Měšťanský dům čp. 111/7 House

Welcome to the Valachian Mezirich. Right now, you're standing in a place that carries an incredible depth of time and beauty that may interest you immediately. In front of your eyes is a township house bearing the number of one hundred and one and seven. You're standing on Crožkovsky Street, and this particular object is now the main star body of your view. Feel the weight, the stability, and the presence this house brings to the entire city building. It's not just an ordinary building made of stone and mortar. It is a living monument that has stood here and watched the changing world around it for centuries. Look at his face, his dimensions and how his parts intertwine with the surrounding street. It is a true dominant that immediately catches your sight and brings you to the realization that you are in the heart of history. But in order to truly understand what you are seeing right now, we must, together with your imagination, go back deep into the past. We must return to the time this house was born. Its original core, the oldest and strongest part, which forms the basis of everything you now admire, was created around the year of a thousand and five hundred and fifty. This was the time of the Renaissance, the time when urban architecture flourished and houses were built for rich citizens, for people who formed the economic and social heart of the city. That's when the foundations for future greatness and beauty were laid. But history isn't static, it's constant movement and transformation. This house has never been completed in one form. He evolved along with the city. In the nineteenth century, between the year one thousand eight hundred and one thousand and eight hundred hundred, the object underwent major building modifications. _ These changes gave him a new touch and prepared him for the following era. Subsequently, in the course of the twentieth century, between the years one thousand nine hundred and one and one thousand nine hundred seventy-four, other important work took place. Each of these layers of time, each remodel, added something new to the house and created the present form that you now see. It's like a book that has many chapters and each chapter was written by a different hand in another century. And it is thanks to this rich and rich history that this object on the 13th of November in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-five was entered on the list of cultural monuments to be protected for future generations. Now, please, give your full attention to the details you have in front of you. The most important and prominent element that brings the house into the street is its arch. Look at these arches. See how the house breaks down into the street? It creates the kind of open space that attracts you to each other with this movement. There are three arcs that create this passage. Notice their edges. The lateral arches have a very specific and interesting shape, their edges are seared, which gives the whole elongated softness, while expressing the precision of the then craftsmen. If you look at the space under these arcs, you can imagine how people have been moving around here for centuries. The inner part of this arch is then crowned by Prussian vaults. These arches that stretch in belts are the technical and aesthetic treasure of this house. These are structures that make it possible to create beautiful and solid ceilings. If you had the opportunity to enter, you would see a rich arch, which includes not only these Prussian vaults, but also the so-called placebo, which are these flat but solid ceilings. But even on the outside, the house is rich in details. Turn aside a little bit and look at the side facade that goes towards the church. There you will see something very interesting - blind arcades. It's these arc shapes that aren't passable, but they serve as a decorative element right on the wall. They provide the facade with depth, rhythm and a beautiful game of light and shadow. The whole house is single storey and above it is situated a soil area with a semi-storey, which gives it its characteristic size and appearance. You may be asking in your mind who shaped this house. Who was the first owner to decide to build his home here in the middle of the 16th century? Who was the craftsman who, with such care, carved the edges of the arches? Even though history in these records has not told us the specific names of the personalities who shaped this house, their presence in every stone and in every arch is felt. These secrets are part of every old monument. Every reconstruction in the nineteenth or twentieth century was the work of someone who wanted to improve this house, keep it going and make it part of his world. These unknown human stories, these silent testimonies of the past, are precisely what gives place to his soul. The house isn't just matter, it's the sum of all the people who moved in it, who built it, who repaired it. There's also something that might interest you when you look at the overall structure. The contrast between the old Renaissance core and the later modifications. It's a fascinating combination of different styles and different times that meet here in one object. Look how the different centuries tried to keep the house modern for its time, while maintaining its basic essence. That's the true power of this place. Now that you've looked at his face and understood his structure, I suggest you continue your walk on Crožkovsky Street. Check out other houses and try to find similar traces of history, similar arches or similar facade details. You may encounter another hidden treasure or interesting element that tells you its own story. Thank you for spending this moment with this monument and paying attention to its beauty. I wish you a beautiful and inspiring continuation of the city.