Radnice v Dobrovici Town hall

Radnice v Dobrovici is a late Renaissance building from the beginning of the 17th century, located on the north side of Palacký Square in the district of Mladá Byslav. This monument-protected object is famous for its architecture, a massive tower and a unique Renaissance cluster ceiling that was transferred to the ceremonial hall from the castle.

The town hall construction started thanks to the gift of the townsman Havel Valášek, who in 1601 gave the city the land with a building object. Henyk z Valdštejna, owner of the estate, subsequently finished construction as city hall. The italští mistři worked on its construction and decoration, which also worked on the nearby goodwill castle. At the end of 1610, the adversaries were already negotiating in a new representative building with an clock above the entrance.

The architecture of the town hall represents a late Renaissance style, where only a stone portal with a city emblem was preserved from the older building. The one-storey building has a four-axis facade and a ground-floor peeling with two arches and a cross vault, supported by corner pillars. Behind the portal there is an internal mazhaus with a cross vault, followed by two more cross arched halls. A six-story square tower with a roof with a lantern with onions and spikes is attached to the main building.

Unstable clay flooring required the construction of pillars between 1660-1664. In 1673 the fire destroyed the original clock and ceiling in the main hall, but the stone portal remained intact. Local bricklayer J. Jedlička restored the building during the year, repaired the roof and tower and restored the baroque shields. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the town hall was not the seat of the city council; There was a restaurant on the ground floor, guests on the first floor. After 1924, the town hall was again located here after the construction of the City Hall Hotel.

An important part is the historical cluster ceiling in the ceremonial hall, transferred from the castle in 1930. From the original hall of the castle, which was converted into Anselm Thurn-Taxis sugar factory in 1831, the ceiling is decorated with Waldstein coats of arms and eight paintings according to the Ovidius Varieties. The edges decorate flower arabesks with fantastic characters, monsters, animals, fruit and flowers. In the middle is the coat of arms of the Waldstejns and on the sides of the coat of arms of Anna of Vartenberk and Apolonia of Černčický of Kacov. The damaged ceiling was restored by painter Bohumir Čela.

Today the town hall serves as a seat of the city office and is open to the public, where visitors can climb the tower. This historical building represents a valuable example of Renaissance architecture and its connection with the history of the local estate, offering insight into the rich past of Dobrovice.