Malovaný dům v Třebíči Museum building

Welcome to the heart of Trembie. You are standing in Charles Square, where history meets the daily life of this city. In front of your eyes is one of the most important Renaissance monuments of the entire region, the Painted House. Before we go into his secrets, allow you to pause for a moment, soak up the atmosphere of this square and perceive the presence of this building, which has been tracking the movement of people, horses and modern cars for centuries. This house is not just an ordinary house, it's a living book that tells stories about wealth, travel to distant countries and art that try to resist time.

Let's now go back deep into the past, specifically to the end of the sixteenth century. Imagine the Třebíč, a city prosperous by trade. It was at this time that this impressive object was built by a Venetian buyer named Francesco Calligardi. Why would a man from Venice, the center of world trade, choose this place? The answer is in his profession. Calligardi set up a colonial goods store here. Imagine the smells that spread from this house to the surroundings - exotic spices, rare types of coffee, sugar or other valuables, which were the symbol of luxury and high status. It was because of this business focus that the building was called the Františkov house, which is the name that bears the reflection of its original destiny.

Now pay attention to the facade, which is undoubtedly the greatest treasure in this place. Look at the walls of the house and try to perceive the incredible richness of decoration. What you see is not just an ordinary painting, but a masterpiece with a technique called sgraffito. This method requires enormous patience and precision - it is created by scraping patterns on multiple layers of plaster to reveal the color of the bottom layer. Feel the richness of detail that now surrounds you. If you look closely, you can see figures on the walls that look like they just stepped out of ancient legends. You will see hunters moving in the wilderness, perhaps even hunters accompanied by a wolf, which gives the facade certain dynamics and tension. In addition to these secular scenes, spiritual motives appear. Note the biblical characters and above all the beautiful views of the Virgin Mary with three angels. This combination of everyday life, hunting and sanctity creates a unique whole that was very suggestive of the people back then. In addition, you can see the portraits of townspeople, which gives us insight into the then social structure and how important it was for the then elite to present their position through architecture and art.

But the history of this house was not just a linear stream of success. The house has undergone many changes in owners and functions. For example, in the year one thousand six hundred and seventeen there was a significant milestone when the house was sold to Jan Janka Strážnický. Since then, the times have changed, political regimes and ways of life have changed, but the house has continued. In more modern history, the house has become an important cultural point. In a thousand and nine hundred and eighty-seven, the building underwent a major repair and cleaning of sgraffiti, reopening itself to the public in a new form. Many people took part in this process and in the care of the house, among which names such as Ladislav Novák or Josef Kozlanský appear in the records, who have contributed to the fact that we are now able to track these sgraffits at all.

But now I must lure you to a little deeper reflection on the fragility of this place. Even though the Painted House appears to be a solid and hard building, time is constantly affecting it. You may notice that some parts of its surface require special care. The surveys carried out in the year two thousand twenty largely confirmed that the state of plaster is in critical condition. So what you're seeing in front of you is in some kind of danger right now. It's fascinating, but also sad, how much our cultural heritage depends on a constant effort to save it. The need for rescue work is now a priority so that these unrepeatable sgraffiti are not lost for future generations.

The interesting thing that you might find interesting when you look at the house is the constant change between what is visible and what is hidden beneath the surface. Every layer of plaster you see is the result of the work of craftsmen hundreds of years ago. It's like layering time itself. This house is not just a building, it is an architectural dialogue between a Venetian businessman who wanted luxury, and Czech craftsmen who materialized his vision into stone and plaster.

I hope this brief insight into the history of the painted house has helped you better understand its meaning and beauty. You stand before a witness to history, which, despite its present fragility, still stands here to tell us about its glory. Please continue your walk around Charles Square and pay attention to other sights you will find in this city. Every stone and facade here has a story that just waits to be discovered. Thank you for your attention and I wish you a pleasant continuation of the tour of Třebič.