Sitrův dům House

Welcome to Prachatice, a city that still amazes anyone who enters its Great Square with its beauty and history. Right now, you're facing one of the most important buildings in this place. In front of you is Sitrův dům, which is the real jewel of local architecture and a silent witness to centuries of urban life. The first impression from the building is the impression of stability, wealth and aesthetic taste. It's a two-story Renaissance Patrician house, which means it was built for a very wealthy and influential citizen who represented the top social class in that town. Feel the atmosphere of this place and imagine how people went through it hundreds of years ago, what the merchants' footsteps sounded like and how the town was viewed from the windows.

Now let's take a look together at how this building started and how it evolved. The history of the house dates back to the sixteenth century. The oldest written record of this place dates back to 1521, which tells us that the house was part of the city's core in the early Renaissance. But what you are seeing today is not the result of the initial construction, but of an ambitious transformation. In 1604 the house had a major reconstruction. It was this year that he acquired his current mannerist form. Mannerism was a period that followed on to the High Renaissance, but brought with it more dynamism, playfulness and desire for pomp. This reconstruction was not random, it was an expression of the power and social position of the Sithrin family.

Now pay attention to the architecture itself and look up. What you're probably interested in first is the top end of the house. Notice the Renaissance Atica with the pylons. Attica is the decorative wall that covers the roof and gives the building a more monumental look. Pylons are those vertical Roman columns or pilasters that rhyme the upper edge of the facade. This whole look was the work of the civil engineering master Josef Fargit. At that time it was common for rich owners to invite from Italy, i.e. Vlaška, top craftsmen and architects to bring the latest trends from southern Europe to Czech cities. Josef Fargit, under the leadership of the owner of the house, Thomas Sitra, was able to turn an ordinary townhouse into a true palace to compete with other buildings in the square.

When your eyes fall from the atics below, focus on the front of the house. The facade is decorated with a rich fresco decoration, which is one of the most distinctive features of the Sithrov house. These paintings are not just decoration, but they carry deep meaning. The author of these works was Šebastián Hájek. If you look carefully, you will see the coats of arms that spoke of the origin and union of the family, but above all the allegory of virtue. In the Renaissance time, it was very important for the homeowners to show not only their wealth, but also their moral integrity and education. Allegory of virtues was intended to remind visitors and bystanders of the values that the owner followed while highlighting his status in the community.

With this house are the names of the personalities who left their trail in Dachhatice. In addition to the construction master Fargit and painter Hájek, the members of the Sithrin family played a major role here. Ambrož Sitr and later Tomáš Sitr were the people who shaped this house. Tomáš Sitr was the visionary who decided in 1604 for radical reconstruction. Imagine their discussions with the Italian master, plans laid out on the table and gradually turning the house into what you see today. In later times, names like Johann Zdiarsky were added to the history of the house, which was part of the complex historical context of the city.

What's interesting is how the function of the house changed over the centuries. The house wasn't always just a family home. Let's move forward in time to 1885. At that time there was a boarding school for students of German gymnasium. It's fascinating to imagine the contrast. Instead of the silence and privacy of the rich Patrician family, there were suddenly many young students whose days were filled with study, arguments and dreams of the future. The luxury mansion became a place of education and life together. Another big break came in 1945 when the house fell to the state. Since then, the building has become a public space and today, even in its extension, the Prachatic Museum is located in it. This is the best possible way to preserve the memory, because the house itself is one of the most important exhibits of this museum.

You may be interested in one question that remains in the space between history and the present. When was the last time you thought about what secrets could hide the walls of a house that survived for 500 years? From early 1521 records to mannerist boom, student noise to museum hall silence. Every layer of facade, every pigment in Shebastian Hájek's paintings tells the story of ambition, art and a changing world. Sitrův dům is not just a stone and plaster construction, it is a materialized memory of Prachatic.

Now that you know the story of this house, its creators and its inhabitants, I suggest you let a look at the facade for a while and try to imagine what the Great Square looked like in 1604 when the house was newly completed and its colors were probably much more saturated than they are today. Note how the house is harmoniously supplemented with the surrounding urban conservation and how it defines the character of the entire square.

But your quest for knowledge does not end here. I ask you to enter and explore the premises of the Prachatic Museum. There is another layer of history, ancient objects and insights into the lives of the people who lived and formed in this region. Go through the halls, feel the silence of the old walls and be inspired by the genius of Josef Fargit and Šebastian Hájek.

Thank you for escorting me to this brief exposition outside of Sithro's house. I wish you a pleasant rest of the visit in Prachatice and many new discoveries in this beautiful city. Goodbye.