the dominant feature of litomyšl is a monumental renaissance castle. it was built from 1568 to1581 by the house of pernštejn. litomyšl castle was originally a renaissance arcade-castle of the italian type. its design and decoration is fantastic. there is a rich sgraffito decoration on the walls. later, the baroque features were added in the 18th century. the architect of the building was giovanni battista aostalli. the first owner and the donator was vratislav ii. from pernštejn. in the castle grounds there is castle brewery, too. in catle brewery there was born bedřich smetana, a famous composer. the castle was written on the unesco heritage list in 1999. the international smetana´s opera festival takes place there every june.