Introduction

Looking at all the tourists to our venerable Mělník, making their way through the , not knowing where to go and what to see and not knowing the many monuments and wonderful sites of which our town has so many to boast, I decided to write this „guide“... From whichever side we approach Mělník we see from afar how it is perched pictur- esquely on a pretty hill top. Its majestic church tower is visible not only from the Petřín look-out tower but also from Milešovka, Ještěd, Bezděz and other elevated places in the northern half of our kingdom. A major factor in Mělník’s picturesque quality is the fact that it towers above the con- fluence of our country’s largest rivers: the Elbe and the Moldau, which are now joined by a third waterway - the Hořínsko-Vraňanský lateral canal. The charming situation is supplemented by the gardens, parks, groves and vineyards that surround Mělník, the last of which has given the town our world renown as the source of the acclaimed and celebrated Mělnik wine. The various sights and monuments that our town shelters in its womb, now most re- cently accompanied by the modern Hořínské canal lock, attract ever more visitors, who look at and delight in everything with the enchanting view of the wider surroundings, and cannot bear to leave our town and its wine. B. Marjanko: Picturesque guide to Mělník and its surroundings, 1906 Even today the words of this one-hundred-year-old guidebook to the town of Mělník could form the beginning to a guide to the former royal dowry town. The visi- tor is still greeted by the tower of the Church of St. Peter and Paul, even if the town’s triangular silhouette, with the highest point located in the tower cross, is no longer so prominent due to the spreading building work. We find the vineyards in a rather wid- er ring from the historic core, in which, however, we have many opportunities to sam- ple Mělník wine, just as P. D. Bartoloni did, subsequently writing about the experience in his Chvalozpěv na mělnické víno (Eulogy to Mělník wine) (1694): “... let’s hurry on without stopping – to drink my excellent Mělník wine...” We can sit back and relax in the observation point and enjoy the view of the horizon with the legendary Říp hill, or a little further away to the peaks of the Czech Central Mountain Range. And if our gaze dips beyond the vineyard below under the hill we see the point at which the two largest Czech rivers meet, to which attaches itself a lateral canal, an entirely new structure in the time of B. Marjanko, although now already a technical monument. It is precisely the observation point that makes our town unique, although there are many other points of interest in a tour of the city, which while it may not be large in size has more than a thousand years of history. So let’s set off and have a look at it. Town Guide Mělník 1 History

tion (Civitas Melnic), con- hold a market, the right to use the Pšovka stream, firming the change in the the privilege of the inalienability and non-confiscation town’s name. Her person- of town goods). In 1449 the town obtained the right to al mint is not the only evi- decide on its matters itself through aldermen headed dence of Emma’s singu- by the burgomaster. The previous magistrate’s house larity. Another is the was changed into the town hall. manuscript Grumpold’s At this time the town was emerging from the dis- legends of Saint Wence- ruption of the Hussite wars, when in 1421 it joined slaus, which the princess the side of the moderate population and as had illuminated at the the only town alongside Catholic Pilsen took part in de- beginning of the elev- feating the camps and Taborites of the Calixtin-Catho- enth century by the re- lic coalition at the battle of Lipany on 30 May 1434. nowned Fulda school of During the wars the Mělnik chapter was dissolved and Aerial view of Mělník – the boundary of the original town in the town walls is artists, and on whose first the town became Utraquist; several assemblies and visible page Emma herself is congresses of the Utraquist party were also held here shown paying homage (1438, 1439, 1442). to Saint Wenceslaus. The town won renown in the first half of the six- History Some are also of the opin- teenth century due to its viticulture, the beginnings ion that it was at Emma’s of which here go back as far as the ninth century, al- Mělník – a town associated with the earliest days Denar of Princess Emma (around instigation that the capit- the year 1000) though the conditions for its real development were of the Bohemian state, a dowry town of Bohemian prin- ular chapter was founded created in the time of Charles IV (1346–1378), who had cesses and at the Church of St. Peter a grapevine brought to Mělnik from Burgundy and es- The historic core of Mělník, the medieval walled and Paul in Mělník, one of the oldest in the Czech lands. tablished a special au- town, developed on the site of the original fortified set- Its first recorded provost was Šebíř (Severus), to whom thority to protect the tlement, perhaps called Pšov, whose fortification is re- Cosmas dedicated his chronicle Chronica Boemorum vineyards. Charles IV also corded from archaeological research from the ninth (1125). And perhaps it’s from Emma’s time that the tra- proclaimed Mělník to be century. With the wedding of the first historically evi- dition stems of Mělník being a dowry town for Czech a royal dowry town in denced Czech prince Bořivoj in 875 to Ludmila, daugh- princesses and queens. perpetuity. Mělník was ter of Prince Slavibor, Pšov passed under the control of Mělník is first referred to as a town in the charter the seat of Kunigunde of the Přemyslids. It became one of the points of supports of King Přemysl Otakar II. of 25 November 1274, , wife of Přemysl along the perimeter of their central Bohemian domain in which the ruler grants Mělnik a privileged share Otakar II, Elizabeth of Bo- and later one of the centres of the system of castles, of trade along the Elbe. The town also held a host hemia, wife of John of and therefore of the administrative organization built of other rights (e.g. the right to exclusive privileges Luxembourg, who in 1322 up at the end of the tenth century by Prince Boleslav II. over the production and sale of beer, the brewing gave birth here to a son His wife Emma had coins minted here – denars, which of beer, the right to capital punishment, the right to Jan Jindřich, later Mar- Town sealing-stick from the bear her name (Emma Regina) and the Mělník designa- beginning of the 14th century

2 Town Guide Mělník History

grave of Moravia, Elizabeth of Pomerania, wife of Charles IV, Sofia, wife of Wenceslaus IV, Barbora Celská, wife of Sigismund of Luxembourg, Johana of Rožmitál, wife of Jiří of Poděbrady, who died in Mělník in 1475 and was buried here. Their seat was the castle, original- ly Romanesque, later Gothic, which from the sixteenth century began to be transformed into a chateau. This was first mortgaged to and then owned by aristocratic families, of whom the most important were the Berka of Dubá family, the Černín family and the Lobkowicz family. The first half of the seventeenth century, with the events of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) brought the Czech translation of the charter from Přemysl Otakar II. of 25 November 1274 town much hardship. Mělník was a moderate support- er of the Estates Uprising (1618-1620), giving loans to the town significant damage, although it was worst af- Elbe, while at the end of the nineteenth century a ship- the directors, recognising the election of Frederick the fected by the fire in 1765, which destroyed 42 houses ment area was created which was later to become Winter King), but was still punished with confiscations including the town hall and the Capuchin monastery. a dock. Financial institutions were also founded. The of property. A period of re-Catholicisation ensued, This was followed by another phase of the town’s Ba- second half of the nineteenth century also saw the de- causing its populace in 1628 to be predominantly Cath- roque transformation. velopment of vocational and high schools. Still today olic. Mělník had to endure hostile military incursions, The town’s development took off in the first half of there exists the fruit and vintner’s school, whose foun- particularly of Saxons and Swedes, was ravaged by the nineteenth century, during the unfolding of the na- dation in 1885 reflected the growing interest in viticul- devastating fires (1646, 1652, 1681), and the Black tional movement, whose main proponents in Mělník ture. Agricultural production was also oriented on Death (plague). The were the teacher Josef Věnceslav Vlasák and the dean growing and refining sugar beet and in 1869 the sugar church, chateau and town Antonín Hnojek, while the Mělník theatre also played factory, for long the only industrial enterprise in the hall were all damaged, the its role. The actual development of civic life became town, started operations. school, hospital, church possible with the fall of Bach´s absolutism, a period of Following the declaration of an independent Czech- land, fortificationsand oth- political oppression (1859). Clubs and associations oslovak Republic (1918) others began to appear in the er buildings, while fields, sprang up, some of which were particularly active, for Mělník vicinity in communities which in 1923 were an- and uncultivated vine- example the Choral Society (1862) or Sokol (1868). nexed to Mělník (Pšovka, Mlazice, Rousovice). The town yards were devastated. In 1850 Mělník became a town with all the began to develop promisingly, systematically and pro- The seventeenth cen- relevant institutions based there – the district execu- fessionally led by the newly created construction ad- The Mělník town sign on the town tury, with its wars of the tive authority, police station, court. A precondition for ministration (1926) led by J. B. Zelený. Residential build- hall. It combines the Czech lion as Austrian Succession (1740- economic development was the building of a railway ing was expanded to take in the villa quarter, municipal the country and royal emblem with the eagle as the Přemyslid em- 1748) and the Seven Year line (North Western Line) connecting the town (1874), technical facilities were built (water-supply system, blem. War (1756-1763) caused and in 1888 the construction of a bridge across the sewerage system), the streets were repaired, new pub-

Town Guide Mělník 3 History

stand at the end of a row of war victims – next to members of the second revolt of domestic and foreign and Jewish fellow citizens. Whereas the Mělník of the First Republic was able to combine the historic with the modern, the Mělník of the second half of the twentieth century was less considerate. The central historic part of the Prague suburb was liquidated and replaced by a new construction, which damaged the town irreversibly. In the surroundings buildings were erected to cater for the chemical and ener- gy industry. Despite this the town, unique for its position on the peak, which gives a feel- ing of freedom and liberty, has retained its magic and within it still bear witness to more than a thousand years of its history.

Veduta of the town of Mělník, 1771; Chronicle by J.J.Albrecht lic buildings were erected (e.g. the post office, house of culture, savings society, district authority) and sports and recreation facilities (e.g. public spa, rowing club), and the town hall was refurbished. Town transport was also organised so as to protect the historic centre. Not all the plans were implemented, however. The town planning, which was designed to transform Mělník, where the value of the historic buildings would be respected and added to alongside those of modern developments, was interrupted by the events of the Second World War. Mělník became a Protectorate border town and the seat of the occupying author- ities. It was liberated on 10 May 1945 by the forces of the 1st Ukrainian Front, as part of which also fought the 2nd Polish Army. This joyful moment was, however, directly preceded by tragedy, when on 9 May Mělník was bombarded by the 2nd Soviet Air Force with the aim of preventing German units retreating to be taken captive by the Americans. Twenty-seven Mělnik citizens died, and these now Birds-eye view of Mělník, 1771; Chronicle by J.J.Albrecht

4 Town Guide Mělník Personalities

Personalities Every town has its stone buildings, natural monu- ments, points of interest and beauty, memorable trees, whose description – either brief or in more detail – is the content of information materials. Less attention is devot- ed to the people who created the relevant town, helped it to develop, breathed life into it and were indispensable for its development. Did they always have to be famous? Many of them, who were known in their own times, have today fallen (unjustifiably) into neglect, some are general- ly known. Who should we pick out? The Bohemian prin- cesses and queens who owned Mělník and many of whom lived here? Mayors or councillors, elected by representa- tives of the municipality and in whom the trust was placed to administer the town? Should we talk about those who, although they came from here, spent their life course out- Luděk Marold: Mělník from Sidonka; picture in the Masaryk House of Culture side the town, such as the bell-founder Jakub Mělnický or the illuminator Pavel Mělnický? Or should we mention The possibilities are endless. Let’s recall those who are in Chloumek. The town of Mělník acknowledges those who were invited here and left their indelible mark commemorated in memorial tablets J. Matiegka’s legacy and is the joint organiser of on the town, people, such as the builders Johann Spiess of the J. Matiegka Memorial (from 2005 the “J. Matiegka Frankfurt, Benedikt Ried, and J. Malý Memorial”) together with Hrdlička´s Muse- G. B. Maderna, architects Jindřich Matiegka (1862–1941) um of Mankind of Charles University. Jindřich Freiwald and Ja- náměstí Míru 29, Church of St. Peter and Paul roslav Böhm, Bohumil Prof. MUDr. et RNDr. h. c. Jindřich Matiegka, founder Hübschmann, Jaroslav of Czech anthropology, Rector of Charles University, is Jiří Malý (1899-1950) Fragner, painters Karel inextricably linked with the town of Mělník. His wife náměstí Míru 29 Škréta (who also owned Marie Stránská came from Mělník and Jindřich Matieg- Prof. MUDr. Jiří Malý was born in 1899 in Mělník a vineyard here) or Josef ka also liked the town and often stayed here, actively in house no. 29, which belonged to the Matiegka, Stern, Luděk Marold or entering into its daily proceedings. In the years 1915- or Stránský family. This is the very point where both Otakar Nejedlý? A spe- 1919 he organised the Mělnik ossuary in the crypt of personalities, the representatives of Czech anthropolo- cial chapter could be the Church of St. Peter and Paul. In 1932 he became an gy, come together – the teacher Jindřich Matiegka and written on honorary honourable citizen of Mělník. A number of Matiegka’s his pupil Jiří Malý. Their first “professional cooperation” burghers and later citi- professional work is devoted to Mělník and its sur- comes from the time when Jiří Malý still studied at The illuminator Pavel Mělnický in the zens of Mělníka or bear- roundings. He died in Mělník in 1941 and is also buried grammar school and he helped Jindřich Matiegka in his Louny Gradual liturgical book, 1530 ers of the town’s Order. here in the graveyard of the Church of the Holy Trinity work organising the Mělnik ossuary. After graduating

