Polička (; ) is a town in
Svitavy District
Svitavy District () is a district in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Svitavy.
Administrative division
Svitavy District is divided into four administrative districts of municipalities with extended competenc ...
in the
Pardubice Region
Pardubice Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It is named after its capital Pardubice. As an administrat ...
of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. It has about 9,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an
urban monument zone.
Administrative division
Polička consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Polička-Město (568)
*Dolní Předměstí (1,916)
*Horní Předměstí (5,610)
*Lezník (215)
*Modřec (137)
*Střítež (176)
Etymology
Polička was founded in the area of meadows and forests called ''Napolickach'', which most likely meant "on the
plain
In geography, a plain, commonly known as flatland, is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and ...
s", and the town's name was derived from this local name.
Geography
Polička is located about west of
Svitavy
Svitavy (; ) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is the birthplace of Oskar Schindler and the centre of the Czech Esperanto movement. The historic town centre is well pr ...
and southeast of
Pardubice
Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...
. It lies in the
Svitavy Uplands
The Svitavy Uplands or Svitavy Hills () are uplands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Pardubice Region and it belongs to the largest mesoregions in the country.
Geomorphology
The Svitavy Uplands is a ...
. The highest point is at above sea level. It is situated on the borderline of historical lands of
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
and
Moravia
Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The medieval and early ...
. The brook Bílý potok flows through the town and supplies Synský pond in the centre of the town.
History
Until 1200, the area was under the administration of the
Praemonstratensian monastery in
Litomyšl
Litomyšl (; ) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. It is a former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see. Litomyšl is known for the château-type castle complex of the Lit ...
. Polička was founded in 1265 by King
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II (; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Austria, Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his death in 1278 ...
to defend the country's trading route from Moravia to Bohemia through dense forests. On 27 September 1265, Ottokar II issued a decree in which he ordered the ''
lokator
The ''lokator'' (lat. ''locator'': landlord, land allocator, from Latin to allocate, rent, establish, settle or locate; also ''magister incolarum''; in Mecklenburg and Pomerania also or , similar to the ''Reutemeister'' in South Germany) was a ...
'' Conrad of Lewendorf to take care of setting up the new town.
[
In the first decades of its existence, the town was administered from the ]Svojanov
Svojanov is a market town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Svojanov consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Sv ...
Castle. In 1307, Polička was donated to Queen Elizabeth Richeza by her husband King Rudolf I and for next centuries became a dowry town Dowry town () was a town that had been devoted by a List of Bohemian monarchs, Bohemian king to his wife – the queen consort.
This was sometimes indicated by the name of the town, as in the case of Hradec Králové (''Castle of the Queen''), Dvů ...
, administered by Bohemian queens. During the reign of Charles IV, the town streets were paved, stone houses built, and the town fortified.[
In 1421, Polička was taken by ]Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha (; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czechs, Czech military leader and Knight who was a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus, and a prominent Radical Hussite who led the Taborites, Taborite faction during the Hu ...
and afterwards plundered by one of Hungarian armies of Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...
. After the Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...
, Germans were expelled and Polička became a purely Czech town.[
]
16th–18th century
Polička enjoyed the favour of the Jagiellonian dynasty
The Jagiellonian ( ) or Jagellonian dynasty ( ; ; ), otherwise the Jagiellon dynasty (), the House of Jagiellon (), or simply the Jagiellons (; ; ), was the name assumed by a cadet branch of the Lithuanian ducal dynasty of Gediminids upon recep ...
during their rule. Later, the town actively participated in the fight against Ferdinand I. In 1547 after Ferdinand I got to power, Polička was punished by suspension of its rights, fined, and its real estate was confiscated. Twelve years later, the town had to purchase the property for additional money.
In the second half of the 16th century, the town prospered and Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
-style buildings started to be built. including the Church of Saint Michael. In 1613, Polička was devastated by fire. Only the southwestern part of the town the Gothic town hall, church, rectory and school were spared. Polička did not prosper well during the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
either and was conquered and looted several times. The town subsequently depopulated.[
Until the end of the 17th century, Polička recovered. In the 18th century, it again prospered and baroque reconstructions were made all over the town.
]
19th–20th century
Polička kept its baroque appearance until 1845 when it was hit by another fire, which destroyed most of the houses and the Church of Saint James the Great. The fire has considerably slowed development of the town and therefore the town walls were not torn down and are preserved to this day. During the second half of the 19th century the town experienced a significant cultural development. In 1896, Polička was connected to the national railway network. This started the industrial development of the town.
In the first half of the 20th century a number of significant building were built in the town, for example Tyl House, Sokol Gymnasium or the building of the current secondary grammar school. Until 1918, Polička was part of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
, in the district of the same name, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
. In October and November 1938 Polička was occupied by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
. Between 1939 and 1945, the town belonged to the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was a partially-annexation, annexed territory of Nazi Germany that was established on 16 March 1939 after the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945), German occupation of the Czech lands. The protector ...
