The town in the west of Českomoravská vrchovina (Czech-Moravian Highlands) is sometimes called the Gate of the Highlands. The beginnings of the town fall in the 13th century and are connected with the personage of the Prague Bishop Pelhřim (lat. Pelegrina). Medieval origin of the town is perceptible in preserved fortifications and two gates. In the Jihlava Gate is located the Museum of records and curiosities. In the late 16th century the town bought itself from the serfdom and became a royal town by the privilege of Rudolph II. The decanal Church of St. Bartholomew with the Way of the Cross according to the design by František Bílek and the mainly Renaissance Church of St. Vitus are the dominants among the sacral monuments of the town. Some of the citizens´ houses built in the Renaissance style and the cubistic houses built according to the projects by Pavel Janák (the Fára´s House, the Drechsel´s Villa etc.) are outstanding architectural masterpieces.