Litoměřice

Litoměřice stands at the confluence of the Elbe and Ohře in northern Bohemia. Duke Spytihněv II founded its cathedral chapter in 1057, and King Ottokar I granted the settlement royal-town status in 1219. Vineyards are documented in the earliest surviving mention, while trade and royal patronage contributed to the town's medieval prosperity.

Litoměřice suffered during the Hussite Wars and took part in the revolt against Ferdinand I in 1547. After the defeat of the Bohemian Protestants at White Mountain, inhabitants faced pressure to accept Catholicism or leave. In 1655 the town became the seat of a Catholic bishop, and later Baroque construction added to its ecclesiastical landscape.