Litomyšl Castle
Litomyšl Castle was originally a Renaissance arcade-castle of the type first developed in Italy and then adopted and greatly developed in central Europe in the 16th century. Its design and decoration are particularly fine, including the later High-Baroque features added in the 18th century.
Litomyšl was established around the trade route that connected Bohemia and Moravia at the end of the 10th and beginning of the 11th centuries. Litomyšl is the birthplace of the composer Bedřich Smetana, whose name is commemorated by an annual opera festival. On the 500 metre long square can be found the Gothic town hall and a number of Renaissance and Baroque houses. A walk through the historical streets ending in the monastery gardens is an unforgettable experience.
The dominant feature of the city is the Italianate Renaissance castle with its more than eight thousand examples of sgrafitto, which has been on the UNESCO World Cultural and Heritage List since 1999. The renaissance castle from the second half of the 16th century is an excellent example of an arcade castle based on an Italianate style. Despite reconstruction of the interior at the end of the 18th century, outwardly it has retained an almost unadulterated renaissance appearance, including the unique sgrafitto facades and gables. A number of commercial buildings and a garden have also been preserved.