V Kopečku 19 se sochou svatého Jana Nepomuckého House

The town house with the statue of St. John Nepomuk, known as the Palace of the Civic Reserve, is a Neo-Baroque corner building in the street V Kopěk in Hradec Kralove. The building from 1912 is protected by a monument and stands out with a rich facade and a sensitive incorporation of historical sculpture decoration into the urban space.

The history of the place goes deep into the past. The house stands on a parcel where there used to be two separate objects, one of which was probably of gothic origin. They were merged in the Baroque and in 1770 the classicism followed. The current form of the building was created in 1912 according to the design of architect Rudolf Nemce, pupil Friedrich Ohmann. During the 20th century the house underwent a number of repairs, especially in 1935, 1958 and last 2002. The reconstruction in 1958 was caused by a static distortion of the foundations due to the water under the water which manifested itself with cracks in the wall.

The architectural solution reflects the period tension between historic tendencies and emerging modern ones. Rudolf German chose a Neo-Baroque style for the Civic Reserve with strong horizontal elements, thereby consciously responding to the neighboring, barren and vertically oriented Hanuz house. The details include four ground support pillars on the left side and a valenously sealed passage with lunettes on the right side. The relief in the supraport, which depicts a female figure with three putti as symbols of saving.

The list of owners illustrates the importance of the house within the city building. Since 1579, the object was held by the Kroupov-Dotečních family, which was briefly owned by Jesuits in 1701, but which was converted into a building in the square. Jan Josef Kriesbach won the house in 1774. In the 19th century it was owned, for example, by Jan Kleischmitz and František Pajkr, who set up a shop in the house and later also a warehouse. At the beginning of the 20th century the house belonged to Amalia Fuchs, from which the Civic Reserve bought it in 1911. It was managed until 1942, when it merged with the Zivnostenska Reserve. Since 1956, the building has been used by the national enterprise Collecting raw materials.

The statue of St. John Nepomuk located in the niche of the facade is an important element of the monument. The saint stands on a 160 cm high pedestal with a chronogram, which Jan Josef Kriesbach had made in 1774. The author of the work is probably Karel Antonín Devoty, a member of the sculpture family of Italian origin. The statue captures a saint in an emotional gesture with a hand on his heart; This work of art gave the historic name of St. John's Square in front of the house.

This construction represents a valuable document of the construction development of Hradec Králové, where various architectural approaches are encountered in close proximity. Visiting the site offers the opportunity to explore the quality of the Neo-Baroque architecture and recall the history of one of the major urban institutions.