Dear Visitors,

Welcome to the Municipal Museum and Gallery of Polička.
The Museum was opened in 1880, and at the present it includes these displays:


Bohuslav Martinů´s Memorial - a permanent display to acquaint you with the life and work of the world famous composer born in our town. A selection of publications and videos pertaining to the town of Polička and the life of Bohuslav Martinů is offered for sale.

Opening times: September-May: Daily except Monday 9 a.m. to 12 a.m., 12.30 p.m. to 16 p.m.
Juni-August: Daily except Monday 9 a.m. to 17 p.m.
Entrance fees: Adults 12 Kč
Reduced rate* 6 Kč 

Music Hall - films showing the history and landmarks of the town, and Bohuslav Martinů may be selected in English, German, or French for viewing, and his music may be listened to.

The Vestibul is used for occasional exhibitions.

The room in the tower of the St.James Church, where Bohuslav Martinů was born, may be visited when accompanied by a guide. The quartets have been maintained in the authentic form reminiscent of the composer´s childhood. The view from the gallery of the spire over the town and the neary Highlands is enchanting.

Opening times: September-May: Daily except Monday 9 a.m. 12 a.m., 12.30 p.m. to 16 p.m.
Juni-August: Daily except Monday 9 a.m. to 17 p.m.
Closed at Sunday Morning, during church ceremonies and the bad weather.
For groups after an agreement.
Entrance fees: Adults 20 Kč
Reduced rate* 10 Kč 


The Exhibition Hall in the adjacent building is used for temporary exhibitions of creative arts and of the Museum´s collections.
The main building housing historical and ethnographic collections is closed temporarily for reconstruction.

The Baroque Town Hall on the main square houses permanent collections of
I. Antique artwork of the Polička region from the Gothic era to the XIX.century, including a Baroque chapel with uniquely preserved decorations,
II. paintings from the gallery of the Hohenems family, a famous Austrian aristocratic family from the chateau in Bistré, a town near Polička, as well as paintings by Anthoni Bays and Jan Gossaert,
III. contemporary art from the Polička region authored in the XX.century by Polička natives or citizens,
IV. Bohuslav Martinů in Art - reflections of artists on the life and work of Bohuslav Martinů.

Opening times: October-March: Saturday and Sunday 12.30 p.m. to 16 p.m.
April, September: Daily except Monday 9 a.m. to 12 a.m., 12.30 p.m. to 16 p.m.
May-August: Daily except Monday 9 a.m. to 17 p.m.
Entrance fees: Adults 20 Kč
Reduced rate* 10 Kč 
*Childern, Students, Pensioners

Please enjoy your visit. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon.

Polička Municipal Museum and Gallery

Contact, Reservation:
Městské muzeum a galerie
Památník Bohuslava Martinů
Tylova 114
572 01 Polička
Czech Republic

Tel.: +420 461 725 769
Tel./Fax: +420 461 724 056

e-mail:
muzeum@policka-city.cz
bmartinu@policka-city.cz

Location:

To Polička by the train:
From Prague: Praha-Pardubice, Pardubice-Žďárec, Žďárec-Polička
From Brno: Brno-Svitavy, Svitavy-Polička

To Polička by the bus:
Praha-Polička, Brno, Hradec Králové, Olomouc, Písek

Since many years already the music of Martinů has been representing the modern Czech culture. The world musical public receives his work as an outstanding and individual continuation of Dvořák´s tradition in the Czech music.
His first greater scores date back to 1910. He oscillated between the university romanticism, Tchaikovski and Grieg – at the same time he loved the music of Dvořák. These strange symbioses and the chaos of his youth gave him an ability to wander in several shades of style. His way of creation can be compared to a spiral, full of returns to his youth in Paris.
Since the autumn 1923 till the beginning of the World War II Martinů lived in Paris, then he lived in New York, in the American country, in Nice, Rome and finally in a lonely house on the hill Schönenberg near Basle in Switzerland. He brought the Czech music into contact with the dadaism, the musical neoclassism. During his stay in Paris, Martinů aimed at a great synthesis. He recognized the tradition of his native country, it was mostly around 1930 and afterwards. In the second half of the 30’s he gained his first great success in concert, opera and ballet. But not for a single moment he was absorbed by the contrary, even in the middle of the intensive artistic activity of the foreign enviroment and by the artistic currents of his time; on the contrary, even in the middle of the intensive artistic activity of the western metropolis he realized more and more clearly how much he is implanted into the Czech musical tradition, he felt the Czech roots of his personality and finally he was fully aware of the fact that he was closelylinked with the people and the natur of the Bohemian-Moravian Uplands. 
In March 1941 a new chapter opened in his life: its first paragraphs were written by his flee from the Nazis to the south of France, by his arrival to the USA. During World War II, Martinů became a great symphonist. (first of all 4th symphony). It’s only an illusory paradox: the more distant Martinů was from his country, the closer was he to it in his mind. When the war was over there was time to finish the years of pilgrimage and find a harbour at home. But “the paws of fate”, as Martinů used to say, have already started their work. In 1946 he suffered a casualty, he had been recovering for a long time and then he still hesitated over the changes going on his country, over fear of existential problems: the war has been over for a long time, but Martinů kept wandering from New York to Paris or to the American or French countryside. After years of hesitation and delays he became an American citizen, but the USA never became his second motherland. He was too close to the European culture and lifestyle. Since 1953 he lived in Europe again, mostly in Nice, which he favoured already before the war.
Thus if the Martinů Memorial Centre is situated just to Polička, it is fully justified and it did not follow only from the accidental fact that he was born in that town. After all the very exposition of the Memorial Centre documents in several of its sections the reciprocal relation of Martinů and his birth-place, a relation which was deepened with the years and strengthened with the distance. But naturally the exposition shows also other substantial facts of Martinů´s career and creation dividing them into nearly fifty sections. This show is based mainly on illustrations consisting of photographs, colour diapositive films, humorous self-portraits of the composer, originals and reproductions of stage and costumes projects and scene maquettes.
In a free connection with the Memorial Centre is the birdchamber of Martinů on the tower of St.James´s Church. The perimetric tower gallery with a sight of the town and of the surrounding landscape and the entry room of the birth-chamber are accessible to the public.