Town Guide Mělník 5 Personalities

In 2003, a memorial plaque, the work of Miroslav Viktor Dyk (1848–1904) Kroupa, was placed on house no. 29, where the life des- Bezručova 779; bust on the observation point tinies of Mateigka and Malý were joined. Viktor Dyk, a writer belonging to a generation of anti-social rebels around the turn of the century, a First Republic politician, both Member of Parliament and Jaroslav Krombholc (1918–1985) a Senator of the National Democratic Party, was born Krombholcova 329 on 31 December 1877 in then Pšovka by Mělník as the One of the most striking personalities associated son of an economic administrator. with the town of Mělník is in the field of music Jaroslav His native countryside appears in a host of works by Krombholc, for many years the director of the National Viktor Dyk: “My first dreams were inspired by the Mělnik Theatre and Symphony Orchestra of Czechoslovak countryside. My first longings arose on its soil. I felt my first Radio. For almost five decades he lived in a house in to- day’s Krombholcova street, but this isn’t his only con- nection with the town. For example, Jaroslav Krombholc worked with the Vojan theatre group, including with his wife Marie Tauberová (1911-2003), an opera singer. Both are buried in the cemetery in Pražská street.

Josef Straka (1904–1976) ulice 5. května 140 A leading Czechoslovak rower, competed at two Ol- ympic Games, nine European Championships, winner of a raft of the most prestigious European competitions and seventeen times the champion of the Republic in Memorial plaque to Jindřich Matiegka and Jiří Malý, 2003, all types of boat. Member of the Mělník Club of Rowers, náměstí Míru 29 for whom in the building’s historic cellar’s he built a pool with training machine for winter training. from the medical faculty Jiří Malý became assistant to A memorial plaque, the work of MgA. Jan Brabec, Jindřich Matiegka, gained experience from him and was unveiled on Josef Straka’s family home 10 July then later assisted in publishing Matiegka’s major 2004. works, some of these being published jointly. In 2002, Jiří Malý became an honorary citizen of Mělník, and in the same year he was honoured by President Václav Havel with the Medal For Merit First Class. Jiří Jílek: Viktor Dyk, 1934

6 Town Guide Mělník Personalities

sorrows there. Why shouldn’t my memories also live in my literary work.” On 13 May 1934 a memorial plaque to Viktor Dyk was unveiled in Mělník on his family home, and on the then Štefánik observation point a monument – his bust by the sculptor Jiří Jílek.

Otakar Nejedlý: Before the Storm, around 1940; painting in the ceremonial rooms of the Mělník Town Hall

Otakar Jaroš (1912-1943) the . He became the leader of the First Nerudova 464, memorial in U Sadů street Czechoslovak Infantry Company in the Soviet Union. He fell during the defence of Sokolov. In memoriam Otakar Jaroš was not a native of Mělnik but spent he was given the rank of captain. He was the first for- his childhood and student years in Mělník; the house eigner to be decorated with the medal the Golden Star where he lived now bears a memorial plaque. He was and the title Hero of the Soviet Union. a member of the TJ Sokol training corps in Mělník. The monument to Captain Otakar Jaroš by Otakar He was an officer by profession. In 1939 he crossed Kozák was unveiled in the gardens of the Masaryk Oskar Kozák: Memorial to Captain Otakar Jaroš, 1958 the border into and from there made his way to House of Culture on 9 May 1958.

Town Guide Mělník 7 Náměstí Míru (Peace Square)

Náměstí Míru (Peace Square) The centre of every town was the square. This was where markets were held, important moments in the life of the town took place, demonstrations, celebrations, gatherings, welcomes for important visitors such as presidents, as was the case in 1922, when Mělník welcomed T. G. Masaryk, in 1945 Edvard Beneš, in 1998 Václav Havel and finally in 2005 Václav Klaus. The square has an irregular shape caused by the town’s following the borders of the original fortifications. The best- preserved stretch of houses is in the eastern part, with the preserved covered walkway and the town hall building. These are generally houses of Gothic origin, subsequently adapted and extended. Each one represents a valuable ar- chitectural work and together they form a unity of town planning. The also hold within them their preserved Gothic Town Hall courtyard cellars on two to three levels. A night view of Peace Square The public fountain on the square, created in 1938, Vinobraní (Vintage). This is a relatively young work; the foun- is the work of the architect Jaroslav Fragner, while the aca- tain, which was on the square previously, offers a pleasant demic sculptor was responsible for the sculptural group way to relax in the town hall’s courtyard.

East front of the houses

Mělník arcade

8 Town Guide Mělník Town Hall

look at the hall’s columns more closely we might be sur- prised by the “decoration” – the many inscriptions in reddish brown chalk, which are 400 years old.

Modern refurbishments of the town hall came at the end of the 18th and 19th centuries. The first gave the town hall a Baroque tower, altered the direction of the roof and added to the facade medallions of important figures from Czech history (Saint Ludmila and Saint Wenceslaus). The last major restructuring took place 1939–1941 according to Golden Star – Baroque house insignia on house a plan by the architect Dr. J. Šebek. New wings were built, with land registry ref. no. 11 giving the town hall the form of the letter U, in the middle of which was created the representative space of the town hall courtyard. This has been open to the public since its recon- Houses before the introduction of struction in 2002. land registry reference numbers (1771- 1775) were indicated with the names of their owners, stating the position by means of the names of the owners of the houses standing to the left and to the right, or by the name of the square or street, or according to insignia of the house. House numbering was introduced under the reign of . Town Hall

Town Hall The building which houses the town hall today is set on the site of what formerly were four Gothic plots. The oldest phase of development can be seen in the Gothic oriel of the Chapel of Saint Barbora from the end of the 14th century. The most impressive and dignified area of the town hall is without doubt the Renaissance hall on the first floor, where the space is vaulted with six cross vaults with crests. If we Town Hall moulding Oriel of the Chapel of St. Barbora Original numbering of town hall – No. 12

