knihovna House

Welcome to Náchod, a city full of history and beautiful architectural corners. Right now, you're standing in front of a building that connects two completely different faces. At first glance, there is an elegant, noble house before you that radiates peace and stability. But it is a place that has fundamentally changed its purpose and its soul over the years. Today, the city knihovna is based here, but if you look carefully at its shapes, you will see that this space was created for something else. Feel its atmosphere and try to imagine how it breathed in these areas almost a century ago.

Let us now return together in time many decades back to the year nine hundred thirty-one. It was this year that this house was completed. At that time, however, it was not a place for thousands of books and quiet study. The building was built as a home for the factory, Cyril Bartona. Imagine what life was like back then. It was the home of a man who controlled industry, a man with vision and ambition, who wanted his seat to reflect his social standing, but also his taste and modern thinking. The architect Otakar Novotný was behind the design of this construction. He was a man who could perfectly balance the needs of comfortable family housing with the most modern building trends at that time.

Now pay attention to the very form of the building you are facing. Look at her shapes and lines. Architecturally, we are at a very interesting point in history. This house represents a fascinating transition. It's a bridge between two worlds. On the one hand, we see the effects of modern classicism, which was still seeking certain order, symmetry and grandeur. On the other hand, we already feel the coming of functionalism. Functionalism was in a direction where the main role was no longer played by unnecessary ornament, but by the practicality, purity of lines and the principle that shape must follow function. It is this tension between tradition and modern that gives the house its unique character.

Notice the house is two stories tall. Now if you raise your eyes and look up to the sky, you'll see an interesting ending to the roof. It's not one simple area, it's a set of counter and saddle roofs. This combination of roofs gives the building a specific silhouette that distinguishes it from other houses nearby. It is a detail that may seem subtle, but it plays an important role in the overall effect of the construction.

Now when you look towards Kamenice Street, you will see one of the most striking and beautiful details of the whole house. It's a glass bay. This protruding element which stretches into the street space is decorated with copper plating. Imagine how this element served the indigenous people. The archery allowed as much natural light as possible to penetrate the interiors, while providing the opportunity to monitor the activity in the street without leaving the warmth of your home. Copper with gradual aging gains its typical patina, which gives the building a sense of grandeur and historical depth.

Even if you're standing outside now, let's try together to imagine what's waiting for us inside. The interior of the house is designed according to a modern functionalist concept. This means that rooms are not just closed boxes that are separated by thick walls. On the contrary, the interior is based on the principle of interconnecting space. This concept was meant to create a sense of air, freedom and modern flow of life. It was in contrast to those old houses where each room was strictly separate.

With this place are the names of many important personalities who left a trail in Czech culture and architecture. In addition to Cyril Barton himself and architect Novotny, names like Pavel Janák, Otakar Nypl, Karel Dvořák, František Kysela, Otakar Španiel or Franta Anýž appear in connection with the building and its context. They are people who have shaped Czech modernism with their work and thinking. Each of these names brings another layer of meaning to the story of the house and reminds us that this house was not just an ordinary building, but was part of a wider intellectual and artistic movement of its time.

But the fate of the house changed fundamentally after World War II. In the year nine hundred forty-eight, there was a great transformation. The house stopped being the factory's private residence and was converted into a city library. It's a very symbolic twist. A space that was previously accessible only to the chosen and served for private comfort suddenly opened up to all citizens of Náchoda. The home of one family has become a home for thousands of books and for anyone seeking answers, education or simple escape. This change in the function of the building basically democratized space and gave it a new, social sense.

In recognition of his architectural and historical value, the house was entered as a cultural monument in the year of tynes nine hundred fifty-eight. This is an important moment, because the state has hereby recognised that this building is not only a functional building but an important testament to our history. It is a monument to the time when the old world parted with its rigour and welcomed a new era of modernity and practicality.

So the library in Náchod is much more than just a building with shelves full of books. It is a place where the industrial ambitions of the early twentieth century meet with cultural enlightenment of later times. It is a house that survived changes in regimes, changes in functions, and yet retained its elegance and dignity.

We now invite you to take a closer look at the building. Maybe you'll stop by that copper bay and try to imagine how it used to look on Kamenice Street. You may enter and be consumed by the silence and specific scent of old paper, which is so typical of libraries. Go through her space, see the game of light and shadows, and think about the people who lived here decades ago, working and reading.

Thank you for spending a moment with us at this beautiful house. We hope that you are interested in his story and that you perceive beauty in details that others might have overlooked. We wish you a pleasant continuation in the discovery of Náchod and its other hidden treasures. Goodbye.