In the mid-sixteenth century, the noble family of Pernštejn had the old medieval castle, in Litomyšl, transformed into a Renaissance palace. The palace is an outstanding example of original Italian arcaded building, adapted to the Czech environment, demonstrating the headquarters of the nobility in the Renaissance period, in Central Europe, and its later development influenced by new artistic trends.

More: Litomyšl it the city where the great Czech composer Bedřich Smetana was born, whose name honors, today, the traditional music festival (Smetana´s Litomyšl).

The Renaissance castle from the second half of the sixteenth century documents the scale of the castle with arcades. Based on the Italian models and impulses, despite the changes made, especially in the late seventeenth century, it has maintained its original Renaissance aspect largely intact, including its facades and gables uniquely adorned with sgrafitto engravings. Many buildings of agricultural dependence and the garden remain preserved, too.

The city with the palace are situated about 50 km southeast of Hradec Králové, on the main road link towards Svitavy-Brno.

(Recorded on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999)