Hotel Zlatý Lev - Hotel Louny

The first written mention of Louny dates back to 1115, when it belonged to the property of Kladruby Monastery. This Romanesque settlement was situated in the place of  today’s Church of St Peter, by the ford across the River Ohře. As a royal town, Louny was founded  by the river, about 1 kilometre in the eastern direction of the original settlement, some time in the 1260s, during the reign of Přemysl Otakar II. The foundation of the town, motivated by its location on an important route from Prague to Germany, was carried out with a crucial participation of settlers from Saxony. The town was founded simultaneously with a Dominican monastery which, however, was destroyed during the Hussite Wars.  During the reign of Luxembourg kings, the town experienced boom based on intensive trades and agricultural production, grain and wine growing especially. Louny and its neighbouring town Žatec created a military alliance during the Hussite Wars. Its captain was the famous warrior Jakoubek of Vřesovice in the 1420s. Louny confiscated vast plots of land that were left after the destroyed monasteries. Nevertheless, it had to give them back during the reign of Jiří of Poděbrady. After a devastating fire in 1517, the town was rebuilt and a new Church of St Nicolas was built. The local town school achieved a great reputation in the 16th century and wine growing began to thrive. Louny dwindled in importance after the Thirty Years´ War.   In the middle of the 19th century, Louny became the seat of the district office. Vast demolitions inside its historical centre were carried out during the 19th century and the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, attractive Renaissance houses, the town hall and town gates disappeared. Louny thrived economically in the latter half of the 19th century, when, among the others, the rail coach workshops, sugar mill, brewery, slaughterhouse, mills, and various financial institutions were established. The first high school, then the practical grammar school, Grammar School of Václav Hlavatý nowadays, was opened in 1896. Louny citizens started with a large-scale construction of residential houses at the turn of the 20th century. The industry in Louny experienced another progress after 1945, when the factories such as Elektroporcelán, Praga, dairy, and the meat-packing plant were founded. The suburb in the direction of Žatec was demolished in the 1970 and a new residential estate was built instead. Louny has always been situated on the Czech-German language edge, but its clearly Czech character has survived through its whole history.

Louny is the birthplace of several significant people: Jaroslav Vrchlický (1853-1912 in Domažlice); Kamil Hilbert (1869-1933 Prague), an architect in charge of the completion of St Vitus´ Cathedral in Prague; Václav Hlavatý (1894-1969 Bloomington, USA), a mathematician of world importance; the writer Karel Konrád (1899-1971 Prague). The adjacent town of Cítoliby is the birthplace of the architect Josef Mocker (1835-1988 Prague). The poet Konstantin Biebl (1989-1951 Prague) was born in the nearby village of Slavětín.

The most significant architectural site of Louny is St Nicolas´ Church. Only the tower remained from the original Gothic structure. The three-naval hall was built between 1519 and 1538. Its architect was Benedikt Rejt, who is buried in the church. Louny is the seat of Benedikt Rejt Gallery that houses a permanent exhibition of the latter half of the 20th century art. Other religious buildings are the Church of St Peter from the 14th century, the Church of God’s Mother dating back to 1493 (the tower dates back to 1612), and the Church of Fourteen Saint Helpers from 1716. The centre of the town is encircled with fortification walls, strongholds, and Žatec Gate. The Louny fortification today is a result of the gradual reconstruction in the second half of the 15th century.

Louny provides very good sport and cultural attractions. For example, we may mention the outdoor swimming area, winter stadium, sport hall, and the newly reconstructed Vrchlický Theatre. The nearby hill Raná is a famous paragliding and hang-gliding place. A vast park along the river is the place for walks and relaxation with children. The park area includes exhibition grounds suitable for holding sales events and exhibitions, as well as organising cultural and sport events.