Gold Well House - Prague, Czech Republic
Posted by: 
ToRo61
N 50° 05.162 E 014° 25.001
33U E 458269 N 5548359
The Charles Street and Gold Well House
Waymark Code: WMTQZ5
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 01/01/2017
Views: 34
The Charles Street is snaking through the Old-Town estates. It is running from the Square of the Knight of the Cross, along Clementinum and Italian Chapel (Vlašská kaple), across Husova Street and after two sharp curves it is ending in the Small Square. Basically, it is very narrow along all the way and sometimes it hardly admit large tourist groups. The only exception is the space among houses At the Gold Snake no. 181, At the Blue Pike no. 180 and At the Gold Well no. 175. Furthermore, from here you may enter Seminárská Street or Liliová Street or to enter the Clementinum courtyard through side entrance.
Gold Snake house came into Prague history as it was most probably the first Prague cafe, where delicious drink, which had been unknown in Prague, coffee, was served. It happened in 1714. Blue Pike house was the first as well. It entered the modern Prague history as the first permanent cinema was located there. It was established and owned by Dismas Šlambor, who was known with his pseudonym Viktor Ponrepo (1858-1926) later on. The first ceremonious movie, a silent film of course, was played there on 15th September 1907.
Two-window and three-storied frontage of the Gold Well House attract attention the most. Beautiful stucco decoration appeared there at the beginning of the 18th century. It was made by sculptor Jan Oldrich Mayer. At the top, on the frontage of the house, there is placed a laying figure of St Rosalie, embraced with roses. Next to the windows on the third floor there are two Jesuit saints, the founder of the Society of Jesus Order, St Ignatius of Loyola and St Francisco Xavier. In the lower floor there are figures of two Czech saints St Wenceslas and St Jan Nepomucký. On the sides of the windows in the first floor, the artist represented St Sebastian and St Roch. Both of them have been worshipped as patrons against plague epidemic. Figure of St Roch is presented very dramatically to a viewer. He rises up clothes with his left hand so that you can see an ulcer on his thigh, which had been caused by a bubo. A faithful dog, which helped his miraculous recovery, is sitting at his feet.
Year photo was taken: 1925
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