Things to Do in Litomyšl, Czech Republic: Walking Guide

Litomyšl is a historic town in the Czech Republic’s East Bohemia region, celebrated for its Renaissance castle, musical legacy as the birthplace of Bedřich Smetana, and a tranquil atmosphere that invites leisurely exploration. Visitors come to admire the UNESCO‑listed chateau, wander through centuries‑old streets, and experience the town’s vibrant cultural scene. Neywo provides a free audio guide for Litomyšl with 22 narrated places, letting you discover each site at your own pace.

Explore Litomyšl’s highlights

Litomyšl Chateau

The chateau, also known as Zámek Litomyšl, is a Renaissance residence inspired by Italian arcaded palaces and adapted for Central Europe. Built in the 16th century for the Pernštejn family, its three‑sided arcaded courtyard follows an Italian model. The façades are covered in delicate sgraffito, featuring patterned panels and figurative motifs drawn from mythology and the Bible. Inside, rooms show later Baroque and Neoclassical updates, with illusionistic wall paintings in the Louis XVI style, stucco ceilings, and furnishings that evoke 18th‑ and 19th‑century aristocratic life. The grounds include a French garden and an English park, and the preserved Neoclassical Palace Theatre on the ground floor still contains its original stage machinery and scenery.

Church of the Finding of the True Cross

Located on a slope east of the town square, this church is part of the larger Piarist complex. Its position offers a pleasant view over the surrounding area and reflects the religious orders that shaped Litomyšl’s historic centre.

Church of the Mission of the Saint Apostles

Standing on Toulovec Square (locally Na Špitálku), this small church originated as part of a medieval hospital first recorded in 1347. The building began as a Gothic structure, received Baroque alterations in the 18th century, and was later expanded with a Neo‑Gothic addition in the 19th century. Today it serves the Roman Catholic parish and provostry of Litomyšl.

Portmoneum

This house now hosts the Museum of Josef Váchal, preserving the artist’s vivid wall paintings exactly where they were created. The museum’s existence owes much to the Paseka publishing house, which supported the conservation of the interiors and the building itself, letting visitors experience Váchal’s work in its original setting.

Regionální museum v Litomyšli

Housed in a former Piarist gymnasium dating from 1714‑1719, the museum opened in 2004 after the city’s earlier museum (present here since 1926) was transformed. Its permanent exhibition traces the history of Litomyšl and serves the Svitavy District. The building once accommodated a Piarist grammar school founded in 1640; from 1719 it occupied these premises near the Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross before moving to a new site in 1923, now home to the Alois Jirásek Grammar School.

Augustinian monastery

Only traces remain of the former Augustinian monastery, which was historically linked to the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Its vanished walls hint at the monastic presence that once enriched the town’s spiritual life.

City walls of Litomyšl

Scattered sections of wall and bastions are all that survive of the medieval fortifications that once divided the Lower and Upper Towns. Protected as a cultural monument, these remnants include the Red Tower, a prominent element of the Upper Town’s defenses that still stands as a clear reminder of the town’s historic fortification system.

Birth house of Bedřich Smetana

Located in the ground‑floor rooms of the castle brewery, this site marks where the composer was born in 1824. Now a branch of the Regional Museum, the exhibition focuses on Smetana’s childhood and family life, accompanied by music excerpts from his works, including passages from Má vlast. Many items are on loan from the Czech Museum of Music in Prague.

Church of Saint Anne

This modest church offers a quiet place for reflection and is noted as a local point of interest while wandering through the town’s streets.

Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Regarded as one of Litomyšl’s most important historic landmarks, the church was originally built in the Gothic style during the second half of the 14th century. Its medieval origins make it a significant piece of the town’s heritage, visible today in its stonework and interior details.

Evangelical church

As a Protestant place of worship, this church provides insight into Litomyšl’s diverse religious heritage, reflecting the presence of Evangelical communities in the region.

Hussite church

The Hussite church invites visitors to notice its distinct character, representing another strand of the town’s religious history.

Smetanův dům (Smetana House)

Situated in a park on Komenský Square beside the Loučná River, this cultural centre blends Art Nouveau and Neo‑Renaissance styles. Its rectangular main section stretches into north and south wings, housing a large hall used for theatre performances, a small hall, and a restaurant. When built, it was envisioned as a grand symbol of Czech culture in Litomyšl, featuring decoration by Rudolf Hamršmíd, a curtain by František Urban, and interior stucco ornamentation. The building is protected as a cultural monument.

Synagogue in Litomyšl

A commemorative plaque near the Loučná River recalls the former synagogue at Bernardka 298. Plans for a Jewish house of worship date to 1902, with construction beginning in 1909 and finishing in 1910 after an agreement among local societies. The building’s façade displayed oriental arabesques, its rooms featured ornamental stone flooring, and its walls were about one metre thick. Though it survived the First World War, it suffered damage during the Second World War, was later used for storage, and was demolished in 1969 to make way for a new housing estate.

Statue of Bedřich Smetana

This monument stands as a dedicated tribute to the composer within the town, marking his enduring connection to Litomyšl.

Explore with Neywo

Neywo offers two self‑guided walking tours in Litomyšl:

• Smetana’s Litomyšl: Chateau to Concert Hall – 1.66 km, 97 minutes, 12 stops (Litomyšl Chateau, Václav Havel Square, Church of the Finding of the True Cross, Regional Museum, Smetana’s birth house, Church of the Mission of the Saint Apostles, Smetana Square, Smetana Statue, Komenský Square, Synagogue, Smetana House, Evangelical church).
• Walls, Churches and the Painted House – 1.23 km, 58 minutes, 8 stops (city walls, Jiráskovo Square, Portmoneum, former Augustinian monastery, Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Šantovo Square, Braunerovo Square, Church of Saint Anne).

Each tour plays the story of a place automatically as you reach it, letting you walk at your own pace with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, and the free audio guide covers 22 narrated locations across the town. Download Neywo to enjoy these tours and discover Litomyšl’s heritage whenever you wander its streets.

Czech Republic
Loket
Liberec
Olomouc