Čistá u Litomyšle
The history of the village
The village of Čistá (Lauterbach in German, formerly named Litrbachy) is situated four kilometres to the southeast of Litomyšl, along the river Loučná. The modern historiography connects the location of Old Litrbach and Litrbach with the existence of the fortified settlement belonging to the famous dynasty called Slavníkovci. It was also mentioned in the oldest Czech chronicle written by Cosmas. The village of Litrbachy was apparently founded during the 13th century by the colonizing activity of the Premonstratensian monastery in Litomyšl.
The first mention about "villa Luterbach" comes from 1347. Přeclav z Pogorelly, the local bishop, wrote a document that made a property settlement between him and the episcopal chapter. The village of Litrbachy then became a property of the bishop. Later in 1398, the new bishop Jan IV owned the whole village except for the mill. In the same year, there is also a mention about the free estate of the High-Reeve. After the dissolution of the local bishopric in 1421, the village became a part of the castle estate of Litomyšl until 1848.
Since 1850 the village of Litrbachy had belonged to the political district of Litomyšl and between 1960 and 2002 it had belonged to the district of Svitavy. Today, the village of Čistá is a part of the region of Pardubice. Čistá also contains the settlement called Brlenka.
Until 1945, most of the inhabitants of Čistá were of German origin. After their displacement during the post-war period (and also the arrival of Czech population), the name of the village was changed from Litrbachy to Čistá.
St. Nicholas Church
The first mention about St. Nicholas´ Church dates back to 1349. However, its history is probably much older. It is connected with the activity of Premonstratensians from Litomyšl during the 12th century.
The original church was made of wood, but this material was not durable enough and the church had felt into disrepair. During the second half of the 16th century, the Gothic presbytery was built thanks to the friendship of a local priest Konrad and the Supreme Chancellor of the Czech Kingdom - Vratislav of Pernštějn. It was finished in 1583, a year after Vratislav´s death.
In 1740, the earl František Václav Trauttmansdorff built the baroque nave and transept. Unfortunately, the church and also the vicarage burnt out the same year. The repairs were demanding and ended in 1772. Simultaneously with the repairs, two side naves were built and the tower was raised to a height of 37 m.
In 1744, two bells were casted for the local church by the earl Trauttmansdorff. The original bells had been destroyed by the fire. The bigger bell was called after St. Nicholas and its weight was 1820 kg. The smaller bell was dedicated to St. John and Paul. Its weight was 865 kg. Both bells were hung in the church in 1745 and the passing-bell was added later in 1753. All the baroque bells were commandeered during the World War I and World War II. They were melted, except for the one dedicated to St. John and Paul, which was saved because of its artistic and historical value. Germans returned the bell after the end of the World War II. It has survived to this day, together with a small sanctuary bell dated to 1922. Both bells are functional and people use them during important events and for liturgical purposes.
The altarpiece of St. Nicholas dates back to the 18th century. In 1764, it was brought from Rome thanks to the priest Adalbert Klička. The author of the altarpiece is Ludy. Ster. The baroque organ was added also during the repairs in the 18th century.
In 1840, the church of St. Nicholas was enriched with new clock. Originally it used the iron maces operated by the mechanical clockwork and it chimed on the large and middle bell. After 1917, the middle bell and also the passing-bell were used. The voice of two remaining bells had ceased in 1942, when they were both confiscated. The clock had worked another several years. It finally stopped two years after the end of World War II. The former bell-ringer couldn´t attend the tower twice a day to wind up the clockmechanism.
Leading up the path to the church, Stations of the Cross were built in 19th century. František Stejskal and other local residents donated the new colourful stained-glass windows. In 1930, the church was redecorated by the former major religious artist and architect Jaroslav Pantaleon Major from Prague. After the German displacement in 1945, people also changed the inscriptions painted on the triumphal arch. Since this year the church had been dilapidated. The general renovation of the church took place from 1990 to 2013.
The present
Nowadays, the village of Čistá has about 1000 inhabitants. The substantial part of the local area, nearly 1000 hectares, consists of pine woods and abundant greenery. The village is thus considered mostly as a place of recreation for tens of cottagers. Because of its location, lack of traffic and diversity of surrounding nature, it is also a very popular route for cyclists and the destination of many family trips.
The local inhabitants are able to use many services, including two grocery stores, a post office, hairdressers and also the surgery of general practitioner. We can find here also the seat of several businesses. For example, there is a company selling fasteners, roofers, carpentry, as well as chimney sweeps, masons or plumbers.
The inhabitants of Čistá and also the visitors often use the traditional hospitality service called U Chlebounů. The owners regularly hold various gastronomic, cultural and social events here. Another famous place is a restaurant U Zběhlíka.
The cultural and social life of Čistá is very rich. Local organizations like kindergarten and primary school often hold various events. One of the most famous actions from previous years was the celebration of 130th anniversary of the Unit of Voluntary Fire-fighters of Čistá in 2008. Another important actions were for example World Harmony Run in 2010, the ceremonial opening of the new community centre in 2011 or the reopening of St. Nicholas´ Church in 2013.
As mentioned above, the local associations are distinctly involved in the rich cultural and social life. Nowadays, there are associations like the Unit of Voluntary Fire-fighters of Čistá, TJ Sokol Čistá or HC Čistá. Many people are also interested in hunting, breeding animals or pigeon keeping.
Contact:
The Municipal office of Čistá
Čistá 376
569 56 Čistá u Litomyšle
E-mail: obec.cista@iol.cz