Holice consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2] The name is derived form the personal name Hóla or Holý, meaning "the village of Hóla's/Holý's people".

The first written mention of Holice is from 1336, when it was property of John of Bohemia as a part of the Chvojno estate.

In the second half of the 15th century, Holice became a market town with a fortress and a church and became the centre of the estate.

The town then prospered until 1758, when it was ravaged by the army of Prussian King Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the very first bus line, which ran from Pardubice to Holice, was launched.

[4] Holice lies at the crossroad of two main road: the I/35 (the section from Olomouc to Hradec Králové) and the I/36 (connecting Pardubice with Rychnov nad Kněžnou District).