Town Guide Mělník 9 Town Hall • Capuchin Monastery with the Church of the Fourteen Holy Helpers

On the right of the town hall’s main portal two iron rods zen, was given 31 July 1749 to the Capuchins by Terezie Bar- with the length known as an ell are set in brick A Czech ell is bora Čebišová. Four orders of the brothers were installed simpler and shorter (59.14 cm) and also the older of the two. in Mělník on 20 September 1750 by P. Serafín, who during The Viennese ell is longer (77.66 cm) and more ornamental, his life was three times the Provincial and between 1754 its circular ending bearing in the upper oval the inscription and 1756 the General Capuchin in Rome. At the end of 1751, Rakavski 1765, which is the year when it became generally however, it was demonstrated that the building would not binding. And why was it placed here. Sample measures and be sufficient for the community’s work and the creation of weights were introduced in town halls so that buyers could a church. And so the neighbouring house was acquired, on check that they hadn’t been deceived. whose site the Church of the Fourteen Holy Helpers was built 1752 to 1753. The church has the traditional Capuchin disposition, with three sets of naves, to which is linked a deep, right-an- gled presbytery divided by “walls”. A peculiarity, explained by the late period of its creation and the restricted space of the “building plot”, is the replacement of the traditional side chapel of the Virgin Mary with a mere shallow alcove on the left side of the church.

Face of church of Fourteen Holy Helpers Capitals in the Chapel of St. Barbora Czech and Viennese ell at The face of the church of the Four- the entrance to the Town Hall teen Holy Helpers is furnished with a cir- cular window with a sun motif and the letters IHS (Iesus Hominum Salvator – Je- Capuchin Monastery with the sus, saviour of mankind) and the title “St. Church of the Fourteen Holy Francis, intercede for us”. Between the Helpers – Regional Museum Mělník pair of rectangular windows there is a The Church of the Fourteen Holy Helpers together with stucco frame with a painting of St. Francis the building of the former Capuchin monastery (now no. 54, of Assisi (according to the painting by B. the home of the Regional Museum Mělník) make up the end Murill “St. Francis of Assisi embracing cru- of the block of houses on the eastern side of náměstí Míru. cified Christ” for the Capuchin church in Former Capuchin Monastery with the Church of the Fourteen Holy Helpers This house no. 54, originally belonging to a private citi- (today Regional Museum) Seville). 10 Town Guide Mělník Capuchin Monastery with the Church of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – Regional Museum Mělník

P. Serafin, who died in levels. Other parts of the exhibition bear the titles: A view of Mělník 24 October 1763, is the medieval town, Children’s world, a Burgher´s home from buried in the Order’s church. the turn of the 19th and 20th century, a Rustic interior of the Also laid to rest here is Terezie second half of the , an Ordinary day in the lives Čebišová, who made the con- of country people, Folk architecture, Mělnik countryside. struction of the church possi- The most recent addition is the exhibition of prams in the ble and also presented it with neighbouring building (no. 59 in Ostruhová ulice, about 100 a picture of the Virgin Mary m from the Museum). Two floors offer a slice of history of and the infant Jesus and sepa- the production and development of prams in the Czech rately the Infant Jesus of lands, from the middle of the 19th century to the 1970s. Prague, which the Mělnik In the Museum it’s possible not only to learn things but Capuchins chose for their pal- also to sample wine, sit in the café and in the moat, which Weather-cock on the church turret ladium (holy object venerated formed part of the town’s medieval fortifications and as a symbol of protection). is linked to the town hall courtyard. In 1785 (during the reign of Josef II) it was decided to dissolve the Capuchin monastery in Mělník. But the town – burgomaster (mayor) and town council – supported them and sent a request directly to the Emperor. The efforts of the Mělnik population were successful and the Capuchin mon- Houses in the centre of the town conceal charming quiet astery wasn’t dissolved until November 1950 in conjunction corners – the courtyard of house No. 30 in the U Koruny with the suppression of church life by the Communist re- passage offers an interesting view of the Mělník castle gime in Czechoslovakia. Its premises were later used by the graphic department of the People’s School of Art in Mělník. The U Koruny passage – this was the Between 1998 and 1999 the building was completely recon- name of a roadside inn in the first half of structed and the former monastery became the seat of the the 19th century where all sorts of enter- Regional Museum Mělník. tainments and balls used to be held.

The Regional Museum Mělník was established in 1888, making it one of the oldest in the Czech lands. The Museum’s specialisation is the docu- mentation of viticulture in the Czech lands, which forms the basis of part of the exhibition, which is also housed in the accessible medieval cellars, which are preserved on three Palladium of the Czech country (copy of an old palladium from Stará Boleslav) in the Church of the Fourteen Holy Helpers

Town Guide Mělník 11 Town houses

Town houses structed in the style of the Secession according to plans by the architect Václav Klatovský from Prague. Whereas the front part of the house was changed beyond recognition in House no. 3, U Černého koníčka the space of a year, in the rear section it was as if time had (At the Black Horse) stood still. In it is preserved the last watch-tower of the former fortification. It is said that from here Ferdinand II The house U Černého koníčka has its house sign in “had a special view of the exit„ when he stayed in Mělník a new form under the arcade. It is one of the few houses on a few days after the Battle of the White Mountain (1620). the Mělnik square which has retained its shield; the facade In 1965 the watch-tower was given a cupola with a crescent has been reconstructed in the neo-Renaissance style. moon. The strip with ornamental graffiti under windows on the first floor is just a fragment of the original house decoration. A passageway to house no. 3 joins it with the town hall. House no. 10, U Zlatého beránka Its early Renaissance portal belonged originally to the origi- (At the Golden Lamb) nal house entrance; a passageway beyond the town’s fortifi- cations obviously didn’t exist here. The town’s population The house U Zlatého beránka is already mentioned as was able to leave only through the two gates and one small an inn as far back as 1592. gate. When the fortifications ceased to serve a purpose and It was probably at this house that the stage-coach carry- the town wanted to extri- ing Karel Hynek Mácha to Mělník stopped, as he himself cate itself from their clutch writes in his Doslov ke Křivokladu (1834). The house St. Florian they were demolished and U Zlatého beránka underwent a radical conversion in 1894 the passageway was creat- under its owners Karel and Emílie Stádník. “U Stádníků” The picturesque additions to the row ed for easier access between (At the Stádník House) was the centre of social life, balls of burgher houses include also statutes the various parts of the were held here, meetings, and for many years at the turn of of saints – defenders against dangers town. The Mělnik Savings the 19th and 20th century ladies from Mělnik would meet threatening the town. The main fears Bank had it built in 1908. were fire and the black death (plague), here every Thursday for afternoon coffee. This ladies’ social which repeatedly visited the town. For circle was known as the Klepárna (Scandal-mongery). They would speak about children, dresses, new recipes, but also this reason the saints Florian, Roch and House no. 9, formerly of patriotic issues, song, reading and even politics; the la- Rosalie can be found on the houses and known as U Zelené lípy dies also organised trips (Roudnice, Litoměřice, and some church altars. In Mělník however we can (At the Green Lime Tree) also find St. John of Nepomuk in Svatová- even went to the world exhibition in Paris). clavská street and the baroque Our Lady In 1911, Mrs. Anna Immaculate in Palackého street. Tuscherová had the original Watch-tower of the former fortification two-storey house with the behind house No. 9 sign of a lime tree recon-

