PATRICIAN HOUSE NO. 134
Introduction
The house in the upper part of Náměstí Republiky dates back to the early years of the town. As documented by a city view reproduced in the 1913 publication “Soupis památek historických a uměleckých v politickém okrese Jáchymovském” by Schmidt, it was originally a three-storey building. The uppermost floor was probably lost during the great fire of March 1873.
Part of the so-called rear house with a connecting passage has also been preserved. This passage, however, assumed its connecting function only after later alterations. Originally it was probably a courtyard wing of the main house, as the front and rear sections were connected by a gallery at the level of the first floor.
The house was significant in legal terms as well. It possessed brewing rights and was associated with a mining share of ten kuxe, while a mine could have a maximum of 128 kuxe. In this case, the share was valued at 810 guilders and 24 kreuzers. These rights were tied to the building itself and automatically transferred to any new owner upon sale.
History
The builder is unknown, and no owners are documented until 1621. The house was probably purchased by Gregor Steinmüller upon his arrival in the town; after 1621 he served as mint master in Jáchymov. The earliest reliably documented owner is his daughter Rosina, recorded as owner no later than March 1647.
On 6 January 1696, the pin-maker Christian Grimm purchased the house from Christoph Öeser for 225 guilders. The Grimm family owned the property until 1810. In the Theresian Cadastre, during the tenure of town councillor Felix Ignaz Grimm, the house is noted as being “in poor condition.” The last owner from the Grimm family was Barbara, married to Josef Peschka, who sold the house on 13 May 1810 to Bernard and Johanna Schmidt for 3,600 guilders. Bernard Schmidt was a forest master and served as mayor in 1843–1844 and again in 1845–1846.
In 1842, Alois Müller is listed as owner; he also owned the neighbouring, now demolished house No. 135. On 31 August 1850, Theresie Schmidt applied for permission to establish a shop on the ground floor separated from the rest of the house, based on an agreement with Alois Müller. After the fire of 31 March 1873, Alois Müller requested permission on 8 June 1873 to rebuild the house.
In spring 1878, the owner was the master mason and builder Franz Siegel, father of Karl Siegel, who discovered the Latin Library in the attic of the town hall shortly before the fire. Siegel intended to rebuild the rear house. An inspection revealed that Müller had only partially restored the building after the fire. A purchase contract dated 29 January 1884 lists Ignaz and Barbara Bayer as new owners, each holding one half of the house.
More complex ownership relations arose in 1909. On 13 May 1909, Anna Thum and Johann Baier each acquired a quarter of the house. In October 1931, half of the property passed from Jan Baier to Emil Thum. Three years later, the second half transferred from Anna Thum to Hertha Thum.
On 26 May 1937, Dr Alfred Thum of Karlovy Vary applied to the town council for permission to build a laundry in the rear house and to divide one of the rooms on the first floor of the front house. The last alteration took place on the basis of an application dated 25 November 1937, when a shop was constructed according to plans by master mason Karl Haanl.
As of 1 October 1949, the house was confiscated under the Beneš Decrees and on 28 December 1949 became state property under the administration of the National Committee in Jáchymov.
Rear house
In Jáchymov, houses were typically composed of a front and a rear building. The front house served residential and representative purposes, while the rear house provided economic facilities such as stables and storage. Today, only fragments of most rear houses survive.
In this case, the remaining portion of the rear house up to the first-floor level is built of quarry stone. Through a segmentally arched entrance one can access the courtyard, and it is connected to the front house by a linking passage – the remnant of the former courtyard wing. During alterations at the beginning of the 20th century, the remainder of this Renaissance-Baroque wing was bricked up, and the rear house subsequently served independently as a laundry.
Rear houses in Jáchymov often also had a retaining function against the slope. In this case, however, several terrace walls separate the building from the upper street, suggesting the possible existence of a small garden.
Portal
If the house originally had a portal, it was removed during later alterations. The entrance was originally located in the central axis of the façade, but by the end of the 19th century it had been moved to the left, as a shop with a separate entrance was established in the right part.
Description
The house consists – typically for Jáchymov – of a front and a rear building connected by a linking passage that provides access to the inner courtyard. The main façade faces the street with its eaves side and has three window axes.
In the left ground-floor axis is the main entrance with a Baroque surround with “ears.” The keystone bears the inscription IHS. The lintel is shaped into a segmental arch, representing a later modification. In the right axis there is a shop window protected by a roller shutter and a separate entrance to the former shop.
The façade is decorated with window surrounds with segmental arches, corner rustication and stucco bands. Due to past deterioration, an inscription in Fraktur script with ornate capitals was uncovered, referring to Ignaz Bayer, one of the house’s owners.
Acknowledgement
In the History section, the work of the co-owner of the house published on Facebook under the title “Měšťanský dům, Náměstí republiky 134 v Jáchymově” was used. The building-historical survey was prepared by Jakub Chaloupka, archival research by Daniela Prekop Staňková and photographic documentation by Filip Prekop.
House page: https://www.facebook.com/Jachymov134.
