Chrudim: From Church Towers to the Water Wheel

After visiting Kolín and Poděbrady, we decided to stretch our day trip a little further. Since we were already out and about, it would have been a pity not to visit Chrudim as well. And so we headed straight there.

It was already afternoon, so we weren’t planning any big tours. We just wanted to stroll through the historic centre, see a few interesting places and then set off home towards Jihlava. And I have to say that Chrudim pleasantly surprised us at the end of the day. It’s a town with a lovely historic centre, old houses and several interesting nooks that we would never have discovered just driving through.

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary – the landmark of Chrudim

We began our walk at the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which is truly impossible to miss. Its two tall, slender towers are visible from afar. And only when you stand right in front of it do you realise how massive the whole building is. The church stands on Ressel Square and its history goes back to the Middle Ages. Originally a Gothic church, it went through several reconstructions over the centuries. It got its present neo-Gothic form mainly during alterations in the 19th century, in which the architect František Schmoranz took part.

Interestingly, the two church towers were originally not identical. They differed in shape and height, and each even had its own name. One was called the Black Tower and the other the Trumpeter. It was only later reconstructions that gave them the look we can see today. We looked at the church from the outside, took a few photos and continued on into the town.

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Chrudim

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Ressel Square and a bit of Chrudim’s history

Chrudim is a historic town in the Pardubice Region and its past reaches back a very long way. The first reliable written mention of Chrudim dates to the year 1055, when, according to Cosmas’s Chronicle, the Czech prince Břetislav I died here. In the second half of the 13th century, under the reign of Přemysl Otakar II, Chrudim became a royal town and later was also one of the royal dowry towns. This meant that the town’s income served to provide for the Bohemian queens.

On Ressel Square a number of historic burghers’ houses have survived, along with a beautiful old town hall with a red-and-white façade and a clock tower. It was precisely its striking colour that caught my eye. Among the other buildings you really can’t miss it. In the middle of the square there is also the Baroque Column of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which was built in the first half of the 18th century as a plague column.

While walking, we noticed the individual houses, their decorated façades and all sorts of architectural details. What I enjoy about places like this is that every house looks a little different, so there’s always something to discover and photograph.

The church façade and the old town hall on Ressel Square

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The Mouse Hole – an interesting passage through the old town walls

While walking around town, we also discovered a narrow passage called the Mouse Hole, or the Dark Gate. It caught my attention right away with its looks. It is a long, narrow and rather dark passage, at the end of which you can see daylight. It is a historic passage through the town fortifications, documented in written sources as early as 1439. Back then it was called the New Gate and served as one of the pedestrian entrances to the town. It is also interesting that the passage was originally even narrower than it is today. It was so tight that only one person could pass through at a time. In 1841 it underwent alterations in which it was widened and repaired. That was also when the stone steps leading down towards Soukenická street were built.

It was by these very steps that we made our way from the historic centre towards the town walls and the millrace.

The Mouse Hole and the stone steps down to the walls

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The Old Mill and the water wheel I loved

And while walking around the historic centre, we came across one of the places I liked in Chrudim almost the most. A big wooden water wheel by a former mill. Maybe for some people it’s a completely ordinary thing, but I love places like this. Old mills, water wheels and various technical monuments always remind me of how people used to live and how many things they managed to do thanks to the power of water.

The mill stands by the historic millrace of the Chrudimka river, not far from the town centre. Today it is called the Old Mill, but it is also known as Polívka’s or the Koželužský mill. Its history goes back to the Middle Ages. A cloth-fulling mill originally operated here, a device that used water power in the processing of cloth. After the Hussite wars a water mill was built onto it, first mentioned in writing in 1459. It is also interesting that when there was little water in the millrace, the fulling mill had priority and the mill had to wait.

Over the centuries the mill changed owners and names. It got the name Koželužský (Tanners’) from a nearby facility used for processing raw materials for tanners. The name Polívka’s, in turn, is connected with a later owner, Eduard Polívka. The wooden water wheel itself is not an original medieval monument. It was restored in more recent times to recall the former use of water power. The mill no longer serves its original purpose today, but together with the water wheel and the millrace it still creates an interesting historic corner.

We stopped here for a while, looked it over and of course took a few photos.

The wooden water wheel at the Old Mill

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Chrudim has an interesting museum, too

During our walk through town we also noticed the striking historic building of the Regional Museum in Chrudim. At first glance it catches the eye with its colourful façade, ornate gables and rich architectural details. It’s one of those buildings where you stop at least to take a proper look at it.

The museum complex consists of two buildings, built between 1897 and 1901 to a design by the Prague architect Jan Vejrych. One is built in the neo-Renaissance style and the other in the neo-Baroque style. The neo-Renaissance building is now home to the Regional Museum in Chrudim, while the neo-Baroque part serves mainly for cultural and social events.

Chrudim is also well known for its puppetry tradition. This is where you will find the Museum of Puppetry Cultures, housed in the historic Mydlářovský House.

We didn’t go into any museum this time, but if you want to spend more time in Chrudim, it’s another option for where to go.

The Regional Museum building in Chrudim

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Three towns in one day, and then home

Chrudim was the last stop of our whole trip. In a single day we thus visited Kolín, Poděbrady and finally Chrudim. Each of these towns was a little different. Kolín impressed us with its historic centre and fairytale bears, Poděbrady with its spa park, flowers and pleasant atmosphere, and Chrudim with its old monuments, narrow passages and water wheel.

Of course we didn’t manage to see absolutely everything in Chrudim. But even a shorter walk was enough for us to get to know at least part of its historic centre. Then we got into the car and headed home towards Jihlava.

We had another day full of travelling, new places and photographs behind us. And I had a slightly longer list of towns we have visited together and perhaps will visit again for longer sometime.

If you ever have Chrudim on your way, definitely stop for at least a moment. The historic centre is not big and it’s well worth a short walk. 🙂

And what about you, have you been to Chrudim yet? What did you like most there? 🙂