Lovosice (; ) is a town in LitomÃÂÃ Âice District in the ÃÂstÃÂ nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,700 inhabitants. Located on the Elbe River, the town is a transport hub and is known for its chemical, engineering and food-processing industries.
Lovosice is located about southwest of LitomÃÂà Âice and south of ÃÂstànad Labem. It lies mostly in the Lower Ohà Âe Table. A small northwestern part of the municipal territory extends into the Central Bohemian Uplands and includes the highest point of Lovosice, which is a contour line at the foot of the Lovoà ¡ mountain at above sea level. The town is situated on the left bank of the Elbe River, which forms the northern municipal border.
The region of Lovosice was already inhabited during the Bronze Age. Some evidence indicates that the first Czechs lived here.
The first mention of Lovosice is from 1143. Duke Vladislaus II gave the small village to the Strahov Monastery. Emperor Rudolf II promoted it to a town in 1600.
Lovosice was the site of a major battle between Prussia and the Habsburg Empire in 1756, known as the Battle of Lobositz.
In 1850, a railway was built, which supported the industrialisation of the town and accelerated development.
During World War II, due to the Munich Agreement, Lovosice fell within a German occupation zone, commonly called Sudetenland. Only 600 Czechs stayed in the town at that time. After the war, the German population was expelled as a result of the Beneà ¡ decrees.
Lovosice is known as an industrial town with a long tradition of chemical and food-processing industries. The main industrial employees with headquarters in Lovosice are TRCZ (a manufacturer of parts for motor vehicles with more than 1,000 employees) and Lovochemie (a manufacturer of fertilisers with more than 500 employees).
Lovosice is a significant transport junction. Besides a cargo port on the Elbe River, the town has a great connection to Prague and Germany via the D8 motorway.
Lovosice is located on the railway lines PragueâÂÂDÃÂÃÂÃÂn and LitomÃÂà ÂiceâÂÂChotimÃÂà Â. The town is served by three train stations.
The former town hall is one of the most valuable buildings in the town. It was built in the Art Nouveau style in 1906âÂÂ1907. Today it serves as a library and tourist information office.
The Renaissance castle in Lovosice was built in the second half of the 16th century. After a fire in 1809, it was modified in the Baroque style and served as an archive and office. Today the building houses a secondary vocational school.
The Church of Saint Wenceslaus was built in the Baroque style in 1733âÂÂ1748, on the site of the former wooden church. It contains valuable frescoes and a Saint Wenceslaus altarpiece.
Lovosice is twinned with: