It opens the doors of the whole Litomyšl! From the castle to the municipal gallery – a festival passport tag can open all Litomyšl monuments, all exhibitions of Smetana’s Creative Litomyšl and provide a 10% discount at all festival bars (including the Festival Gardens) during the festival.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is an obvious landmark of the town and a major tourist destination for visitors.
The Renaissance castle has adorned the panorama of Litomyšl since the second half of the 16th century. century, when it was built by Vratislav II. of Pernštejn, perhaps with the idea of bringing a splash of the Mediterranean to the East Bohemian town and thus pleasing his Spanish wife, Maria Manrique de Lara.
The Festival Pass is a ticket to one of the sightseeing tours. Reservations can be made directly at the castle ticket office.
The monumental Baroque church by Italian architect Giovanni Battista Alliprandi was given a new look in 2010 by architect Marek Štěpán. And it was not only him who shaped one of the most significant temples in East Bohemia.
After Alliprandi’s death, František Maxmilián Kaňka was invited to complete the construction and opened the church in 1722. Not long after, however, the interior was hit by several fires. Today they are reminiscent of charred benches or modern grey paintings.
Several art objects by Václav Cígler and Michal Motyčka occupied the space of the temple. A truly unique space is the view from the protective mezzanine.
The Festival Pass is a ticket to the church, the lookout, the Angels on the Hill exhibit and the evening guided tour.
The majestic halls with high vaulted ceilings give visitors a soothing impression. When Bedřich Smetana was born in Litomyšl, the cellar was used to store barrels from the local brewery where Bedřich’s father was the brewer.
Today, carefully selected wines from Moravian and Austrian winemakers are maturing in the climatically ideal environment. A glass of wine at the ideal temperature can make a cellar tour even more enjoyable.
Stálou expozici zámeckého sklepení tvoří soubor více než 80 soch, které Litomyšli věnoval Olbram Zoubek. They are a cross-section of his life’s work and each of them can be accompanied by an audio guide with a commentary by the author.
The Heart for Václav Havel found its permanent exhibition space in one of the halls. Visitors can find the sculpture made from thousands of candles that people lit after the death of the first Czech president by its specific smell. Perhaps it smacks of the idea of a decent society, perhaps of the hope that it is possible to act according to one’s conscience and not lose out…
“The father was in the yard when the girl came running with the news that a son had been born. And the happy father caught the girl in his joy and danced with her in the courtyard. But he wanted his people to share this joy with him, so he had a barrel of beer rolled out into the courtyard and they sang and danced and welcomed the arrival of Bedřich Smetana into the world…”
Bedřich Smetana was born as the first son and the eleventh child of František Smetana, a brewer at the Litomyšl castle, on Shrove Tuesday 2. March 1824. The exhibition in his birthplace was opened exactly one hundred years later. With the start of the festival in 2024, it opens to visitors after a complete renovation.
The building of the Regional Museum in Litomyšl is as interesting in itself as its collections. It is the original Piarist grammar school and it was in these walls that Alois Jirásek taught and worked. The building has been a museum since 1928 and in 2014 it was revitalized to its present form according to Josef Pleskot’s design.
The architect faced unexpected challenges during the revitalization. He had to quickly adapt his design to the significant archaeological findings at the site of the planned basement extension. The exposed medieval cobbled roads, remains of houses, walls and gates can now be admired by every visitor to the museum.
It is said that whoever slept in rooms painted by Josef Váchal woke up like a madman. Josef Váchal, a mystic, graphic designer, trained bookbinder, nephew of Mikoláš Alš, author of books, is loved by Litomyšl especially thanks to his unique outlook on life. He was brought to Litomyšl by his patron, Josef Portman, whom he named Count Portmon in his Blood Novel.
After its recent reconstruction, the Portmoneum offers, in addition to its haunted rooms and permanent exhibition, video mapping in which Váchal’s paintings literally come to life.
From the medieval Red Tower to the Smetana footbridge from the year. 2023. The guided tour presents the most important buildings and spaces of the ancient city full of modern architecture.
Every Saturday and Sunday, it departs from the information booth in the Festival Gardens. It will pass the castle hill, the Piarist church and the statue of A. Jirásek, then heads to the historical square.
We recommend booking a place on tel. +420 461 616 070.
Téměř naproti radniční věži, uprostřed Smetanova náměstí, je mezi barevnými fasádami jedna kamenná. The facade of the Renaissance house is guarded by figures of stone knights – it was named after them in Alois Jirásek’s short story.
Under the preserved Renaissance ceiling are the exhibition spaces of the municipal gallery. And in them always one of the most significant exhibitions of Smetana’s creative Litomyšl.
Municipal Gallery has belonged to the halls of the Litomyšl castle for a century. The First Republic collections of paintings by local painters have grown to include more treasures of Czech painting to the present number of over two thousand works of art. Jan Zrzavý, Emil Filla, Josef Čapek, Václav Boštík, Josef Váchal, Max Švabinský, Julius Mařák, Antonín Dvořák, Josef Matička, Otokar Kubín, František Tichý, Ludmila Jandová, Bohdan Kopecký, Karel Šťastný, Viktor Faltis and others are all famous authors!
The new exposition is one of the first renovated areas of the castle to be opened in 2024.
All exhibitions of Smetana’s Creative Litomyšl in one ticket.
The programme can be found here as the festival date approaches.
Hidden
1950
breaking with tradition
"large festivals with mass participation of spectators are no longer typical for today"
1966-1973
skipped year
National Theatre tour cancelled due to performing in the national spartakiada
1975
Festival Centre
information and visitor services,
+420 461 616 070
info@smetanovalitomysl.cz
