Dům čp. 89 House

Welcome to the Golden Mountains, a place where history has burrowed deep into the earth and into the walls of the houses that are now surrounding you. Please stop for a moment and focus fully on the building you're standing in front of. It's a house with the number 80, which is one of the distinctive faces of Liberty Square. If you look at it, you may only see the peaceful facade of the townhouse, but you're actually looking at a layered record of several centuries of the history of this city. It is a construction that has survived the take-offs and falls of the golden prosper, the raids of foreign troops and the transformations of architectural taste.

Let's go back in time together to understand why this house is so special. Its fundamental nature, its very roots, dates back to the Middle Ages, namely to a period of about a thousand and four hundred. So imagine that this place was built at a time when the city was in a completely different rhythm and when the life of the community associated with the mining of precious metals began to form here. At that time, the house was probably much easier, but already it served as a home and a place of business for local townspeople.

The sixteenth century followed, which was a period of true bloom for Zlaté Hory. Gold mining brought wealth to the city, which began to manifest itself in the form of such houses. The townspeople wanted to show their status and prosperity, which is why the buildings began to acquire Renaissance elements. It is during this period that the house has acquired its characteristic form, which we see today in many ways. It was a time of optimism and construction when the city became an important centre in the region.

Unfortunately, history isn't just about the ascension. The seventeenth century brought darker chapters, especially in the form of a 30-year war. Zlaté Hory, like many other cities, felt the horrors of Swedish raids. Imagine the unrest, fear and uncertainty that the people of the time had to experience. It is fascinating to think that the walls of this house witnessed these dramatic events, and yet they remained standing there to tell their story to generations to come.

Now, I would like to ask you to pay full attention to the architecture itself, which is right in front of you. Look at the overall composition of the building. This is an anecdotal, single-storey brick structure. Note that the facade is divided into three axes, which means that the windows and doors are placed in three vertical rows. This rhythm gives the house stability and balance.

Now raise your eyes above, to the top of the house. See the distinctive element that ends the facade? It's a tiered shield that's typical of Renaissance urban style. This shield goes fluently to the saddle roof and thus creates a silhouette that is so representative of the historic Golden Hor centre. Above the main floor is also an atician floor, which is an architectural ending, which increases the house optically and gives it nobility.

Now when you look back at the ground floor, notice the detail that separates the bottom of the house from the top. It's a cordon ledge, a horizontal exiting strip that serves as a visual separator and gives the facade structure. Now look at the entrance. The dominant ground floor is a stone portal. Notice its endings, which form a segment envelope, i.e. a slightly arched upper frame. This portal is not only a functional entrance, but in the Renaissance it was a symbol of the house owner's prestige.

Even though the house looks like a single whole, it has undergone significant changes over time. In the mid-nineteenth century, at a time when elegance and moderate luxury of Empire style ruled Europe, the object was substantially rebuilt. It was this Empire reconstruction that brought elements of the then modernism into the house and adjusted its appearance to match the taste of the nineteenth century. It is a fascinating combination, when medieval foundation and Renaissance elements coexist with modifications from the Empire.

Although we are now outside, allow me to take you to the inner spaces you can imagine in your mind. In the interior of the house was preserved traditional disposition, which was typical of townhouses of this type. The heart of the house is a central corridor that connects individual rooms and serves as a major communication artery. If you could enter the upper floors, you would see straight beam ceilings, which are authentic testimonies about the way the building was built in the past. These beams carried the weight of the house while creating a cosy, robust atmosphere of inner space.

Who lived in this house? The specific names of the owners have been deleted over time, but we can imagine the types of people who found shelter here. They were probably respected townspeople, craftsmen or merchants who were involved in the economic life of the city. Their lives were closely linked to the rhythm of Liberty Square, to the noise of cars, to trade and to the constant expectation of news from nearby goldsmiths mines.

One of the most interesting things about this house is its ability to adapt. Imagine a journey he had traveled from a thousand to the present. From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance blossom, the survival of war disasters, to the Empire's transformation. This building is like a book where every layer of plaster and every stone detail represents a different chapter in the history of Golden Hor.

In recognition of this value, the house was entered in the Central List of Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic a year ago. And in the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety-two, it became even more so when the entire center was declared a city preserve. This means that house number 80 is no longer just a private building, but part of a national heritage that we are to protect together.

So you're standing before a building that is a silent witness to centuries. It's a house that saw the gold fever, saw the flames of war fires and saw the city slowly turning into a quiet place that you are visiting today. Feel the atmosphere of old walls that have their own memory.

Now that you know the story of this house, I suggest you go around it again slowly, see the details of the stone portal up close and be inspired by its history. Zlaté Hory has another story hidden in every detail of their square. I invite you to continue to explore the surroundings and discover other gems of this city reservation.

Thank you for your attention and I wish you a pleasant continued journey to the secrets of this beautiful city. Say good-bye to house number 80 and follow another historical trail.