12 Town Guide Mělník Town houses

they also obviously left their house, which in 1632 came in- to the ownership of the under-chamberlain Filip Fabricio of Rosenfeld and Hohenfall. We shall skip part of the house’s history to get to the next important stages. In 1832 Josef Valenta, the first Mělník postmaster, lover and composer of music, lover and cultivator The well localised on the square of wine, married into the in paved lettering is an object of unprec- Pachner family, which edented value in the historic town centre, owned the house. His son representing a unique mining work. It was Antonín continued in his fa- probably excavated at the time of the es- ther’s musical footsteps – tablishment of the town. The most recent and here we move on to measurements (year 2000) show a depth house no. 12, known as of 54 m, in which the height of the water U Zlatého hroznu, to the column is 7.2 m and its diameter 4 – 5 m. Vykysal family. Between the years of 1749-1893 House U Zlaté hvězdy (At the Golden Star) a “chapel” stood above the well, bearing on the crest of its roof a statue of the House no. 11, U Zlaté hvězdy Mother of God, and on its flanks statues of (At the Golden Star) St. Florian, St. Prokop, St. Wenceslas, Renaissance polychromed portal in the St. Ludmila, St. John of Nepomuk, and Of the many owners of this house we recall the pitcher- arcade to the house U Zlaté hvězdy St. Lawrence. Due to its structural weak- maker and bell-founder Bartoš, who bought the house ness it was removed at the end of the in 1570. If we enter the arcade, the entry to today’s TIS Mělník 19th century, the well was closed off with is decorated with a polychrome Renaissance portal. This in- a brick cupola and the area was paved. cludes shields with a bell and tin pot, signs referring to Bartoš as owner of the house. His products were certainly very popular not only on the tables of his customers but al- so with the producer himself, as in the house beer was pro- duced and served (not only wine, as you might suppose in Mělník). At the beginning of the 17th century the house was pur- chased by Martin Vyžral and it was from the time of this family that the early Baroque gold star originated on the house corner. But the Vyžral family were Protestants who had to leave the country following the defeat of the Estates Bell and kettle on the portal – recalling the owner, who was a bell-founder Uprising (1618-1620). Not only did they leave their country “Chapel” above well – historical photograph

Town Guide Mělník 13 Town houses

House no. 12, U Zlatého hroznu (At the Golden Grape)

The south side of the square is taken up by a neo-Ren- aissance house with a covered walkway in the main facade. It was given its current form by a conversion in 1903 But let’s look at its past, which has its share of ups and downs. Let’s begin with the better periods: the first known Renaissance sundial on chateau stair- owner is Hron Divický and his wife Ludmila, maiden name case tower (1554) Metelicová. In the history of Mělník she is known for having given her courtyard in the Prague suburb to build a “dwell- The sundial represents an ancient ing for the poor”. Although this ultimately went unrealised method of measuring time, documents in 1585 the Church of St. Ludmila was built on the same site. of which are preserved also in Mělník – During the Thirty Years War the house declined to the ex- on the chateau and in the former Augus- tent that its then owner Anna Koracínka was called on to “ei- tine monastery. The sundial dates from ther improve the condition of the house or sell it”. In 1653 the year 1554, and is accompanied with she chose the second option and so the house changed the inscription: “The shadow shows the hands. time. The hour can be seen from the shad- And now let’s move once again to the brighter sides ow. What you yourself are, you shall see of the house’s history. In 1856 our house passed into the when the shadow of death arrives”. ownership of Václav Vykysal, who changed it into a hotel. The hotel’s hall was used by the amateur actors of Mělnik and on 4 April 1875 they presented here Smetana’s The Bar- tered Bride – the first amateur production in the country. As part of their preparations, those taking part even went to Prague to see The Bartered Bride under Smetana’s direc- tion, and Smetana himself gave written permission to go ahead. As you will already have understood, we have now found ourselves in the centre of cultural, social and political happenings of the then Mělník. Late Baroque sundial on northern court face of former convent of monas- tery of the Calced Augustinians in Pšovka (1740s)

