Libočany

Libočany
Village
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Ústí nad Labem
District	Louny
Commune	Žatec
Coordinates	CZ 50°20′01″N 13°30′21″E / 50.33361°N 13.50583°ECoordinates: CZ 50°20′01″N 13°30′21″E / 50.33361°N 13.50583°E
Area	5.71 km^2 (2.20 sq mi)
Population	523
Density	92/km^2 (238/sq mi)
First mentioned	1226
Mayor	Jiří Hudeček
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	43975
Location in the Czech Republic
Wikimedia Commons: Libočany
Statistics: statnisprava.cz
Website: [1]

The small village of Libočany (German: Liebitschan (bei Saaz) or Liebotschan), in Ústí nad Labem Region, Czech Republic, stands near the town of Žatec on a bank of the Ohře River, by the mouth of the small tributary Liboc River. It has a population of 523 (2006 census).^[2] It is famous for Václav Hájek z Libočan, the most renowned Czech chronicler of Baroque times, who was probably born there.

History

The Chateau, today the seat of the Geodesy Institute

First mentioned in 1226, it was on property of the Premonstratensian monastery in Doksany. Václav Karel Schroll of Schrollenberg built a new château on the site of an older stronghold with a new church and clergyman's house in Rococo style (1770). The château had a large park with statues and fountains in the back.

The church, built in 1773, is dedicated to All Saints. The vault paintings depict the scenes from lives of some patron saints. The organ was made in 1775.

Before 1918 Libočany was part of the Bohemian part of the Austrian Empire. In 1919 it became part of the newly independent Czechoslovakia. In 1938, along with the Sudetenland, it was annexed by Germany after the Munich Agreement. In 1945 it was restored to Czechoslovakia and most of its German speaking inhabitants were expelled.

Beer

The "Liebotschan Brauerei" brewery in 1906

The brewery from the 19th century produced beer even for US trade with a stock in New York.^[3] The Liebotschaner Beer was among four Bohemian beer brands exported to the USA (the others were Pilsner Urquell, Budweiser Bier, and Michelob). The latter place, as well as Liebotschan, are located in the Saaz hops region, and bear Czech language names since 1918.^[4] Several local American breweries have produced beer under the name of the former Austrian village, or abbreviated to Lieb (e.g. Chattanooga Brewing Co. in Tennessee,^[5] Stegmaier Brewing Company,^[6] or Lion Brewery, Inc., Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania;^[7] Genesee's Liebotschaner Beer was pronounced best of Rochester's post repeal brews in 1932^[8]

The production of beer in Libočany ended after World War I when the Austrian Empire was dissolved and Czechoslovakian authorities took over. The buildings of the brewery were demolished in 1939. After World War II, in socialist Czechoslovakia, it was replaced by a collective farm.

Notable people

• Václav Hájek z Libočan was probably born in Libočany. He wrote the Bohemian Chronicle in 1541, the most popular and widespread chronicle in the Czech lands until the 1770s.^[9]
• Emanuel Wetzler was born in Libočany in 1839. He was a music editor and he published many works by Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, and Zdeněk Fibich. He died in 1901.^[3]
• Božena Viková-Kunětická (1862–1934), the first female member of the Czech diet,^[10] spent her last 12 years in Libočany.^[11]
• Emil Wetzler, Austrian music publisher of the 19th century

References

1. "Titulní stránka: Obec Libočany". Libocany.cz. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
2. European Business Enterprise a.s. "obec Libočany - Český informační server" (in Czech). Statnisprava.cz. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
4. "Přesměrování článků z původních stránek | Konkursní noviny" (in Czech). Konkursni-noviny.cz. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
5. "Brewing in Chattanooga, Tennessee". Archived from the original on 27 December 2008.
6. "Keg Labels". Usbeerstuff.com. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
7. "American Brews- Man of 1000 Beers". Web.archive.org. 27 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
8. "High Falls Brewery : History". Archived from the original on 3 June 2009.
9. "Famous persons from Czech history". Czech.cz. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
10. "Božena Viková-Kunětická - úspěšná žena své doby" (in Czech). Archived from the original on 3 July 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2009.