HOUSE NO. 495
Introduction
In 1900, the house stood next to the buildings of the Municipal Brewery. That year, Katti Sauerstein operated the Gasthaus Fortuna there, although the owner of the house was R. Günther. The restaurant included a bowling alley with an open lane measuring 20 metres in length and 1.6 metres in width, as well as a wooden pavilion. It was essentially a garden restaurant, and the bowling alley with pavilion was located in what is now the park.
Reconstruction in 1928
In 1928, the owner Josef Günther applied for permission to rebuild the house. The reconstruction plan was prepared by builder K. Haanl. Thanks to this plan, we know the layout of the building at that time.
On the ground floor there was an entrance corridor; to the left was a dining room with windows facing the square. Behind the dining room was the taproom, a room without windows, and further behind it the kitchen situated in a courtyard annex.
To the right of the entrance corridor were stables and a staircase leading to the upper floor, where guest rooms were located. In the courtyard there were ladies’ and gentlemen’s toilets, including a urinal.
Hygienic deficiencies
In 1936, the District Authority in Jáchymov required the owner Josef Günther to carry out modifications to the building. The authority demanded the installation of ventilation in the kitchen and especially in the taproom, which had no windows, and compliance with hygiene regulations in the toilets.
The order followed a trade inspection conducted after the tenant A. Kramer applied for approval to operate his business.
Post-war condition
Further information comes from 1964, when the Jáchymov Building Authority sent a decision to the owner J. Polák from Rakovník, ordering him to bring the house into proper condition and repair the façade. J. Polák had worked in Jáchymov in the post-war years as an administrator of transport services.
On 25 May 1967, the building authority sent a letter to the State Notary Office in Rakovník, which was administering the estate of J. Polák, including this house. The letter stated that the building was in a dilapidated condition due to having been unoccupied for a long time. Reconstruction plans after the 1873 fire testified to the building’s age. On the ground floor there were two rooms and stables; on the first floor five rooms.
The report concluded that the house on Hornické Square formed an unsuitable backdrop to the square, whose historic part was otherwise in good condition. For inheritance proceedings, the building was valued by an expert at 5,000 Kč. The valuation noted that the house had formerly served as an inn and later the entire ground floor had been converted into stables. The ground floor was described as completely uninhabitable and unsuitable for permanent residential use.
The Svazarm period
In the 1970s, the house was owned by the Autoklub Svazarm Jáchymov. The exact date of transfer is unknown, as no relevant documents have been preserved in the archives. Svazarm intended to build garages with a workshop there. As part of necessary repairs, the roof was covered with metal sheets.
Demolition
In March 1984, the local Public Security Department in Jáchymov warned that the building posed a danger to pedestrians due to its condition. A notice issued by the building authority on 17 August 1987, ordering the owner Svazarm to secure the structure, apparently had no effect. On 11 September 1987, the same authority ordered the demolition of the building.
For the last time, the house served in November 1987 as a demonstration site for Civil Defence units. Volunteer firefighters from Jáchymov conducted a simulated fire-fighting exercise there using smoke bombs.
The demolition was subsequently carried out by the company Uranové doly Zadní Chodov, which had its roots in Jáchymov as part of Uranové doly Jáchymov.
