Dům kramáře Kříže Building

Former house of a shopkeeper The cross stands on Old Town Square No. 1 / 2 and represents one of the most valuable preserved Gothic urban buildings of its time. Since 1458, he's been part of the Old Town Hall. It originated in the middle of the 13th century as the middle of three stone houses with the foundations of an optic wall. In his name he owes the owner of the Cross, who is reminded of the sources in writing from 1364 to 1413. His business background was with his wife Anna and three sons: John, Václav and Peter.

The cross was one of the influential Old Town townspeople, proving his election to office was between 1382 and 1402. His wealth and influence corresponded to property: he owned a house north of the town block behind St. Nicholas' church. In 1387 he then bought a department store house, to which was the lucrative right to collect rent from all bakers торговавшиProcessing on the south side of the marketplace. Later he also owned the Krenn house on the Old Town side (demolished in 1901) and a large building site from the St. John's Church Jilji to Bethlehem Square, which he donated to the construction of the Bethlehem Chapel with university colleges. He also owned a vineyard near Košíř and the village of Chvaly.

Architecturally, the house is a rarely preserved example of the Gothic building from the time of Václav IV with a significantly oversized saddle roof. The basement features an excavation block with a high-value vault. The ground floor divides the entrance hall with two brick passports with a wooden ceiling on it. Roofing windows were only completed after 1854, when there was also a neo-gothic adaptation of the skylight with pilasters and five fials on the shield. Under the main ledge of the facade is a rare gallery of 19 carved sign shields. It is dominated by the Old Town with a wall and three towers, nine characters of Prague Patricians and members of the Old Town Council from the 15th and 16th centuries. This gallery was restored according to the earlier Jan Erazim Vocel administration from 1852 to 1854.

Around 1600, a Renaissance balcony with a three-axis portal was built on the first floor with the Latin inscription Praha Caput Regni (Praha Mother Cities). In the tympanon there is an ancient city emblem with the golden crown of the Imperial Majesty. On the facade are also boards with statements of humanists Martin Kuthen and Julius Scaliger. The historical-architectural modifications from 1854 were carried out by Josef Schöbl, two years later the interior was reconstructed. 1901 meant the installation of an elevator. According to the design of architect Bernhard Grueber, the door was originally followed by a Gothic pattern with a semi-circular enchantment, after 1960 it was replaced with glass. After 1945 the garden was walled up next to the entrance and there were bronze slabs. The first one from 1971 announces the declaration of the historical core of Prague by the historical reservation, the plate from 1992 then the multi-jazz notification of the entry of Prague to the UNESCO list.

The house is open to the public as part of the tour of the Old Town Hall. The council hall on the first floor is now serving as a hall for marriage. On the second floor there is another council hall, which was created during the time of Jiří z Poděbrad and which can be visited on the way through the historic staircase and foyer with paintings from Václav Brožík.