Litomyšl
The first settlement on the territory of today’s Litomyšl was alongside a trade route, later named the Trstenická trail. For centuries, the route connecting Bohemia and Moravia led on to the Baltic and the far East, was not only a route for all kinds of goods, but also education and faith.
The first written notice of Litomyšl is in the Cosmas chronicle from year 981, where “Hrad Liutomysl” designates the eastern border of the Slavníkovci land. In 1145, the Olomouc bishop Jindřich Zdík founded a Premonstratensian monastery in Litomyšl, including the church of St. Clement, for a long time erroneously considered to be the oldest church in Bohemia. According to legend it was founded by the Moravian archbishop Methodius while travelling on the Trstenická trail.
There is a whole number of interesting sights in Litomyšl, whether you choose the Renaissance chateau, listed by UNESCO, the chateau brewery with the birthplace of music composer Bedřich Smetana or the Monastery gardens.
