 −0.0% 2021 6,604 −0.5%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

Transport

The I/43 road (part of the European route E461) from Brno to Svitavy passes through the market town.

Letovice is located on the railway line Prague–Brno.^[6]

Sights

Letovice Castle

Former monastery

Among the main landmarks of the town is the Letovice Castle. The original castle from the 13th century was rebuilt into an early Baroque residence at the end of the 17th century. Today the castle is privately owned and gradually repaired with the aim of making it available to the public.^[7]

The Church of Saint Procopius was built in the Gothic style in the last quarter of the 14th century. It is an important historical and architectural monument. A covered staircase connects the church with the town centre.^[8]

The former monastery of the Merciful Brothers was founded in 1747. The monastery complex with the Church of Saint George and a hospital was built in the Baroque style in 1751–1784. Part of the monastery is a unique restored Baroque pharmacy from 1784, open to the public. Today, the entire premises of the former monastery belong to the Letovice Hospital.^[9][10]

Notable people

• Count Gustav Kálnoky (1832–1898), Austro-Hungarian diplomat and statesman
• Alois Biach (1849–1918), Austrian physician and medical writer
• Emanuel Löffler (1901–1986), gymnast

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Letovice is twinned with:^[11]

• Chełmno, Poland
• Kirchlinteln, Germany
• Kőbánya (Budapest), Hungary
• Slepčany, Slovakia
• Stari Grad, Croatia