Pardubice - the city of gingerbread

History of the town

Written sources mention Pardubice for the first time at the end of the 13th century and around 1340 it was promoted to a town. At that time it was owned by the lords of Dubá and then by the lords of Pardubice, from whose family also came Arnošt of Pardubice, the first archbishop of Prague. The importance of Pardubice was very high in the region at that time, which did not change until the end of the 15th century.

It was at the end of the 15th century that Pardubice began to flourish, mainly thanks to the then owners, the Pernštejns. The water castle, which stood here at the time, was rebuilt into a Gothic residence by Vilém of Pernštejn and later, by his sons Jan and Vojtěch, then rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau. At present, the local chateau complex is one of the unique examples of the transition between castle and chateau architecture, of which not many have been preserved in the world. The historical form of Pardubice has been preserved almost to the present day, among other things perhaps also because the indebted Pernštejns sold their entire estate in 1560.

After that, the town, also as a result of wars, began to decline, which lasted until the 19th century, when Pardubice was connected by rail, and when in 1845 the train passed through them for the first time. The city walls were abolished, the city grew and flourished not only in construction but also culturally. In 1910, the first long-distance flight to Pardubice from Ing. Jan Kašpar.

Sights and interesting places

Today, the core of Pardubice is a city monument reserve, the center of which is Pernštýn Square, which is dominated by the town hall. The square is reached by the Green Gate, which forms one of the dominants of the whole of Pardubice with its characteristic copper roof. The tower reaches a total height of 60 meters and we find a relief with the city emblem, whose author is Mikoláš Aleš. From the observation deck of the tower there is a charming view of the whole city and its surroundings and the nearby Kunětická mountain. Directly on the square there are a number of Gothic houses that underwent later renaissance reconstruction.

Another important landmark of Pardubice is the Church of St. Bartholomew, which was built at the beginning of the 16th century by William of Pernštejn, and which was to serve both as a church of minorities and as a burial ground for members of the Czech branch of the Pernštejns.

One of the oldest monuments in Pardubice is the Church of the Annunciation, which was founded in the 14th century by Arnošt of Pardubice.

Examples of Pardubice modern architecture are the buildings on Náměstí republiky, which include the theater, Komerční banka by Josef Gočár and the Grand shopping center, as well as the work of the same architect. On the right bank of the river Chrudimka there are mills, also by Josef Gočár.

Of course, we must not forget the Pardubice castle, which is the main tourist attraction in this city.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová