Dům U Černého kříže (Kolín) House

Welcome to the beautiful town of Cologne. You just stopped at one of the most important places in this historic center. You are standing right on the north edge of Charles Square and before your eyes there is a building that carries the incredible weight of centuries. It's the house of the Black Cross. Feel this moment, feel the atmosphere of a place where history does not just look from books, but where it is directly present in every line of this object. This house is not just an ordinary building made of stone and bricks. It is a living witness to the changes experienced by the city of Cologne, a witness to the human destinies that took place here, and a witness to the artistic styles that gradually took place.

Let us now return together deep into the past to understand how this house began its long journey. If we try to draw a picture in our minds of the time when the city formed into what we know today, we will find a very old point. Already in the year of the first thousand four hundred ninety-four, more than five hundred years ago, this house was recorded in our old records. At that time, it belonged to a dock man named Havl Kalin. Imagine those times when the streets had not yet been filled with modern vehicles and life in Cologne had a completely different, slower rhythm. This house had its original medieval form at the time. Its foundation was a Gothic structure that was solid, dignified and corresponded to the time when the first large urban buildings were built. This Gothic foundation was the cornerstone on which the building was later built and changed.

Now pay attention to the very form of the house that you are now observing. Even if you see his present appearance today, you must realize that this house has undergone the great changes that gave him today's face. There was a major break in the early eighteenth century. The house was rebuilt baroque, which means that its original medieval face was replaced by a new, much more modern and richer style. This big step was taken by Jan Ignác Hein, who was then the administrator of the Cerheni estate. Thanks to his decisions and investments, the house gained a new character, which was typical of the baroque period - it was more elegant and seemed much more representative. Now, when you're looking at the facade, try to look up traces of these different periods in his lines. You can see the connection between the medieval fortress and baroque variability. But that's not all. During the nineteenth century, the house changed again when the second floor was added to it. This change has given him the range and height that you see today. It is fascinating how different centuries and different needs of the people who lived here intersect in one single construction.

Every house has its own stories, and the people who lived in it or who owned it are the ones who breathe in their soul. The House of the Black Cross was home to many prominent personalities whose names had been registered in the history of the city. In addition to the mentioned Havel Kalin and his widow, there are other names in his history that tell us about the diversity of owners of this place. We can name Jan Sherilek or Ondrej Sobošický from Drhonice. These people were part of the tissue of this city, its inhabitants, who built their lives here and which our city remembers. There were also Silvestr Kratochvíle, Jan Šilhánek or Hans Adam Feringer in the history of the building. Each of these names represents one chapter, one human experience that took place behind these walls. Let us not forget John Ignác Hein himself, who has fundamentally transformed the house or Josef Olive. These characters are not just names in historical documents, they are people who have left their mark in architecture and in the very spirit of this place.

You might find one very important fact that gives this place special weight. This house is not just an ordinary building in a city building. It is a protected cultural monument of the Czech Republic. It means that its value to our nation and to our common history is so great that we must take care of it as precious treasure. There is also a mystery - how is it possible that this object, through all the storms of history, changes of owners, reconstructions and centuries, has managed to maintain such integrity? How many things saw his walls? From the medieval beginnings to today, the House of the Black Cross remains a firm and stable point on Charles Square.

Now that you've learned the basics of his existence and understood how his face has changed over the centuries, you can continue to walk around Cologne. Let us observe the details you have just realized. Feel how history intertwines with every step you take around this square. Let your eyes reexamine the facade and perceive the invisible energy coming from this place. Thank you for spending this moment with us and for being interested in our history and this important object. We wish you a beautiful and inspiring next trip around this historic city. Goodbye.