Liptál, Moravia, Czech Republic

The municipality Liptál has around 1,400 inhabitants, lies in Moravian Wallachia in the valley of Rokytenka and is surround by wooded mountains. The original settlement structure extends along the stream and is still present as a area of unspoiled nature in the village.

Particular focal points of the development measures are the preservation and successful further development of the village folklore traditions and in conjunction with them the creation of a dense offer of sports activities. Resulting hopefully in new impulses for tourism, that will be based on the nature reserve and charming landscape with folklore festivals and sports events. The municipality Liptál can already attract 25,000 visitors a year with its events.

An important infrastructure for this has proven to be the large open air stage with 2,000 seats where not only performances of its own folklore but also of partner organisations take place. All festivals are organised by the local clubs. This leads to a noticeable cohesion and a strong identification of the village inhabitants with the municipality. This is also significantly contributed to by the protestant “Church of the Bohemian Brothers” and also the catholic church.

Children and young people enjoy a central significance. With great imagine it has been possible to awake the creative potential of the school children: From material and appearance the rather modest school conveys inside a very colourful and didactical well prepared design that was done by the school children themselves. It is obvious that here a great working atmosphere has been created. This is joined in correspondence to the motto „Future through social innovation“ by the constructional combination of school and old people’s living areas. The protestant church contributes to the consistency of a living together of all generations whose members regularly visit to the old village inhabitants and consciously involve them in the life of the community.

The vision of revitalising the castle of the family Brandenstein-Zeppelin, that has belonged to the municipality since 1945, also appears to be true to the motto. A centre for 60 Alzheimer patients and the necessary care facilities is going to be newly constructed in the castle grounds while the castle that is empty at the moment will serve as a library and event location for small and large festivals and activities in terms of an integration of the patients. The innovative approach of integrating Alzheimer patients into village life by a structural vicinity to “living locations” is impressive and could lead to new qualities in Liptál, if it is possible to be very careful with the scale and that the old castle is not degraded to an ”outbuilding”.

The economic conditions seem to be stable again. The transformation after 1990 was obviously well mastered. Although as everywhere in the country lots of people lost their jobs in farming have either found a foothold in the newly created small trade businesses in the village or in the neighbouring cities. In addition the first tourist infrastructures were created. It can be seen in the settlement development plans presented that an expansion of building ground on higher areas is planned whereby special attention will need to be paid to a sensitive handling of building design and development.

The municipality Liptál is distinguished by a distinctive maintenance of tradition, successful measures for economic development, initiatives to strengthen the village community and the participation of all social groups in village life especially through the combined construction of school and old people’s flats.

Evaluated: 2008