Ungelt - Prague, Czech Republic
Posted by: 
ToRo61
N 50° 05.283 E 014° 25.454
33U E 458812 N 5548579
One of the most important historical sites in Prague, this block of buildings, probably built in the 11th century, was originally a fortified merchants’ yard, where customs duties – ungelt – were collected.
Waymark Code: WMTXYH
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 01/21/2017
Views: 30
The most important building here is the Granovský Palace with its arcaded loggia, one of Prague’s best preserved Renaissance treasures with beautiful sgraffito, and murals that depict scenes from the Bible and from Greek mythology.
The oldest name of the area between the churches of St. James (Jakub) and Virgin Mary before Týn is Týn or Týn Yard. The word týn means an enclosure, a fenced area, the former word otýniti used to mean to enclose. It originated from the Celtic word dunum - a hillfort, a fenced area, a fence; from Germanic tuna, German Zaun, English town. It was a fenced merchant yard.
Its purpose was to protect the merchants and their merchandise, there were warehouses for the merchandise, horse stables, accommodation for the merchants, one of the oldest hospitals in Prague, as well as a small church of Virgin Mary in place above which today’s Týn Temple is rising. There were thousands of merchant carriages from Germany, Poland, Russia, Hungary, Venetia, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Armenia, Turkey and Arabia.
Protection fee gradually developed into compulsory toll for goods imported to Prague or passing through Prague, and later also for any goods imported anywhere in Bohemia. As early as in the 14th century, the toll used to be named by an old Germanic word ungelt.
Year photo was taken: 1925
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