The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Polná consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):[2] The name was most likely derived from the word pole, i.e.

During its existence, for most of the time, Polná was part of significant aristocrat families' property.

[5] In the 15th century, the Trčkas of Lípa owned the town followed by the Wallensteins, Lords of Hradec and the Žejdlic of Šenfeld family.

In 1623, Rudolf Žejdlic's property was confiscated because of his revolt against the Emperor Ferdinand II.

All the estate was bought by cardinal Franz von Dietrichstein who changed the town's privileges and the coat of arms.

[5] In the 19th century, Polná was the centre of Czech culture for large locality and formed a counterbalance to the German-speaking city of Jihlava.

In the half of the 19th century, 6,500 people lived in Polná, which made it the third largest town in the Vysočina Region (after Jihlava and Třebíč).

The fact that the Northwest Railway were built 6 kilometres far from Polná caused another economical decline of the town.

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, later the first president of Czechoslovakia, engaged himself in this so-called Hilsner affair.

During World War II, most of the Jewish community died in concentration camps.

[9] Despite the size of the town, there is no major road running through the territory, and the railway that starts here is unused.

[10] Every second weekend in September, the so-called "carrot-bun funfair" (Czech: mrkvancová pouť) is organized in Polná.

Today the complex houses the Town Museum, a primary art school and a cultural centre.

On the square there are deanery with the "Kaplanka" building (the former seat of the vicariate), Baroque Trinity Column and "Hastrmanka" Fountain, colloquially called "Vodník" (water sprite).

The Church of Assumption of the Virgin Mary on the Husovo Square is the main landmark of Polná.