Karel Vik: Mělník (House no. 12 and Svatováclavská street), 1950

14 Town Guide Mělník The Chateau

The Chateau The chateau’s current appearance is the result of the thousand-year develop- ment from the Romanesque and Gothic castle of Bohe- mian princesses and queens through the Renaissance and Baroque chateau of the aristocracy. Today, we can Prague Gate clock with imprint date of 1536 follow all the styles in the Sources from the end of the 15th cen- building. The oldest part is Lobkowicz family coat-of-arms above tury speak of a mechanical clock, al- concealed in the south west the castle entrance gate South-western corner of the castle (old- Remains of the Gothic castle – torso though we do not know precisely where section of today’s chateau. est – Romanesque – stage of its devel- of the watch tower in the castle court- it was installed. We have certainty from The culmination of the me- opment) yard 1536, which is the date stated on the dieval age is evident, for example, in the late Gothic en- walling around the clock on the Prague trance gates. Immediately Its construction is associated with the name Zdislav Berka Gate in the direction towards the town. next to the gate into the of Dubá, to whom Mělník was mortgaged in 1542 by Ferdi- There are clocks on the Prague Gate, the courtyard there are the re- nand I. The wings with open arcades and graffiti decoration town hall tower, the tower of the local mains of the Gothic brick- date within a span of three years – above the doors to the Protestant church and the church work, probably of the watch- first floor is the date 1552, above the central pillar on the of St. Peter and St. Paul. Their regular run- tower (possible builder: first floor the year 1553, and above the sun dial on the tower ning is accompanied by dulcimers, on Johann Spiess of Frankfurt). stairway the year 1554. the town hall and on the church of St. Pe- The tour of the chateau’s in- In the loggia on the first floor we find four coats-of-arms. ter and St. Paul. terior, or during mass, in- Two belong to the Černín family, and have both Czech and cludes access to the Gothic German inscriptions, dedicated to Jan Humprecht Černín. chapel of St. Ludmila of Lux- They are dated 1677. The other two belong to the Lobkow- embourg. icz family. The first recalls Jiří Kristián of Lobkowicz (1931), The north wing of the the second Otakar Lobkowicz, owner of the chateau be- chateau is an important tween 1932 and 1941, from 1945 to 1948 and in 1992. The work of the Czech Renais- current owner Jiří Jan Lobkowicz (2003) had his portrait sance, which began the painted. conversion of the original F. M. Schieffer: The baptism of Both the aforementioned families were the chief aristo- castle into the new and St. Ludmila (detail of the altar cratic owners of the chateau. The Černíns of Chudenice first more comfortable chateau. picture in the castle chapel) acquired it in 1646 in pledge and ultimately bought the cha- Prague Gate dulcimers

Town Guide Mělník 15 The Chateau

task of ensuring that the entire building’s statics were in or- der. Work should be completed in 2007. The chateau is open not only for visitors to the exhibi- tions, which include works by leading exponents of the Czech Baroque and part of a collection of maps and vedu- tas, but also offers concerts, balls, social events, conference, wedding receptions and banquets. In addition the A popular part of the visiting the Mělnik chateau is the tour of the wine cellars and the possibility of tasting the wines produced from the Lobkowicz vineyards. The cellars Late Gothic vaulting of church of St. Peter and St. Paul cover an area of 1,500 m2, and they have a constant tem- The net-like vaulting of the church of perature of between 8 and 12 °C. In the chateau cellars you St. Peter and St. Paul may remind some of can find casks of maturing wine, testifying to the wine-mak- the story of the apostle Peter, who Christ ing present, as well as casks (the largest holding 12 500 l) chose to be a “fisher of men” – the net is which evidence the long tradition of Lobkowicz wine-mak- ing, which in 2003 celebrated its 250th anniversary. woven into the vaulting of the presbytery Castle Renaissance chimneys and the main nave. The fields between The west facade of the chateau is bordered by an obser- the beams on the ceiling of the presby- teau in 1687. Not long after they set in motion, according to vation point which is one of tery depict the apostles accompanied by a project by G. B. Maderna, the early Baroque building stage the most popular tourist Christ as the Good Shepherd, and St. of the chateau (1690-1694) in the form of the south wing sites in the town and whose John the Baptist. The fields at the end of and brick additions above the entrance gate. This effectively view extends to the Elbe the presbytery depict the stories of the completed the construction work on the chateau. lowlands, showing two main evangelists Mark, Matthew, Luke and Subsequent work, realised by the Lobkowicz family, points: the hill Říp and the John. These figures of Christian heaven which owned the chateau from 1753 onwards, has only had confluence of the Elbe and are accompanied by figures of angels the character of alterations and refurbishing as the chateau the Moldau. holding, for example, the instruments of was used for wine-making operations (until 1986). Christ´s torture, or a chalice and holy wa- In 1992 the chateau was returned after 44 years to the fer. The face of Christ is painted on the Lobkowicz family in restitution. The family first set about re- apex above the altar, whilst others fea- constructing the interiors (a new chateau exhibition was ture an eight-point star and rosette. built, and the chateau restaurant was given a new appear- The vaulting also contains the Habs- ance) and later the exteriors. The work began with the resto- burg, Czech and city emblems. ration of the graffiti on the stairway tower (2002), followed The Castle courtyard is enlivened by dif- by restoration of the courtyard facades, reconstruction of ferent events, such as the European the residential tower above the entrance gate and the grad- Heritage Days ual repair of the outer face accompanied by the demanding

16 Town Guide Mělník Church of Sts. Peter and Paul

come in different forms, the tombstones situated mainly in the church aisles offer a history of life in Mělník, and the late Gothic stone sanctuary in the presbytery is of very high quality. However, the Church’s most precious spaces are not usually accessible to the public. They are, on the ground floor, the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, and on the first floor (treasury) the large tower, or the interior of the Romanesque tower, with the former chapel of St. John of Nepomuk. The treasury of the Gothic tower was used to store, in less than perfect conditions, the carved casing of the Church’s Baroque organs (1712). This is now being gradually restored with the aim of saving this unique work of wood- carving and giving the Church an instrument of correspond- ing dignity, both aurally and visually. The contents of the Church are Baroque, and are domi- View of the church and castle nated by the main altar with a picture by Karel Škréta and Church of Sts. Peter and Paul statues of the saints (St. Wenceslaus, St. Ludmila, St. Rosalie, St. Florian) from the workshop of the Jelíneks from Kosmon- The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul has undergone many osy. From several side altars we look upon the altar of the Crucifixion structural changes during its existence. At its inception it was probably a Romanesque basilica with a triple nave. The The significance of the cathedral of Gothic influence was felt gradually, with the oldest example St. Peter and St. Paul and the chapter at- being the sacristy. The Church’s triple nave together with tached to it is documented also by the ar- the tower arrived in the 1480s (builder Johann Spiess of tefacts produced for the needs and deco- Frankfurt), the raising of the main nave and construction of ration thereof. From the culture of books the voluminous presbytery date to around 1520 (builder we can mention the Mělník gospel-book Benedikt Ried). The presbytery’s reticulated vault brings to from the 1st half of the 12th century life a Christian heaven, while the face of Christ looks down from visual arts the panel painting of the upon us from the bolt above the altar. Crucifixion (beginning of 16th century; or Further structural alterations were brought about by the Ferdinand Maxmilián Brokof’s Descent fires in 1555 (Renaissance shields) and 1681 (Baroque cupo- from the Cross (after 1724; southern nave la of the Gothic tower). The Church’s existing appearance is of church). The peak of artistic craftsman- largely influenced by Kamil Hilbert’s extensive restorations ship is represented by Gothic monstranc- of 1910 and 1913-1915. es of which the smaller (height 71 cm, The interior is noteworthy not only for the paintings on width 24 cm) probably represents the the presbytery vault. For example, the cross-vault bolts The provost’s church of Sts. Peter and Paul

Town Guide Mělník 17 Church of Sts. Peter and Paul

oldest preserved monstrance in the Czech lands (approximately 1380), evi- dently from Petr Parléř´s goldsmith works. For this reason it represented the in the exhibition “Prague – the Crown of Bohemia /1347 – 1437/” in New York and was one of the exhibits in the exhibition “Charles IV, emperor by the Grace of God at Prague castle.

