occurred, and the town became a cultural centre. A Czech-language theatre was established in 1825, the first public library in the region was established in 1839, and the town museum was founded in 1871. At the end of the 19th century, Vysoké Mýto was industrialized and two big engineering and machine-building companies were founded. Until 1918, the town was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), head of the Hohenmauth District, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia. Demographics Economy The largest industrial employer in the town is Iveco's Iveco Bus factory (previously Karosa), brand names Irisbus Crossway, Irisbus Arway and Iveco Urbanway. Sport The town's football club is SK Vysoké Mýto. It plays in lower amateur tiers. Sights The quadrangle square named Přemysla Otakara II. Square is the largest square of its type in the Czech Republic. The Old Town Hall from 1433 is one of the oldest stone buildings in the town. It was rebuilt several times, last in 1828 in the Empire style. Today it houses the tourist information centre, the Town Gallery and an exposition on the manufacture of car bodies. In the middle of the square is a Baroque Marian column from 1714. The Church of Saint Lawrence is a large cathedral from the second half of the 13th century. It was reconstructed after the fire in the 16th century, and the near Renaissance belfry was erected in 1585. The current appearance of the church is result of purist restoration from the late 19th century. Nowadays the premises of the belfry are used by the Town Gallery. The Church of the Holy Trinity was built in the Renaissance style with Gothic elements in 1543. Most of the town fortification from the 14th century were demolished in the 18th century. Some fragments are preserved to this day, including the Prague Gate and the Litomyšl Gate. The tower of the Prague Gate serves as an observation tower. The Vysoké Mýto Regional Museum, which was founded in 1871, is the oldest town museum in the country. Notable people Bedřich Bridel (1619–1680), writer, poet and missionary Dismas Hataš (1724–1777), violinist and composer Alois Vojtěch Šembera (1807–1882), linguist and historian of literature Josef Jireček (1825–1888), scholar Hermenegild Jireček (1827–1909), jurisconsult Hermann Škorpil (1858–1923), Czech-Bulgarian archaeologist and museum worker Karel Škorpil (1859–1944), Czech-Bulgarian archaeologist and museum worker František Ventura (1894–1969), equestrian, Olympic winner Maria Tauberová (1911–2003),