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01. Town Square Mírové náměstí

The town square with its nearly quadratic ground plan is a witness to the very beginnings of the townʼs history. Not in the contemporary form, though, as the most popular building material of the 13th century was wood. It was due to this material that two great fires destroyed the square. During the first one in 1498, the town hall burned to ashes and so did all the documentation. That is the reason why the oldest town records are missing. The second fire in 1706 damaged the town centre heavily. The burnt places all around the square became the basis for new brick buildings owned by craftsmen and merchants. The squareʼs look began to resemble that of the todayʼs one. Of utmost importance was the fact that the arcades on the northern and western side were renovated and have since represented the townʼs pride. In 1723, the new baroque town hall was built and opened. Its front side includes the coat of arms of the Lichtenstein dynasty and a memorial plaque commemorating the birth of the Czech revivalist and priest Matěj Josef Sychra. From 1929, the building was the seat of the district court and since 1932 it served as the town museum. During the protectorate in 1941, the municipal office was first seated there. In the course of the following years, it became evident that the building necessitated an extensive reconstruction, so that it could be provided with new workplaces and equipment appropriate to the modern age. The reconstruction took place between 1995 and 1998 and the object has been the seat of the Municipal Office since. The Plague Column dating back to the Baroque period was built in the middle of the square. It was consecrated in 1739 as an act of gratefulness for the end of the plague epidemy. The eastern side of the square is remarkable for the house No. 87 – Savings Bank. It was built according to the plans of the Prague architects Mařík and Pešina between 1906 and 1907. The two storey stone house on the left side is not noteworthy in itself, but it is worth mentioning that Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová lived and wrote there. Similarly, the house No. 7 does not catch oneʼs eye because of its architectonic value, but rather because of its history, since it used to serve as a school building. It is also interesting to observe the changes in the squareʼs names. The original one was “Na rynkuˮ, which changed to “Wilsonovo náměstíˮ (Wilson Square) during the first republic. During the Protectorate period, the square would be referred to as “Hauptplatzˮ (Main Square), in the post war years as “Náměstí dr. Edvarda Benešeˮ (Dr. Edvard Beneš Square). Later on, it was renamed as “Náměstí míruˮ and nowadays it is “Mírové náměstíˮ (the Peace Square).

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Vyrobila Orlická televize pro město Ústí nad Orlicí