Litohlavy

Litohlavy (German: Litohlau) is a municipality and village in Rokycany District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants.

Litohlavy
Municipality
Centre of Litohlavy
Flag Coat of arms
Litohlavy Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 49°46′0″N 13°33′53″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Plzeň
District	Rokycany
First mentioned	1390
Area
• Total	7.78 km2 (3.00 sq mi)
Elevation	403 m (1,322 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	567
• Density	73/km2 (190/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	337 01
Website	www.litohlavy.rokycansko.cz

Etymology

The word litohlav (from lítá hlava, which literally means 'ferocious head' in Czech) was an Old Czech term for a wild or cruel person. The word Litohlavy denoted a village of such people.^[2]

Geography

Litohlavy is located about 3 kilometres (2 mi) north of Rokycany and 12 km (7 mi) east of Plzeň. It lies in the Švihov Highlands. The highest point is the Hůrka hill at 485 m (1,591 ft) above sea level. The municipality is situated on both banks of the stream Voldušský potok, which bisects the territory into two parts.

History

The first written mention of Litohlavy is from 1390.^[3] It belonged to the Rokycany domain from 1498 until 1850. In the 19th century, some iron ore mining developed in the territory of Litohlavy, however the village had mostly rural economy.^[4] In 1980–1993, Litohlavy was an administrative part of Rokycany.^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 600 —     1880 625 +4.2% 1890 603 −3.5% 1900 635 +5.3% 1910 726 +14.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 668 −8.0% 1930 672 +0.6% 1950 608 −9.5% 1961 602 −1.0% 1970 577 −4.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 492 −14.7% 1991 457 −7.1% 2001 457 +0.0% 2011 494 +8.1% 2021 538 +8.9%
Source: Censuses[6][7]

Transport

The D5 motorway from Prague to Plzeň runs south of Litohlavy along the municipal border.

Sights

Chapel of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary

The main landmark of Litohlavy is the Chapel of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, located on the Vršíček hill. It is a pilgrimage site, built in the Baroque style in 1744–1747.^[8]