1917: Josef Košťál buys the Veselka

The oldest documented mention of the Veselka inn dates from the 17th century. The inn was located on the west side of the city, near the municipal cemetery (now building no. 76 in the Zelené Předměstí district). It underwent a major transformation in the mid-19th century following a fire, when the owners rebuilt it to create modern two-floor hotel.

From 1802 the Veselka was owned by the Kašpar family. It was bought by František Kašpar (1768–1842), and the aviation pioneer Jan Kašpar (1883–1927) was born there 81 years later. The hotel was the hub of Pardubice’s social life. It hosted concerts and lectures, and VIP guests stayed there. In 1873 the composer Bedřich Smetana performed at the Veselka.

During the next decades, the Veselka underwent a major reconstruction, probably so that it could better compete with the newly established Střebský Hotel (later the Žralok). In 1917 the Veselka came fully into the ownership of the Košťál family, and its golden era began. Josef Košťál (1878–1937) spared no expense to rebuild the hotel as a modern facility, with grand public areas and a cinema (the Imperial). Czechoslovakia’s President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk was a guest at the hotel on several occasions.
During the Second World War, the hotel – managed by Arnošt Košťál (1904–1942) – was the scene of tragic events connected with the local resistance movement. After the war, the Veselka was briefly managed by Arnošt’s widow Jaroslava Košťálová, but in 1948 it was nationalized, and in 1972 it was demolished.