Royal dowry town…
It has been more than 800 years since the first written sources contain a record of the so-called Na polickach territory. It was here that the Czech king Premysl Otakar II. had the town founded in 1265 as 1 of the strongholds of his kingdom. This town was named Policka. Already in the middle of the 14th century, the town was paved and a Gothic town hall was built in the middle of the square. The original wooden or half-timbered houses around the square were gradually rebuilt into stone ones. In this period, the construction of the town fortifications, which protected the town from invasions of foreign troops, had already begun.
How the town was not conquered by Jan Zizka…
The town walls are associated with a legend that appeared more than 100 years ago. According to this legend, set in the Middle Ages, the city was besieged by Jan Zizka himself. However, the town did not want to give up, so the Hussites decided to let its defenders starve. When it was at its worst, the townspeople resorted to the last option – a ruse. They stuffed the last swine with millet and threw it over the walls as a sign of abundant food supplies. The ruse came out, the Hussites withdrew and the town was protected. In reality, however, the town became a member of the Hussite town union.
One of the largest landmarks of the town is the Church of St. Jakub built in the Neo-Gothic style. A huge fire in 1845 destroyed the original church, leaving only 4 of the 237 houses undamaged in the entire town. Therefore, during the construction of the church in its tower, a room for the “guardians against fire” was built. It was here that the world-famous composer Bohuslav Martinu was born in 1890. His inspiration was the atmosphere of the town and the captivating landscape, which he observed from the height of his native room throughout his childhood.
Finally, a few interesting facts…
When walking through the city, you can see less than half of the original more than 80 carved Classicist gates, which in the subtlety of design and variety of decor have no analogues in Bohemia and Moravia. The Bohuslav Martinu Centre is located in the building of a former burgher school, which was also attended by little Bohuslav Martinu. Part of the exhibition is a school classroom from the end of the 19th century equipped with period furniture. The ring of city fortifications, reinforced by 19 half-cylindrical towers, reaches a length of 1220 meters and is one of the best preserved in Central Europe.
For more information about the Pardubice Region where this place is located click here.
