Velká Lečice

49°48′53″N 14°19′25″E / 49.81472°N 14.32361°E / 49.81472; 14.32361Country Czech RepublicRegionCentral BohemianDistrictPříbramFirst mentioned1412Area • Total5.20 km² (2.01 sq mi)Elevation298 m (978 ft)Population • Total197 • Density38/km² (98/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codeWebsitewww.velkalecice.cz

Velká Lečice is a municipality and village in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants.

The initial name of the settlement was Velká Ledčice. The name Ledčice is a diminutive form of Ledce, which is a common Czech toponymy. The old Czech word ledce originated as a diminutive of the word lado, which denoted unploughed land. In the 17th century, Ledčice was distorted to Lečice. The attribute Velká ('great') serves to distinguish it from the neighbouring village of Malá Lečice ('small Lečice', today a part of Bojanovice).^[2]

Velká Lečice is located about 27 kilometres (17 mi) northeast of Příbram and 25 km (16 mi) south of Prague. It lies in the Benešov Uplands. The highest point is at 395 m (1,296 ft) above sea level. The Kocába River flows through the municipality.

Gold panning was documented in the area of Velká Lečice in the 11th century. The first written mention of Velká Lečice is from 1412.^[3]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 334 —     1880 355 +6.3% 1890 353 −0.6% 1900 362 +2.5% 1910 346 −4.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 314 −9.2% 1930 300 −4.5% 1950 238 −20.7% 1961 251 +5.5% 1970 208 −17.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 180 −13.5% 1991 163 −9.4% 2001 175 +7.4% 2011 179 +2.3% 2021 197 +10.1%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality.

Velká Lečice is poor in monuments. The only protected cultural monument is a late Baroque niche chapel, built probably at the end of the 18th century.^[6]