TOWN HALL
The Schlik House and the Beginnings of Minting
When the original town hall at Brottmarkt (Bread Market, today the Slovany area) became insufficient in both capacity and representation for the rapidly developing town, the municipal council sought a new prestigious seat. The choice fell on the first house in the street row, owned by Hieronymus Schlik. This house, decorated with a painted façade, was among the most magnificent buildings of early Jáchymov.
The building was constructed between 1520 and 1528 by Hans Alpeck. It was later purchased by the mining official Gregor Hirsch. In 1528, Lorenz Schlik acquired it for 1,100 Rhenish guilders and subsequently gave it to his brother Hieronymus. After the Schlik family obtained the minting privilege, they established the so-called Old Mint in the rear building. Its remains are now separated from the Town Hall by Mint Street.
Later, a new mint was built on a neighbouring plot, and the former Old Mint served only as the rear building of the Schlik palace. In 1531, the town purchased the property from Hieronymus Schlik for 2,000 guilders, demonstrating both the building’s value and the town’s wealth.
Original Layout
Architecturally, the building was a transverse double-wing structure with the entrance in the centre of the southern axis (today the entrance to the Information Centre). Behind the entrance was a hall covered with a ribbed cross vault, followed by a black kitchen and a storage cellar. The rear part, partially set below ground level, served as storage space and was covered by a barrel vault. The original staircase to the upper floor has not survived.
Reconstruction after the Fire of 1538
In 1538, a fire broke out in the mint and damaged the town hall. During reconstruction between 1540 and 1544, the building was separated from the mint and significantly enlarged. A three-winged structure with a tower was created, forming the basis of today’s ground plan.
The original Schlik house received a gabled roof with a decorated gable facing the square. The new northern wing was similarly oriented. A tower with a double helmet roof was erected in the centre of the transverse wing, housing a bell, a lantern, and the watchman’s apartment. Numerous Late Gothic and Early Renaissance vaults and stonework elements have been preserved. The building’s appearance is depicted on the mining map of 1593 and on a map from 1720.
Functional Arrangement
In the central wing, a Merchants’ Hall was built, accessible from the square through a vaulted passage with a portal. It included a portal shop window with a sill and skylight, now bricked up.
In the basement of the northern wing, a tavern was established, vaulted with four cross-vaulted fields resting on a central pillar. Behind it were a smoke kitchen and beer and wine storage cellars. Above the tavern was the council chamber, adjoining the town clerk’s office and the municipal archive.
On the upper floor of the central wing was the courtroom, covered with a cloister vault. Between this hall and the tower was the municipal treasury, separated by a massive arch and covered with a barrel vault.
The Fire of 1782 and Baroque Modifications
On 23 July 1782, a major fire broke out in the mint building and spread to the town hall. A reconstruction design by Prague builder Philipp Heger was rejected due to high costs. The building was restored in 1783–1784 according to plans by Anton Bernt from Kadaň.
The roofs were unified into a single hipped roof, and the top of the tower was simplified to a low tent-shaped roof for structural reasons. Prison cells were inserted into the Schlik wing, their partitions cutting through original Renaissance vaults.
19th-Century Alterations and the Discovery of the Latin Library
In 1869–1870, the original slate roofing was replaced with fired tiles. In 1871, municipal builder Franz Siegl added a romanticising crenellation to the tower. During these works, his son Karel discovered the long-lost Latin Library in the attic of the Schlik wing. This accidental discovery saved the books, as the town and the town hall were again destroyed by fire on 31 March 1873.
Reconstruction 1901–1902
At the beginning of the 20th century, the building no longer met the town’s needs. Plans were prepared by Johann Benesch from Ústí nad Labem and executed by Rudolf Hammerschmiedt.
The original Schlik house remained at its original height, preserving its characteristic arcaded cornice. The other two wings were raised by one storey and fitted with pseudo-Renaissance stepped gables articulated by Gothic-inspired pilasters and decorative elements. The tower received a gallery and a new onion dome. Due to worsened structural stability, massive supporting pillars were added according to plans by municipal builder Franz Rehn.
From 1934 onwards, the building housed the political and judicial district of Jáchymov.
Present Day
The richly profiled Saxon-type portal has been preserved, though it is in relatively poor condition. Above it is the town’s coat of arms with Saints Joachim and Anne as shield-bearers. To the right is a memorial plaque dedicated to Johannes Mathesius.
Today, the building houses the Municipal Office of Jáchymov, the Information Centre with the Latin Library exhibition, and the Municipal Library.
Photo gallery: http://mipalfi.rajce.idnes.cz/Radnice/#
Cellar photo gallery: https://mipalfi.rajce.idnes.cz/Sklepy_radnice/
