Old Town Hall (Prague)
The Old Town Hall (Staroměstská radnice) is a group of buildings on Old Town Square in Prague, formed by joining burghers' houses acquired over time.[1] The Prague Astronomical Clock is mounted on the south side of its tower.[1] The town hall is a national cultural monument.[2]*
History
King John of Luxembourg allowed the Old Town to establish a town hall by a privilege issued in Amiens on 18 September 1338.[1] The tower was completed in 1364. The chapel on its first floor was consecrated on 4 August 1381 by Bishop Hynek of Vladimiř.[3][1] In 1410 the astronomical clock was installed on the town hall.[2] In 1458 the nobility elected George of Poděbrady king of Bohemia here. After the Battle of the White Mountain the town hall served as a prison for the leaders of the Estates' uprising, 27 of whom were executed on the square on 21 June 1621.[3] After the four Prague towns were united in 1784, the town hall became the seat of the joint city administration.[3] Weddings have been held here since 1871.[3]
1945
During the Prague Uprising the town hall was a centre of the resistance, and the Czech National Council worked in its basement.[4] On 7 May 1945 the town hall was shelled and set on fire. The east and north wings opposite the Týn Church were destroyed, and the tower with the clock and the chapel were badly damaged.[3] The east wing, known as the Sprenger wing, had to be demolished.[2] For the 30th anniversary of the liberation the ruined part was repaired and furnished with memorial plaques.[3]
Architecture
The core of the town hall is the Gothic corner house of Wolflin of Kámen from the end of the 13th century, to which the prismatic tower was added.[3] The cellars of the southern front come from a Romanesque court of the 12th century.[2] A Renaissance triple window of the neighbouring house bears the inscription Praga caput regni.[3][5] The complex also includes the house U Minuty with sgraffito decoration from the early 17th century.[3] A glazed lift was installed in the tower during a reconstruction completed in 1999.[1]
Today
The town hall with its tower and historic interiors is opened to the public by Prague City Tourism. The tower gallery is 42 m high.[3] The Heritage Catalogue of the National Heritage Institute lists the town hall as a cultural monument since 1958.[2]
Sources
* The sources are collected and the preliminary text of this entry is drafted with artificial intelligence, on the instruction of the editorial staff; the entry has not yet been verified by an editor — report a mistake.