. After World War II, the town lost about thousand inhabitants which left to the abandoned areas from where the original German population was expelled.
Demographics
Economy
The largest employer based in the town is Ravensburger Karton, manufacturer of toys and games.
Transport
The I/34 road (the section from Svitavy
Svitavy (; ) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is the birthplace of Oskar Schindler and the centre of the Czech Esperanto movement. The historic town centre is well pr ...
to Havlíčkův Brod
Havlíčkův Brod (, until 1945 Německý Brod; ) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban mon ...
) passes through the town.
Polička is located on the railway line heading from Česká Třebová
Česká Třebová (; ) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Mon ...
and Svitavy to Skuteč
Skuteč (; ) is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,100 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Skuteč consists of 13 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Skut ...
.
Sights
The historic centre is formed by Palackého Square and adjacentr streets. The square includes one of the most notable Baroque town halls in the country. It replaced an old Gothic town hall and was built in 1739–1744. The baroque high Marian column
Marian may refer to:
People
* Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name
* Marian (surname), a list of people so named
Places
* Marian, Iran (disambiguation)
* Marian, Queensland, a town in Australia
* Marian, a village in toe c ...
was built in 1727–1731. Both the town hall and the Marian column were probably designed by the architect František Maxmilián Kaňka
František Maxmilián Kaňka (19 August 1674 – 14 July 1766) was a Czech architect. He was among the most important and most prolific Baroque architects in the Czech lands.
Life
František Maxmilián Kaňka was born in Prague on 19 August 16 ...
.
Massive stone walls with 19 bastions are among the best-preserved fortifications in Central Europe. They are long and surround the entire historic town centre.[
The original Church of Saint James the Great was built in 1265. It was replaced by new church in the 1360s–1380s, which was later baroquely rocenstructed. After the fire in 1845, a new Neo-Gothic church was built on its site in 1853–1865. The tower of the church serves as a lookout point and contains the room in which the composer ]Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphony, symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber music, chamber, vocal and ins ...
, the most notable person born in Polička, was born. It is open to the public.
The Church of Saint Michael was built before 1580. It is a Renaissance cemetery church with Gothic elements.
Notable people
*Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
pedigrees of Pol(l)itz(er), Pul(l)itz(er), etc.
* Arne Novák (1880–1939), literary historian and critic; died here
*Josef Šebestián Daubek
Josef Šebestián Daubek (24 December 1842, Polička – 15 July 1922, Liteň) was a Czech-Austrian nobleman, politician, entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the ...
(1842–1922), Czech-Austrian politician and entrepreneur
*Antonín Eltschkner
Antonín Eltschkner (4 June 1880, Polička – 22 February 1961, Brno) was a Czech Roman Catholic priest, most notable for his involvement in the development of Esperanto. He was provost (religion), provost of the Metropolitan Chapter of St Vitus ...
(1880–1961), priest and Esperantist
*Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphony, symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber music, chamber, vocal and ins ...
(1890–1959), classical composer
*Martin Doktor
Martin Doktor (; born 21 May 1974 in Polička, Czechoslovakia) is the Czech Republic's best-known sprint canoeist. He was double Olympic champion in the Canadian canoe C-1 discipline at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. ...
(born 1974), sprint canoeist, Olympic champion
* Kamila Vokoun Hájková (born 1987), ice dancer
Twin towns – sister cities
Polička is twinned with:
* Ebes
Ebes is a village in Hajdú-Bihar county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary.
Geography
It covers an area of and has a population of 4388 people (2015).
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Ebes is twinne ...
, Hungary
* Hohenems
Hohenems (High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Ems'') is a town in the Austrian States of Austria, state of Vorarlberg in the Dornbirn (district), Dornbirn district. It lies in the middle of the Austrian part of the Rhine valley. With a populat ...
, Austria
* Westerveld
Westerveld () is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands.
The municipality Westerveld was established in 1998 out of the municipalities of Diever, Dwingeloo, Havelte, and Vledder.
Westerveld is crossed by a channel, the ''Drentsche Hoofdva ...
, Netherlands
Gallery
Polička Věž.jpg, Church of Saint James the Great in the 1910s
Polička, straatzicht Novà IMG 6617 2018-08-04 13.39.jpg, Nová Street
References
External links
*
Polička
– article on the Czech Radio
Czech Radio (, ČRo) is the public radio broadcaster of the Czech Republic operating continuously since 1923. It is the oldest national radio broadcaster in continental Europe and the second-oldest in Europe after the BBC. Czech Radio was esta ...
website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Policka
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Svitavy District
Jewish communities in the Czech Republic
Populated places established in the 13th century
1265 establishments in Europe