House At The Stone Bell (Dum U Kamenneho zvonu)
One of the oldest and most significant monuments in Prague, situated in the very heart of Prague – in the Old Town Square, is the House At The Stone Bell (Dum U Kamenneho zvonu). Its front face of the house was considered one of the most beautiful ones in Europe and it illustrated the magnificence in the times of Charles IV.
The house was built in the second half of the 13th century. It’s said that this Gothic palace was built for the royal family, especially for Elizabeth I of Bohemia (the mother of Charles IV), and that it hosted even Charles IV himself. One of its later owners was Augustin Forster who was executed for conspiracy and city betrayal at the very door-step of this house.
The formally Gothic house was rebuilt into Baroque and later on into Neo-Baroque style. Many gothic fragments were chipped and used as a construction material again. A large and difficult reconstruction in the 1980s return the Gothic image to the house.
The name for the House At The Stone Bell appeared for the first time in 1413. As the name suggests, it was called after a stone bell, whose replica is placed at the corner of the house. According to a legend, the bell was placed there after it had fallen from the Church Of Our Lady Before The Tyn in the Old Town Square.
Since 1988 the house has been used by the City Prague Gallery. It’s been the venue for many exhibitions and classical music concerts since.
Address:
Staromestske namesti 13, Prague 1
How to get there:
The House At The Stone Bell is located in the Old Town Square. The nearest metro stations are Mustek (line A and B), Namesti Republiky (line B) or Staromestska (line A). There are many street signs leading to the Old Town Square in the centre of Prague.