Dům U slona Building

Welcome to Budejovice Suburb in Sand. Right now you're standing in front of a remarkable historical building known as Dům U slona. Take a moment of this first impression and let yourself breathe into history, which is literally tangible here. In front of you is a building whose current form will impress you at first sight with its specific triangular plan. This unconventional shape was not created by accident, because it was given by the adjacent wall which once defined and protected the city. Let's dive together into the story of this place and explore its deep roots and interesting fates.

If we go against the flow of time, we'll find that the history of this place goes incredibly deep into the past. The core of the building has its roots in the third quarter of the 13th century. Originally in this place, before the former Prague Gate, the house of the guard was built. The sand developed dynamically at the time, and this strategic place at the walls was of great importance. The original medieval building was transformed over the centuries, until it reached its next big chapter in the nineteenth century. Around 1824, a contemporary townhouse was built which gave the building a face that we still admire in the main features. It is this year that the original home sign of the elephant comes from, which gave the entire object its unmistakable name and soul.

Now, when you look directly at the building itself, notice the details that make up its unique character. The architects, whose names were unfortunately not preserved, left an unmistakable manuscript on the facade. The building boasts a beautiful Empire facade that gives the whole house a noble and elegant atmosphere. Take a look at this facade and see the proportions of classical architecture that has harmoniously merged with the historic city centre. Although the modern visitor sees mainly the above-ground part of the house, there are witnesses of ancient times under you and inside the building. On the ground floor and underground, ancient Gothic cellars have been preserved, which remember the times long past, and remind us that today's appearance of the house has grown on solid foundations dating back to the Middle Ages.

Every old house has stories of people who have linked their lives to it, and Dům U slona is no exception. In modern history, the fates of the personalities who saved this memory from ruin bind to it. In 1982, a crucial moment took place to save the entire building. The art historian Jaromír Stach Černín purchased the house at a time when he was threatened with a sad fate in the form of demolition. Thanks to his enormous efforts and professional enthusiasm, he managed to save this valuable historical structure for future generations. It is Jaromír Stach Černín that has also promoted its registration among the protected objects, thereby ensuring that Dům U slona remains a permanent part of the Spanish cultural heritage. The artist František Roman Dragoun is also associated with this place, which underlines the fact that Dům U slona attracted creative souls and people with feelings for beauty.

When you think about it, it's fascinating how the house could resist the transformation of centuries. It bears its name after the home sign of an elephant that was placed here in 1824. At that time, it was a common way to mark a house in a building where descriptive numbers were not enough or were not so common, but the elephant on the house was and still is something exceptional and exotic that attracts the views of bystanders. Imagine the people who came through here 200 years ago when the facade was new, or even before, when the medieval army house was here.

I believe a tour of the Elephant House has enriched you with a new view of the history of the sand. When you set out on the next town tour, remember the story of saving this monument and the people who breathed in her new life. Thank you for your attention, I wish you a wonderful rest of your stay in Písek and see you at the next historic stops.