Letovice

Letovice (Lettowitz) is a town in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,200 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The town part of Třebětín and the villages of Babolky, Chlum, Dolní Smržov, Jasinov, Kladoruby, Klevetov, Kněževísko, Kochov, Lhota, Meziříčko, Novičí, Podolí, Slatinka, Zábludov and Zboněk are administrative parts of Letovice.

Geography
Letovice is located about 21 km north of Blansko and 37 km north of Brno. It lies mostly in the Boskovice Furrow. The highest point is the hill Ve Vrších at 590 m 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.

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.

Sights
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.

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.

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.

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
Letovice is twinned with:
 * 🇵🇱 Chełmno, Poland
 * 🇩🇪 Kirchlinteln, Germany
 * 🇭🇺 Kőbánya (Budapest), Hungary
 * 🇸🇰 Slepčany, Slovakia
 * Stari Grad, Croatia