Dolní Lukavice

Dolní Lukavice (German: Unter-Lukawitz, Unterlukawitz) is a village and municipality (obec) in Plzeň-South District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.

Dolní Lukavice
Municipality
Dolní Lukavice
Coordinates: 49°36′10″N 13°20′2″E
Country Czech Republic
RegionPlzeň
DistrictPlzeň-South
Area
 • Total18.73 km2 (7.23 sq mi)
Elevation
355 m (1,165 ft)
Population
 (2006)
 • Total815
 • Density44/km2 (110/sq mi)
Postal code
334 01 to 334 44
Websitehttp://www.dolni-lukavice.cz

Location, population, and area

The municipality covers an area of 18.73 square kilometres (7.23 sq mi), and had a population of 815 as of 28 August 2006.

Dolní Lukavice lies approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) south of Plzeň and 95 km (59 mi) south-west of Prague.

The Morzin family
View of Dolní Lukavice
The Morzin palace in Dolní Lukavice

The village was the seat of the aristocratic Morzin family, headed by a count; see Count Morzin. The handsome Morzin palace survives but is not in good condition. In 1988 it was reported as being used as a mental hospital; at present it is empty. The current owners have begun restoration work and seek additional funding to accelerate the process.[1]

Haydn

During the mid-18th century the Morzin family was very musical, and in 1759 (by some sources, 1757[2]) they hired the young composer Joseph Haydn to serve as their Kapellmeister (music director), leading the family's small orchestra. Haydn followed the Morzins back and forth in their annual migrations: summers in Dolní Lukavice (referred to as "Lukavec" in most Haydn biographies), and winters in the imperial capital of Vienna.[3] It was Haydn's first professional position, and as Kapellmeister he composed and premiered his first 15 or so symphonies. Financial trouble forced the Morzins to disband their musical establishment in 1761, and Haydn changed jobs to work for the (far wealthier) Esterházy family.

Notes
  1. See: ,
  2. For discussion of the uncertainty see Robbins Landon and Jones (1988, 34) and Webster and Feder (2001, 10).
  3. Geiringer (1982, 36)

References
  • Czech Statistical Office: Municipalities of Plzeň-South District
  • Geiringer, Karl (1982) Haydn: A Creative Life in Music. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Robbins Landon, H.C. and David Wyn Jones (1988) Haydn: His Life and Music, Thames and Hudson.
  • Webster, James, and Georg Feder (2001), "Joseph Haydn", article in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (New York: Grove, 2001). Published separately as a book: The New Grove Haydn (New York: Macmillan 2002, ISBN 0-19-516904-2).
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