Libchavy

Libchavy (Lichwe) is a municipality in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,800 inhabitants.

Administrative parts
The municipality is made up of the villages of Dolní Libchavy and Horní Libchavy.

Geography
Libchavy is located about 2 km north of Ústí nad Orlicí and 42 km east of Pardubice. It lies in the Svitavy Uplands. The highest point is at 526 m above sea level. The elongated built-up area is located in the valley of the stream Libchavský potok.

History
The first written mention of Libchavy is from 1227, when it was a forested area called Nalubhave. During the colonization between 1265 and 1285, the village was founded and was called Německé Libchavy ("German Libchavy") to distinguish it from the nearby village of České Libchavy ("Bohemian Libchavy"). Německé Libchavy was later divided to three villages: Dolní Libchavy, Horní Libchavy and Prostřední Libchavy. Prostřední Libchavy was later absorbed by Horní Libchavy. In 1976, Dolní Libchavy and Horní Libchavy were merged into one municipality.

Until 1945, Libchavy was predominantly a German-speaking municipality, but most of the inhabitants could also speak Czech and a specific German dialect arose here. After World War II, most of the German population was expelled and the municipality was partly resettled by Czechs.

Economy
Since 1991, Libchavy has been home to the major bus manufacturer SOR Libchavy.

Transport
The I/14 road (the section from Ústí nad Orlicí to Rychnov nad Kněžnou) passes through the municipality.

Dolní Libchavy is located on the railway line Ústí nad Orlicí–Moravský Karlov.

Sights
The main landmark of the municipality is the Church of Saint Nicholas, located in Dolní Libchavy. It was built in the Empire style in 1803 according to the design by Joseph Hardtmuth. It replaced an older Renaissance church, destroyed by fire. The interior is decorated with frescoes by Josef Matyáš Trenkwald from the end of the 19th century.