The first nation to settle in the territory of Chrudim were the Celts (from the 5th century BC until around 0 AD), while Slavs then arrived in the 7th-8th centuries BC. Chrudim became a Royal Town pre-1276 thanks to Přemysl Otakar II and as such it ranked as one of the leading towns in the Czech kingdom. From 1307 (with certain hiatuses), it was a royal dowry town and this tradition persisted until the lapse of the Hapsburg monarchy in 1918. Nowadays, it is a charming town with a famous tradition of puppetry and a number of interesting monuments.
