Kanovnický dům na Novém Městě House

Welcome to the heart of Prague's New Town. You are standing right in front of a building that carries an incredible depth of time and a silent witness to many changes that have passed through Prague. The canon house you have right in front of you does not act at first sight as a monumental palace, but its peaceful and balanced form contains stories that go beyond ordinary cafes and business passages of this place. Feel this atmosphere, feel the contrast between today's traffic and history, which is written into every stone of this building.

Now let's go back deep into the past together to understand how this object came into being. The roots of this place go much further than they might seem. Already at the end of the 14th century, in the year 133,62, a plot began to take place here, which defined the character of the entire area. During this period, a capitula was established here, which was transferred from the Sada. This means that this place has been linked for centuries with spiritual life and the administration of church affairs. Imagine then Prague, then troubled and rising times, when the foundations of the future city were built here.

Over time, however, the needs of the city and the building itself changed. What you see today is the result of a major reconstruction that took place in the eighteenth century. It was then that the older object was transformed into a form that allows us today to perceive its classical character. If you look at its structure now, you can see the harmony and order that this style brings. The whole building has a very specific ground plan in the shape of L. This shape is not random, it influenced the way the building fits into the city building and how it creates its own inner spaces. The name of the architect Franz Anton Leonard Herget is behind this architectural form. His work in this building has given the building the balanced and dignified face that you perceive right now. Even if you look at the outer walls, know that inside, there are many arched spaces that are evidence of the then championship and give the interior a sense of tonnage and history.

But now pay attention to the most important and impressive parts of the history of this house. In seventy-eight nine, there was an event that completely changed this object and gave it a new human dimension. Emperor Josef II. has decided that this house will serve as the first hospital in Prague. But it wasn't just an ordinary hospital. It was an institution with a very specific and sensitive mission. It was intended for women from the socially weaker classes who needed a safe and above all discreet place to come into the world.

This is where the history of big decisions meets the most intimate moments of human life. Imagine the women coming here. They were often poor or single women who sought refuge and protection in this house. The birth home was supposed to provide the facilities they lacked in the company at the time and allow them to give birth in peace, regardless of their social status. This aspect of humanity and social welfare makes this place special. The Canon House was not just a building of stone and mortar, it was a space where there was a need to help with the need to preserve human dignity in the most difficult times.

Other important names are associated with this place, which left a trail in the history of Prague. In connection with this place and its era, Antonín Jan Jungmann or Antonín Heveroch, for example, have been written in the people's memory and history. Their presence in this context reminds us that this place was part of the wider cultural and social movement that shaped our country in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

You might find one interesting thing that gives this place some depth. This maternity home was set up precisely to allow poor women to give birth in private, which they otherwise could not afford. At a time when the social situation of many people was very difficult, this house served as a quiet port. It was a place where there was a connection between the need to provide medical care and the need to hide weakness and distress, which was very important for the company at the time. This discretion was a key element that allowed women to come here with the hope of a safe and dignified start of a new life for their children.

Today, this building is declared a cultural monument to the Czech Republic, which is a recognition of its immense value. Since the year one thousand nine hundred fifty-eight, this building has been protected as part of our common heritage. It is proof of how the needs of the city change, how society changes, but how, after centuries, certain spaces remain a symbol of caring for others.

Now, if you're going on the streets of New Town, take this feeling with you. Feel every building around you not as a mere installation, but as a place that has its own soul and its own secrets. The Canon House has just revealed a piece of its history, from church roots to human aid in the era of enlightenment. I wish you a beautiful tour of the rest of this wonderful city and I hope that these traces of the past will continue to accompany you. Thank you for spending this moment with us.