Litomyšl

Litomyšl. A picturesque, cultural, and vibrant town, an architectural gem of Eastern Bohemia. Every new public building in Litomyšl is exceptional, thanks to the town leadership's long-term vision. The new footbridge over the main traffic route through the town is no exception. Originally nameless, popularly called Smetana's, it is now officially named Smetana's Bridge. And under the new Smetana's Bridge, there's a new (not just) Smetana-themed Poesiomat.

The dramaturgy of the Litomyšl Poesiomat maps the town's rich cultural history. In the texts of Teréza Nováková or Alois Jirásek, listeners are transported to 19th century Litomyšl. The atmosphere of a spa town where “no one drinks the water” is also conveyed through Josef Váchal's "Bloody Novel," performed by the Švehelka couple.

The personality of Bedřich Smetana is closely tied to Litomyšl. The Poesiomat thus, apart from his most famous piece from the cycle "Má Vlast," offers a personal letter that a moved Smetana sent to the people of Litomyšl after his last visit to his hometown.

The Litomyšl Poesiomat also presents a selection of works by other significant personalities of the town: poems by Božena Němcová and Zdeněk Matěj Kuděj, recipes by Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová, an essay by astronomer Zdeněk Kopal, stories by sculptor Olbram Zoubek, poetic rhymes by David Vávra, reflections by architect Josef Pleskot, or authentic pub tales by former mayor Miroslav Brýdl.

The poetic part of the dramaturgy includes a selection of poems by authors from the Litomyšl region from the past century and also compositions by the contemporary generation: the Litomyšl Poetry Group 20XX.

The voices for the Litomyšl Poesiomat are provided by Petr Lněnička, Martin Myšička, Iva Hüttnerová, Tereza Brázdová, Jana Věnečková, Dana Urbánková, Romana Dubjáková, Milan Motl, Petr Besta, Jan Sádovský, and the Švehelka couple.