hotel Palacký Building

The House of Palacký, formerly known as the Rotes Herz (Red Heart), is a four-story terraced building built in the style of late historism in the German corenesan spirit. It is located in the centre of the spa part of Karlovy Vary on the street Stará louka, in the town monument zone and is protected as a cultural monument since 1991.

From the beginning of the construction of Karlovy Vary, the Baroque house of Rotes Herz stood at this place. The owner was Amelia Knoll, who had a new building built in 1893 according to the design of Viennese architect Karel Haybäck. The construction was completed in 1893- 1894.

The architecture of the building is characterized by a risalite middle element and five window axes on the street side. On the ground floor there is an arch entrance with a neo-Renaissance door, supplemented by two open columns on the plinth. Above the entrance there is an octagonal bay extending up to the crown ledge. The first floor of the bay contains three windows, the middle of which is arc, and the walls are sheathed. Above the first floor there is a distinctive ledge on the consoles with segmental front and stucco cartouche. The arch on the second floor has three windows with vaults and stucco cartouche, while its third floor is dealt with as a loggia with three wide arches on the columns.

The sides of the facade have windows in various designs. On the first floor there are arc windows with forged railing and volute motifs, while the second floor oblong windows have triangular frontons and balcony with forging. The windows of the third floor are also rectangular with vaults and stucco segmented bands. Above the upper ledge there is a plastic arc frieze. The whole object ends with a steep shield with a clearly preset balcony and an octagonal tower of gotifying shape. The shield has a segmental window, stucco cartouche with an 1884 year and two smaller three-eyed skylights with triangular frontons.

The history of the site is also associated with an important personality, as in the original Baroque house Rotes Herz was born on December 12, 1839, the Mayor of Karlovy Vary Eduard Knoll. Currently, the building is owned by VICTOR, s. r. o.

The building has been registered in the register of cultural monuments since 27 May 1991 and was included in the Programme of Regeneration of the Municipal Monument Zone Karlovy Vary 2014-2024 in 2014, where it was listed in a satisfactory state.

House Palacký represents an important architectural part of the spa town and a testimony of its flourishing in the period of history. Its detailed decoration and preservation of the original elements makes it a valuable object for anyone interested in the history of Karlovy Vary.