Lhota
Lhota is the most common name of villages in the Czech Republic.
Geography
[edit]There are 309 villages which contain Lhota or Lhotka (diminutive form of Lhota) in their name, which makes it the most common name of villages in the Czech Republic.[1] In addition, there are dozens of villages with derivation of this name (Lhotice, Lhoty, Lhůty in the Czech Republic; Lehota or Lehótka in Slovakia). The largest of them are Komorní Lhotka and Dolní Lhota in the Moravian-Silesian Region and Francova Lhota and Ostrožská Lhota in the Zlín Region, all of them with about 1,500 inhabitants.[2]
History and etymology
[edit]Lhotas were founded during the middle-age colonization in Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. Most of them were founded in the 13th century and the first half of the 14th century.[3] The name was first mentioned in 1199 (but the village was later renamed Svatý Jiří).[1]
The inhabitants of newly founded villages had obligations towards suzerains, but those duties were usually suspended for a certain period (such as 5–8 years) as a compensation for felling of forests and making the land available for agriculture. This period used to be called "lhóta" (i.e. 'grace period') and often became a part of the village name.[3]
They were usually established by local inhabitants, namely smaller noblemen close to their own village. The name of the founder, usually of a Slavic origin, became sometimes a part of village name (e.g., Vlachova Lhota). In other cases, the adjective in village name relates to its size (Dlouhá Lhota – Long Lhota) or other characteristics (Dolní Lhota – Lower Lhota, Písková Lhota – Sandy Lhota).
See also
[edit]- Wola (settlement), a similar concept in Polish history
- Sloboda (settlement), a similar concept in Russian history
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Nejstarší Lhota je v Pardubickém kraji. Dnes už se ale jmenuje jinak" (in Czech). Deník.cz. 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
- ^ a b "Název obcí Lhota". Ptejte se knihovny (in Czech). National Library of the Czech Republic. 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
External links
[edit]- 342 villages on a map server of the Czech Republic
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