Polička

Already the Czech king Premysl Otakar added the town to his wife’s marriage portion. So the town Policka entered the history this way- as the royal portion marriage town. The 14th century allowed a wide build-up to the town. So the church of St. Jakub has a Gothic appearance, the city hall tower has raised on the square as well as first significant bourgeois houses. The town lies on many stone passages consolidated by 19 bastions- they have been kept up to the present one except one. The continual fortification wall ranks among the most well-preserved walls in Middle Europe and it is still attentively restored. During the policy of Jirik from Podebrady the walls had been strengthened. Ambroz Vlach lately built the Gothic- Renaissance church of St. Michael Archandel at the second half of the 16th century outside of the fortification, today’s dominant of the catholic cemetery. The former Gothic tower has been surrounded from four sides by the Baroque city hall between years 1739 and 1740. The permanent exposition of the municipal gallery has opened to public since 1994. The decanal cathedral of St. Jakub Vetsi has been renewed in 1853- 1865 in New Gothic style. The famous composer Bohuslav Martinu was born in a small room in the tower of the cathedral at 8th December 1890. Bohuslav Martinu has died in 1959 in Liestal near Basle and has been buried is Swiss Schőnenberg at the cemetery of St. Michal next to his parents, siblings and his French wife. In the museum visitors can see the exposition “The album of Bohuslav Martinu” which documents his work. In nearby music lounge concerts of classical music take place there. The archive has many autograph of scores, correspondence etc. On the top of the cathedral’s tower there is the composer’s birth room reconstructed to the appearance of his infancy.