Žlutice can boast that they have written proof of their existence from the period of eight centuries ago, and that it belongs to the oldest cities of the Czech state, established at the time Premyslids.
The oldest holder was Zdimír, benefactor of the Kladruby monastery. Sometime between 1140 -1172, he donated Žlutice village and 2 other villages to the Benedictine monastery in Kladruby. According to monastery documents dating to be the year 1186, Žlutice is first mentioned. Kladruby monastery exchanged Žlutice and two other villages to Duke Bedřich (Frederick) for three villages in its neighborhood - Lobzy, Plezom and Málkovice. So Žlutice moved from monastery holding to direct property holdings of Czech kings and it is unknown when they were granted in fief to one of the most powerful feudal families in northwestern Bohemia – Rýzmburks.
The founder of Žlutice City was a rich and powerful magnate named Boreš of Rýzmburk, who was also the founder of the Moravian city Třebová, the Monastery Augustinian Eremite Holy Crown (Crown of the Virgin Mary) in Třebová, Krasíkov and a huge castle Riesenburk (Osek, district Teplice) which is comparable with significant royal castles.
In the time of King Přemysl Otakar II., Žlutice ranks among the five cities with the most successful urban design (Vysoké Mýto, Litovel, Žlutice, Moravská Třebová and České Budějovice). Soon the town was fortified by walls (documented in 1375), which connected the three city gates: Peacock (Pávová), also called Upper, Chyšská and Water Gate. These stone boards from Peacock Gate and Chyše Gate still can be seen on the houses that stood near the gates. A special feature of the town was the parish church, Peter and Paul, built originally in the Romanesque style with the parish church functions, as evidenced by it's cemeteries, where they discovered s-shaped bronze earrings dated from the 1150s. In the neighborhood of the church around 1300, the Dominican convent was founded (later transferred to the city of Duchcov). Perhaps the city had already stone houses, as indicated by a network of sites - storey cellars dug out of rock. Žlutice church was a head church in the 14th century and in 1375 it belonged to the church of All Saints in the extinct village Bakov. Documents from the 14th century show a developed urban environment and culture. In 1375 the city book (today Unpreserved) was published and the same year they published their first instrument bearing the city seal. Some of its inhabitants had filed applications in the King's service, the high church positions and at the Prague University. The negative impact on further development of the city came from a major shift of selected goods transported from Prague to Cheb (now over Slaný, Louny, Žatec, Kadaň and Ostrov) by the Emperor Charles IV. in order to strengthen the royal cities (in 1352 and again 1367), by which the ancient trade route from Prague - Cheb leading through Žlutice connecting Czech lands with Western centers of crafts and trade lost its importance. In the late 14th and 15th century, the Ryzmburks came again into conflict with the king, they attacked the provost in Toužim and imprisoned the Premonstratensian provost (1394). They, with other opponents, had established the unity of the lords against the king Wenceslas IV. In 1397 they actively participated in killing the king's minions at Karlstejn Castle, among others, the Grand Master of St. John. In 1406 they acquired from the king the castle Přimda. They robbed and intimidated expeditions, by which buyers were attacked on the roads and plundered of royal goods. Rýzmburks behavior and Žlutice were undoubtedly tainted by this.
In 1415, Žlutice was sold to Mr. Jindřich (Henry) of Elsterberk. In 1418, the king's forces destroyed Štědrý Hrádek (a small castle near Žlutice) . Henry never lived in Žlutice . As a Catholic he lived until his death (+ after the year 1426) in constant battle with the Hussites. In 1421 the Hussite army captured Žlutice but did not occupy it. After the death of Henry, after much conflict, the Hussite captain Jakoubek z Vřesovic acquired the city from Henry's widow Margaret who was unable to face the pressure. This was in 1428.
During eight turbulent years, the city was attacked by invaders from both sides, Jakoubek was military governor. He was small in stature, but an intrepid fighter. He fought with the Saxons (1432), burned Waldsassen Monastery (1433), took the castle Kostomlaty (1434), and fought at Želenice (1438). His seat at Žlutice controlled military status of two castles - Nevděk, that harbored an access road from the south, and Mazanec that harbored him back from the north. It seems that he succeeded at that time to protect the city from military attacks. Jakoubek, also, proved an able politician. He received and hosted in Žlutice a delegation in 1433 from the Council of Basle, whose actions led to the publication Compacts (1436), which legalized in the Czech lands as the only in Europe to have dual faiths- Catholic and Utraquist.. As a politician he served kings Sigismund, Albrecht, Ladislav Pohrobek .
