Měšťanský dům (Fryštát) House

Welcome. You are standing in front of one of the oldest houses in Fryštát, specifically in front of city house number nine at Masaryk Square. This house is now known as a library, but its walls were not used to read or store books until recently. Let's look back together at his historical development and discover what this home space could have witnessed over the centuries of its existence.

If you look forward, you will immediately be intrigued by its shield facade - typical of this area - and also by the valb roof, which you can imagine as a roof shaped like a valleys, which is slightly curved. These elements are now just traces of architectural tradition, but they come from a time when this house was only a future building.

The core of this house dates back to the Renaissance era, namely the 17th century when its cellars were built. Back then, the house was part of a vibrant urban environment where people lived, worked and managed. At that time Fryštát was an important city in Moravia, and each house had its function - whether it was a living space, a trade hall or a storage facility.

Then came the Baroque, and with it a new direction in architecture. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, this house was rebuilt. The Baroque reconstruction brought new conditions into the interior, changed appearance and adapted the building to the needs of the new era. Since some walls were already standing by then, the reconstruction was rather a modification than a new construction.

Let's look at some particular moments from his history that shaped him. In 1908 a small annex - shed - was added to the house according to the design of architect Franz Czempiel. Czempiel was at the time an active architect in the region and his work influenced the appearance of many buildings in the area. This annex probably served as a place to store things that were not needed inside the house.

Twenty years later, in 1918, another economic building was added to the house. This was already at a time when many things changed - the First World War ended, political structures were changing, and people were looking for stabilization in their home. This building probably served as a storage site or work space.

Then it was time for the winter of this building. In 1951, one of the built-in buildings was demolished due to poor technical condition. It was a time when priorities changed in our region - buildings had to be safe, and if they were no longer applicable, they were demolished. It was chaos and rebuilding everything around us.

And then the recovery came. In 1971 the house was reconstructed according to the project Ing. Bednářová. This woman was at that time one of the few female architects in Czechoslovakia and her work contributed to the preservation of many historical buildings in the region. Thanks to her, this house could survive until today.

Now that you're standing in front of the house, you can imagine that his interior was completely different. In the original times there was a low mazhaus - a space that was encapsulated by a cross-crest vault with lunnets. This is a specific type of roof that is characteristic of a certain period and style of buildings. Such arches were popular because they allowed to spread the hardness of the roof cover evenly all the way to the ground.

After the end of World War I, this house was reused significantly. He served as an office - the place where the doctor worked and received patients - and as a residence for the castle manager. This means that within a few years the house was a place of personal life, work and service.

It is interesting that this house combines two distinct periods - Renaissance roots from the seventeenth century and Baroque reconstruction from the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This is common for some buildings, but for this house it means that every stone has a story. Each wall can talk about a different century, about a different style, about a different life for the people who inhabited it.

If you look at the facade, you can imagine what it looked like centuries ago, decades ago, years ago. What sounds there were - footsteps of people walking down stairs, rustling leaves in the cellar, the voice of children playing in front of the house. It was all part of the life that was going on.

Get carried away in this environment. Feel the atmosphere that lasted here until today. Even though the house serves as a library, its walls remember all the stories, all the emotions and all the days it was for something else in this building.

I suggest you look at the surrounding areas. Take a look at Masaryk Square, which is the center of the city today, but once it was a place of markets, gathering people and public gatherings. Every house in the square has a story, and this house number nine is just one of them.

Thank you for taking us through the historic journey of this house. We will go back for a while to his presence - like the library, where the thoughts and dreams of readers meet today. But remember, every book you bring here finds its place between the lines, just like every person who came here before you found its place between these walls.

I hope you were interested in this entry into the history of the Town House in Fryštát. I wish you many other discoveries and stories that these cities and villages can tell. Whether you're drawn to curiosity, love of history or simply the desire to discover new things - this house is a proud witness of all these paths.

If you want to learn more, do not hesitate to look inside. The library will welcome you and perhaps show you some history records to help you understand how this house used to be alive and full of human life.

I would like to invite you to explore again. I'm sure you'll decide where your next stop is. And even if you feel tired, remember that every rock below you and every home element around us carry a story that waits only to be told.

Sincerely and with the wish of many interesting discoveries.