Old Town Hall

Historic Interiors Guide

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Old Town Hall

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Introduction

Chapter 1

The Old Town Hall is the oldest institution of its kind on Czech territory and incontrovertibly part of the country’s history. It has witnessed some glorious and some dark times.

It was first opened to the public in the mid-19th century and is one of the oldest heritage sites in Prague accessible to visitors.

Introduction 3

The entire building complex is listed as a national cultural monument and quite rightly included in the UNESCO protected heritage zone.

The Old Town Hall in a period photo from the late 19th century The way the building looks these days is only a stub of its former glory – missing the once integral north-eastern wing of the Old Town Hall. The main façade of the building used to be an unmistakable dominant feature of the Old Town Square. Its original form was replaced in the mid-19th century by an impressive example of palatial architecture (pictured).

It was the work of architects Peter Nobile and Paul Sprenger. The building, which was the most distinctive example of neo-Gothic architecture in downtown Prague stood on the square for only a century – the events of the Prague Uprising at the end of World War II led to its ruin. At present its place is taken up by a small park.

Photo: Archives of the Capital City of Prague 4 Introduction

History of the Old Town Hall The Old Town Hall was founded by the Royal Consent of Czech King John of Luxembourg in 1338 as the seat of self-government of the Old Town of Prague. It was not built anew, but converted from one of the houses on the Old Town Square – a corner building with a tower, then the property of merchant Wolflin of Kámen, bought out of his private ownership by the City Council and adapted for official needs. This house, which today bears the famous Astronomical Clock on its frontage, underwent considerable rebuilding to befit the newly created institution and was extended by a whole set of buildings in the neighbourhood, internally connected into one complex.

While in its early days the Old Town Hall was the official administrative seat of the Old Town alone, its scope expanded significantly later. This happened mainly during the reign of Emperor Joseph II in 1784 – four hitherto independent Prague townships (Old Town of Prague, New Town of Prague, Lesser Town and the Hradčany castle precinct) were then merged into one administrative unit, forming the Royal Capital City of Prague. With a population of 76,000, Prague became the second largest city in the Hapsburg monarchy. The new City was headedup by the Old Town Hall, where all the administration offices were brought together – newly named the Municipal Authority (“Magistrát”). In order for the medieval complex of houses of the Old Town Hall to accommodate the burgeoning bureaucratic apparatus, the first major modifications of the premises were already made by the end of the 18th century to expand the

6 Introduction

administrative building. These reconstructions resulted in the demolishing of the entire original north-eastern tract of the Old Town Hall towards the square, where a monumental new building in the neo-Gothic style was built in 1838–48.

The flourishing of Prague’s City Hall was thwarted by the events of the 20th century. On the last day of World War II – 8 May 1945 – there was an intense assault on the Old Town Hall by the Nazis. The roof of the tower was set on fire and the bay window of the Town Hall chapel demolished, a fire started in the Astronomical Clock mechanism room and in some of the buildings’ south wing, and the neo-Gothic tract where the valuable city archive was kept was strafed until it succumbed to the flames. The incessant strafing made it impossible to put out the fire, so once the fighting ended, the historical building stood in ruins. The northernmost east-facing tract of the Old Town Hall was demolished after the war and a green space with a few trees took its place. During the second half of the 20th century, a number of architectural competitions were called for completing the building complex, but none came to realization, so the site is still an open green space. After the war, only the oldest part of the Old Town Hall – the southern wing, consisting of five historic houses – was restored. Their interiors today serve as the Reception Halls of the Mayor of Prague. After the damage to the Old Town Hall, the New City Hall on nearby Mariánské náměstí square became the administrative centre of Metropolitan Prague.

1 Chapel of Our Lady 2 Municipal Hall 3 Old Council Chamber 4 Assembly Hall Lobby 5 Brožík Assembly Hall 6 George Hall 7 Romanesque Cellars 8 Gothic Cellars 9 Main Lobby 10 Town Hall Tower 11 Wedding Parlours 12 Historical Sewers 13 Astronomical Clock Mechanism

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p Its 64 pages are filled with interesting information and unique photographs worth looking at.