Article Dobruška

The natural center of the historic city center is the square named after FLVěka. The center of the square, surrounded mostly by historic buildings, is dominated by the historic town hall and the plague column from 1736, which commemorates the victims of the plague epidemic in the 17th century.

In the middle of the square stands the Renaissance town hall with a tall tower. The 43-meter-high tower was built together with the town hall after the fire of the previous building in 1565. After climbing 124 steps to a height of 30 meters, from the observation deck you can admire the beauty of the city, the panorama of the Orlické Mountains and, if visibility is good, even the Krkonoše Mountains.

We can see several historic houses on the square, but some have already been modernized. That's why the center of nearby Nové Město nad Metují, which, as an urban monument reserve, remained without more modern interventions, starred in the series FLVěk Dobruška.

František Vladislav Hek (1769–1847) was a Czech patriot, national revivalist, writer, and composer. His life inspired the writer Alois Jirásek to write the famous novel FLvěk.
It was filmed in 1971 by director František Filip with actor Radoslav Brzobohatý in the lead role. It is not a literal and historically accurate depiction of Hek's life, but a depiction of an idealized character with contemporary realities. Jirásek expressed this by slightly modifying the character's name to Věk.

Just under 100 meters from the square, on the corner of Novoměstská and Poddomí streets, is the birthplace of F. Vl. Hek, now converted into a museum. It can be easily recognized from a distance by its white plaster and shingle roof with a decorative gable.
Inside, you can see an exhibition that will give you an idea of what life was like in the early 19th century. It is followed by a merchant's shop and an exhibition about the life and work of this important revivalist, whose fate was portrayed by Alois Jirásek in the novel FL Věk.