| Horní Libchava | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Liberec |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Česká Lípa |
| Pushpin Map: | Czech Republic |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Czech Republic |
| Coordinates: | 50.7128°N 14.4933°W |
| Established Title: | First mentioned |
| Established Date: | 1352 |
| Area Total Km2: | 10.38 |
| Elevation M: | 258 |
| Population As Of: | 2024-01-01 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 849 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 471 11 |
Horní Libchava (German: Oberliebich) is a municipality and village in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants.
The earliest writing of the name Libchava was Lubchava. The name consists of the adjective ľubý (meaning 'nice', 'pleasant') and the suffix -ava, used to name watercourses. The name was therefore transferred to the village from the local stream. The attribute horní ('upper') distinguished it from Dolní Libchava (today part of Česká Lípa).[2]
Horní Libchava is located about 4km (02miles) northwest of Česká Lípa and 38km (24miles) west of Liberec. It lies mostly in the Ralsko Uplands, but the municipal territory also extends into the Central Bohemian Uplands in the northwest. The highest point is at 412m (1,352feet) above sea level. The Šporka Stream flows through the municipality. The village is surrounded by several small fishponds. Half of the municipal territory lies within the České středohoří Protected Landscape Area.
The first written mention of Horní Libchava is in the register of the Papal tithes from 1352.[3] The village was founded in the castle grounds of the Klištejn Castle, which was founded after 1300 and was first documented in 1339. In 1426, the village and the church were burned down by the Hussites.[4] From 1653 to 1925, Horní Libchava was the centre of an estate owned by the Knights Hospitaller.[5]
There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.
The main landmark of Horní Libchava is the Church of Saint James the Great. The original church was as old as the village, but it has to be completely rebuilt after the Hussite Wars. The sacristy was added in 1499. The current appearance of the church is the result of the Baroque reconstruction from 1736.[4]
The Horní Libchava Castle was originally a small manor house from the 16th century, which was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence in 1574.[6]
Nothing survived from the above-ground parts of Klinštejn Castle, and the location is now just an archaeological site.[7]