House to the stone bell
The House of the Stone Bell (Czech Dům U kamenného zvonu ) is located on the Old Town Square (house number 16) in Prague , to the right of the late Baroque Kinsky Palace .
history
It was built at the beginning of the 14th century in a second stage, probably under King John of Luxembourg , and converted into a city palace with an additional storey. However, this allocation remains speculation, mainly because of the extraordinary size and furnishings, one assumes a member of the royal family as a resident and thinks mostly of the Přemyslid princess Eliška, the mother of Charles IV , who, according to chronic tradition, owned a house in the old town. Even Charles IV. Himself was after moving in Bohemia during the renovation of his future seat of the Prague Castle , have lived in this house.
The house sign and the namesake was a stone bell. The name of the house is documented for the year 1417. Statues, of which consoles and canopies have still been preserved, stood between early Gothic cross-stock windows . A knight and two enthroned figures could be reconstructed from the remains, possibly members of the Přemyslid dynasty.
In the 17th century the house was completely redesigned in Baroque style . After further redesigns, the decision was made in 1961 to return the house to its Gothic state, as far as the various structural elements allowed this. Over 12,000 original building elements and relief stones were used again. It served as its own quarry, so to speak. Two originally Gothic floors have been restored. The work lasted from 1975 to 1988. After that, the house was handed over to the Gallery of the City of Prague, which today uses it for art exhibitions. In the cellar of the house to the stone bell there is a lapidarium and a small exhibition about the history of the house and the reconstruction.
Web links
- Gallery of the Capital City of Prague: House of the Stone Bell , Tourism Portal of the City of Prague, accessed on November 15, 2019.
- at-the-stone-bell , kralovskacesta.cz (English), accessed on November 15, 2019.
Coordinates: 50 ° 5 ′ 16.1 ″ N , 14 ° 25 ′ 19.2 ″ E