Dům čp. 136 House

Dům čp. 136 is a Renaissance townhouse from the mid-16th century located on Horní Street in Prachatice I. It is a protected cultural monument and part of the Prachatice urban heritage reserve, notable for its preserved Renaissance attic.

The house likely dates back to the 14th century but underwent significant reconstruction in the mid-16th century, giving it its current form.

This row house features one story and an attic floor with a smooth, cream-colored façade. The five-axis street front is topped by an original Renaissance attic with battlements and recessed panels, separated from the attic floor by a plastically articulated cornice. The ground floor has a compressed vaulted entrance of late Classicist origin with white framing and double wooden gates. Windows are double-wing wooden frames divided into six panes. Behind the attic, there is a longitudinally oriented saddle roof and a roof terrace; originally, it had a double-pitched roof with a central valley. Internally, the house is organized as a depth-wise double tract with a central staircase hall. While the hall and right tract were updated with Classicist plaster vaults in the late 19th century, the rear sections retain older barrel vaults with recesses. The building also includes two levels of cellars.

The building's history involves several structural phases. It likely escaped damage during Prachatice's great fire in 1832. In the late 19th century, it was remodeled, resulting in enlarged and repositioned windows, a modified entrance, and a simple Classicist façade. Further modifications occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, including an attic conversion, new staircase installation, and removal of a masonry annex from the courtyard.

Historical records from the 19th century describe Renaissance paintings on the façade, likely dating from the 16th century. These included a depiction of a young man with a dog on a leash accompanied by a moralizing inscription, as well as a central painting of the Fall of Adam and a knight beside a semi-nude woman. Documented by František Josef Sláma in 1838 and Jan Václav Truhlář in 1877, these artworks were described as grossly decayed by Jan Bohuslav Miltner in 1881. By 1913, František Mareš and Jan Sedláček reported that no trace of the paintings remained.

Dům čp. 136 remains a significant element of Prachatice I's historical urban fabric. Its value lies in its partially preserved layout, variety of vaulting, and original Renaissance attic.

This monument offers a concrete example of the architectural evolution of a Renaissance townhouse. It is a worthwhile stop for those exploring Prachatice's historical center.