Náměstí Republiky čp. 8 House

House No. 8 on the Republic Square in JáchymovA is an important Renaissance building from the first stage of building the city around 1520. The monument is remarkable by preserved historical constructions, unique paintings of interiors and stone portals with late Gothic elements. The building is part of the urban monument zone Jáchymov as well as the wider landscape monument zone Mining Cultural Landscape Jáchymov, listed as the Mining Region Erzgebirge / Krušnohoří.

The Renaissance core was established around 1520 when the city acquired the status of a free upper town. Historical sources indicate that Count Štěpán Šlik may have been the first owner of the house.

The building has two above ground floors and is oriented into the square by the gutter side. The saddle roof is currently covered with grey-black fibre cement templates of size 40 x 40 cm, which are placed on the coso. The main facade has four window axes, the entrance is located on the second right. The opening is semi-rounded and framed with a richly profiled edge. The portal is lined by a pair of decorative half-pillars, with a profiled ledge. The window openings on the second floor have preserved the original early Renaissance rectangular profiled lining with overloaded rods. In the interior there are arches, cut beam ceilings and uniquely rich painting. The residential front house was also equipped with a Renaissance rear tract in the courtyard. It also had two floors above ground and on the ground floor it was glazed with a vaulted vault. In the 19th century, this rear house was connected with the front walled side wings with the barbed floor and the half-floor.

In the past the building was in the care of the Regional Housing Administration in Monasterc nad Ohří, currently in the property of the city Jáchymov. The fate of the monument affected the fire of the city in 1873. It burned down the original roofs and damaged parts of the shields, which subsequently had new maturation.

The stone Renaissance portal with late Gothic elements is one of the oldest in Jáchymov. Its style resembles the design of the house No. 112 or the demolished mincmaster's house No. 38. While in April 1965 the state of the building in the checklist was characterized as quite good, since the end of the 20th century the monument suffers from a lack of care.

The building is currently in emergency condition, which is confirmed by the documentation of the National Heritage Institute of February 2023. Some vaults are statically disturbed, there is a crack in the shield and the front facade and rear tracks are exposed to weather effects. Interior structures, including plaster and fresco, are not sufficiently protected. Only basic work has been done so far, such as removal of debris and planting of gutters.

Although the construction requires major repairs, its historical details and connection to the UNESCO mining scene make it valuable testimonies of the past. For visitors of Jáchymova the house No. 8 represents an important point in exploring Renaissance architecture in the Karlovy Vary Region.