From the time of Jakoubek (+ about 1462) came an overall prosperity for the town. In 1447, there were established three suburbs - Kralovice, Chudobice and "Nad městem", later called Upper town, and before 1484 were added two more – Hladov and Lomnice. The face of the city changed with the extension of the Castle, former stronghold of the Ryzmburks, and the building of the castles Mazanec and Nevděk. Good economic situation of the city itself, contributed to by the free trade of salt (1445), led to the building of St. Elizabeth hospital (1441) and the hospital chapel (1448) and the brewery (1459). In his time, the city also starting to build their own landed property, consisting of entire villages (single farm Semtěš 1441, village Štoutov 1446), so it becomes a land lords for these villages. Eventually, the city owned 12 villages. Revenues were raised by the city brewery, which was supplied from their own hops. The cloth industry blossomed and flourished, so it happened that Žlutice was the only city in western Bohemia, which captured the impressive emergence of cloth into the world market. The city almost had a monpoly on cloth for the military,and also was involved in trafficking through Prague on exports, aiming mainly to Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
In the 16th century the town experienced a period of prosperity in all respects. There are also changes to the city administration. In 1536 the city bought from citizen Parásek the biggest house in town for the purpose of the town hall in which the municipality is located today. The clerk and even other members of the City Council had university educations . It had a beneficial effect on increasing the level of paperwork. Entries in the town books received clear and firm stylization, written previously in Latin but now in the beautiful Czech language and nice refined style. Latin School City aired an increasing number of their pupils at Prague University, for example, between 1560 - 1581 it was 59 pupils. The citizens desire for education and cultural enhancement is demonstrated by the famous Hymn-Book of Žlutice (1558), which is close to the cultural level of the royal cities.
In the 16th century Žlutice changed owners four times: after the Vřesovices entered in 1537 - 1568 Lords of Plauen, 1568 - 1572 Bohuslav Felix Hasištejnský of Lobkowitz (President of the appellate court and the only Catholic from the Hussite period), and finally the family Kokořovci held Žlutice for more than 300 years (1575 - 1878).
From the time of Jakoubek the parish library contained the writings of Jan Hus and the Hussite leading theologians, along with the saints of the Catholic Church until 1620.They also remembered "the day of St. Master Jan Hus“, as sound dating formulas in the city books. Also, the Hymn-Book contained two images regarding the burning of Jan Hus and Jeroným of Prague, both were then discarded for recatholisation by painting over them in black and cutting them.
In 1633 the town was hit by the plague, which in six months killed 321 persons. As a result of plague and the Thirty Years War, the number of inhabitants and houses was reduced by 40%. In 1680 there was a serf rebellion, which was dispersed by the imperial army. Five peasant leaders who participated in the siege of Žlutice were executed.
Since the mid-17th century, the traditionelly Czech city was Germanized and at the end of the century the town hall began to officiate in German, which was preceded by the Germanization of Czech nobility- the ruling Kokořovci.
The old castle was rebuilt by Ferdinand Hroznata Kokořovec in 1680 – to the new castle with a spectacular castle garden. He built also the Kokořov Court (now No. 160 in Carlsbad Street). The Holy Trinity monument was erected in 1704, the work of local sculptor Oswald Wenda, creator of the statues and sculptures ( for example in Pístov by Marianské Lázně, Karlovy Vary, Vidžín, Teplá).
Ferdinand Jakub z Kokořova 1731 transferred his headquarters to the castle in Stědrá and when in 1761 Žlutice castle burned down due to lightning, it was not restored and the stone is said to have been used to restore the parish which also burnt. In the second fire in 1769 the city suffered so severely that all houses were hit and only the parish church remained intact.
Žlutice was until 1948 the center of the estate and usually the seat of nobility. Although the city remained a vassal, it became in the 14th century lower court bench for some other cities in the West and 1765 - 1783 established a capital trial for half of the Loket region. After 1848 for 100 years, Zlutice was the center of political and judicial district. After the establishment of Czechoslovakia, the District formed Žlutice (1921) 96 villages with 27,721 inhabitants, mostly of German nationality (26,846), Czech nationality had 656 and Jewish people 17 (but 351 people were Israel's religion). Larger towns in the district were only Bochov (2014 inhabitants), Chyše (1126 inhab.) Lubenec (939 inhab.) and Valeč (806). In the First Republic has increased the number of Czechs in the city, was founded a Czech Primary School and Agricultural School (1926). Administration of the city remained in German hands. In the years 1938 - 1945 , the city was controlled by the Third Reich.
Original artisan-agricultural character of the city began to change after 1848,as it became an administrative and judicial town. The Adornment Association was founded to carry out tree planting on the main square (1880), has set out and modified the tourist path to the castle Nevděk lined with benches and gazebos, the former castle garden planted many trees (1906) and established the River minnow swimming pool (1914). Thanks to The Adornment Association, the City Museum was established (1900), whose base was the city archive. From Žlutice images, votive paintings of Kokořovci and surrounding nobles and from collections made from house to house throughout the neighborhood were built exhibits. In 1973 the museum opened in Žlutice a new exhibition focused exclusively on the Hussite struggle.The permanent exhibition is devoted to the history of the city and monuments in the vicinity. It is possible to see the archaeological findings, documents, a replica of the Renaissance Hymn-Book, a model of the hussites battle on top of the Mountain Vladař. In a former trial is the original jail with an exhibition on the right guttural torture. Accessible is also the historical basement and city dungeons with the lapidary.
A"little more" about the history of Žlutice