A combination of styles – testament to Interior of the church The vault of the Chapel of the Holy Sep- Bolt in the “treasury” of the Gothic the church’s architectural develop- ulchre tower ment

Descent from the Cross by F. M. Brokof (after 1724, south Since 2004, the Church nave of the Church) in the south nave and at the head of the is accessible to the public north nave the altar of St. Ludmila with a picture depicting not only by the traditional her teaching the grandson of Wenceslaus (Filip Massanec, entrance through the north 1679), whose cult was always powerful in Mělník. One of the hallway but also from the Church’s most valuable works – the Crucifixion, created af- west from the observation ter a work by A. Dürer, is currently loaned to the National point. You can enter the Gallery exhibition on Medieval Art in Bohemia and Central Church through the neo- Europe in the St. Agnes Convent in Prague. Gothic doors from the time The building’s exterior also offers much of interest. The of Hilbert’s restoration. gaze of passers-by is certainly chiefly drawn by the large Church windows of the presbytery, but the more perceptive will also spot a number of details: the angel – shield-bearer with the coat-of-arms of Mělník and the Kingdom of Bohe- mia, Sts. Peter and Paul above the plaque telling us of Hilbert’s restoration of the church, a frowning mascaron, Most Holy Trinity – main church altar Gothic monstrance, approx. 1380 gryphons…

18 Town Guide Mělník Church of Sts. Peter and Paul – Ossuary

Ossuary Under the presbytery of the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul lies a crypt which has served as an ossuary since the 1530s. Its creation is connected with the graveyard, which has surrounded the whole Church since time immemorial but which could not be enlarged. This eventually led to problems of space, especially at time of plague. As a solu- tion remains were dug up and placed in the ossuary. The Mělník ossuary served its purpose until 1775, when burials at the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul were discontin- ued and transferred to the graveyard at the Church of St. Ludmila. The ossuary, too, was to have been liquidated but the inhabitants of Mělník answered this order by sealing it. As a result it was later to become study material for Pro- fessor Jindřich Matiegka, the founder of Czech anthropolo- gy. He was responsible for the ossuary’s organization Calvary in 1915-1919, as the memorial plaque at the entrance tells us. If we descend the steps into the crypt we see the re- mains of 10,000 to 15,000 people. The wall on the west side constructed from these remains bears the name Calvary, and the skull and long bones in other parts were arranged to create images of an anchor and a heart, symbolising hope and love, or the inscription Ecce mors (Behold Death). On a plaque is written: “What you are, we once were, what we are, you will be.” There’s no better place to appreciate the transitory nature of human life and the reality of death.

„Huic loco aderat Slaup de Žluticz. Anno Dom. 1535“. - On this site was Sloup of Žlutice. The date here is the oldest that is preserved on the walls of the ossuary, even if there are older inscriptions but without the date. Late Gothic Mělník monstrance

Town Guide Mělník 19 The Gothic tower of the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul

In the range of significant monu- The Gothic tower of the Church ing St. Ludmila teaching ments documenting the distinguished of Sts. Peter and Paul St. Wenceslaus (1679) on history of the town, the foremost posi- the side altar in the north tion is occupied by the “Mělník treasure” For more than half a millennium the countryside around nave. The background of which is deposited in the town hall. This the confluence of the Elbe and Moldau rivers has been dom- the central scene reveals is formed by a late Gothic monstrance inated by the late Gothic tower of Sts. Peter and Paul. There a silhouette of Mělník as it (sacral artefact made of refined metal were predecessors, firstly Romanesque and then later Goth- looked before it was rav- serving for the exposition of the Holy ic, whose presence we can still discern in the marl paving at aged by the fire of 1681. Sacrament) from the end of the 15th cen- the entrance to the tower in front of the church’s west face. The resulting repairs gave tury and the pyx (case containing holy The tower’s construction got under way at the begin- the tower an early Ba- wafers) – both made of gilded silver. Its ning of the 1480s. At the time the church was being con- roque onion-shaped cu- third part is a Renaissance chalice carved verted due to a legacy from Queen Johanna of Rožmitál, pola supplemented with from wood. who died in Mělník in 1475 and according to contemporary little onions above the The great late Gothic Mělník mon- sources was buried in the local church. corner turrets on the gal- strance from the end of the 15th century The tower on the Mělník crest was erected over several lery. is preserved in the town hall, with a years, a process recorded by the builders in several places. The tower served as height of 112 cm, width of 32 cm and The year 1486 is found on the vault to the tower’s ground a watchtower as well as weight of 6.61 kg. In its form it is reminis- floor and the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, which together a belfry. The fire of 1681 The Gothic tower of the Church of Sts. Pe- cent of part of a Gothic cathedral. The with the chamber on the first floor are among the church’s caused the original bells ter and Paul most honoured position in the very heart most valuable spaces. We find the year 1487 on the cornice to melt; they were subse- of the monstrance belongs to the glass under the great Gothic window on the east side, and finally quently replaced by three cylinder with a golden half-moon (lu- the cornice above it bears the year 1488. This forms part of a new bells from the work- nette), which holds the Host upright cryptogram (inscription with a hidden meaning) divulging shop of Jan Pricquey. Two when placed in a monstrance. The larger the name of the builder Johann Spiess of Frankfurt. of them, “Sts. Peter and figures on the sides of the cylinder be- Originally the tower was completed by a Gothic pyrami- Paul” and “Sts. Wenceslaus long to St. Peter and St. Paul, the smaller dal roof, as is evident in the picture by Filip Massanec show- and Ludmila”, still hang in are St. Vitus and St. Wenceslas. The cen- the bell-tower today. The tral tower above the cylinder contains third cracked in 1767, and the figure of Christ crucified, and a pair of was re-cast, although dur- angels bear symbols of the passion of ing the First World War it Christ. The “cathedral” is finished off with was requisitioned. Its suc- a crowned Madonna with child. cessor fared no better from the ravages of the following war conflict, and The moulding below the great window Moulding with cryptogram (J.Spiess, a long time was to pass on the east side bears a date 1487 1488) The bell of St. Peter and Paul (1690)

20 Town Guide Mělník The Gothic tower of the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul

We enter the tower’s gallery (37 m high) on its west side. Di- rectly below us is the Old School, the chateau observation point with the bust of Viktor Dyk and the chateau. Beneath the Lobkowicz vineyard St. Ludmila glisten the waters of the Elbe and Moldau rivers and the lateral canal with a lock. To its right, concealed behind the English park, is the of Hořín with its impressive Baroque chateau (not open to the public). When visibility is good, you can see as far as the Kralupy nad Vltavou and Kladno, and further north to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (lid of the pyx) the peaks of the Czech Central Mountains, before which “sits” the cone of the Říp hill. On towards the Central Moun- The late Gothic pyx is a cylindrical tains meanders the Elbe, to which many communities are vessel with a diameter of 12 cm and attached – Vliněvěs with the dazzling white tower of the weight of 0.595 kg. Its most valuable part pseudo-Romanesque church The Beheading of St. John the is the lid with the scene of Jesus in the Baptist, Dolní Beřkovice, Liběchov with its church of the Ho- garden of Gethsemane. View of Mělník from the Gothic tower of the church ly Spirit dominating the surrounding countryside, and Horní We also counter themes from both Počaply with its chimneys and the cooling tower of the the New and Old Testaments in the rare before a replacement arrived in 1993, when a bell was hung Mělník power station. Below the tower to its north side carved chalice dating from 1582, with consecrated in honour of St. Agnes and Zdislava, patroness stretches the chateau and beyond that the former Elbe sub- a height of 44 cm and diameter of of the Litoměřice diocese. urb and the town of Pšovka with the former Augustinian 10.5 cm. In the band coiling around its In 2006 demanding repairs to the tower got under way monastery and the church of St. Lawrence and Mlazice. surface an unknown master carved “32”, with the aim of making it accessible to the public. And what From here, the north side of the gallery, just as from the east and to study the work in detail it is neces- view can visitors expect as their reward after making the de- side, we have as if in the palm of our hand the town’s histor- sary to use a magnifying glass. manding climb? ic core with the square with the town hall and Capuchin What we see from the tower depends on whether Church of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The peak “opposite” is we look from the gallery directly below or into the distance.

The west and north view from the tower is dominated by the Říp mountain Crucifixion (wooden chalice, 1582)

Town Guide Mělník 21 The Gothic tower of the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul • provost’s residence

dominated by the Church of St. John of Nepomuk. This had become defunct as a result of the Hussite Wars. Its even- building’s base “stands at the same height as the peak of the tual restoration was celebrated on the day of St. Wenceslaus church tower in Mělník”. Nevertheless, this height can’t ob- in 1896. This included the consecration of the new provost’s scure other important points on the horizon – in addition to building, the costs of whose construction had been mostly the peaks of the Czech Central Mountains (on the left) we met by the town of Mělník. That’s why in the entrance corri- can see Ještěd with the sparkling sleeping peak, the peaks dor of the new provost’s residence we find not only its coat- of Bezdězy or closer at hand the Vrátenská hill with a look- of-arms but also that of the town of Mělník. Which is also out tower. Other good viewing points are the Prague Gate why the then burgomaster Václav Haupt handed over the (or the water-tower), which leads us to the Prague suburbs keys from the new building to the newly-appointed provost and opens the view, through the Na Polabí park, towards Josef Bernat (1835-1925), who was from Mělník. During his Prague, which is obviously preceded by the chimneys of the provostship Kamil Hilbert oversaw the reconstruction of the Spolana Neratovice chemical factory. And we now come church of Sts. Peter and Paul and the repair of the church of back to the rivers and their confluence – to the starting St. Ludmila. Late Gothic sanctuary in St. Peter point of our tour of places near and far, which from the Although the neo-Gothic provost’s residence was built and St. Paul cathedral church tower can look as if you can grasp them. according to the drawings of the Mělník architect Antonín Late Gothic sanctuary in St. Peter and Kamarád, this used as its example the New Provost’s Build- St. Paul cathedral was made from sand- The new provost’s residence no. 18 ing at the Prague Castle. The original design therefore stone, with a polychrome finish. The ped- In 1895 the restoration was carried out of the provost’s comes from the architect Josef Mocker. estal, decorated with acanthus leaves, re- residence, which, although one of the oldest in Bohemia, fers to the Renaissance, the peak on the edges decorated with crabs and finished with a wallflower with a fleuron and bud belongs to the Gothic period. The main part, the stone case, is furnished below with a stonemason’s marking, which now never appears in the church.

Stonemason’s marking on sanctuary The confluence of the Elbe and Moldau below the Mělník hill The neo-Gothic building of the provost’s residence

22 Town Guide Mělník Villa Karola • The Old School

Villa Karola, house nos. 41 and 40 The Old School no. 159 The pseudo-Gothic Villa Karola is one of Mělník’s lesser The building of the former school in the park by the dominating features. Number 41 is its older part (1876), church of Sts. Peter and Paul used to be the Mělník chapter. while no. 40 is the extension from 1886. This also has the It was a capitular chapter, in other words a group of priests name “Karola”, which perhaps is a derivation of Karolina, at an important church headed by a provost. The date that who was the wife of František Vinkler, the man who built it. the chapter was established is not known, but its dissolu- From 1865 František Vinkler (1839-1899) was the district tion is connected with the Hussite Wars. Afterwards the secretary, and shortly thereafter he became a member of building became the seat of a particular Latin school whose the town council. He was instrumental in the creation of the leading teachers were, as the memorial plaque tells us, Mělník Sokol movement, of which he was the first chairman, Matouš Hosius Vysokomýtský (1576-1577), who was a friend Evangelist Luke in Mělník gospel-book and with his wife was active among the Mělník amateur ac- of the publisher Daniel Adam of Veleslavín, as was another The Mělník gospel-book, an artefact tors. From 1871 he managed the Mělničan and Pšovan news- Mělník teacher Jan Civilius. The school remained in the discovered in 1894 and today preserved papers. In 1897, however, the Economic Savings Society, of same place for centu- in the State District Archive in Mělník, which he was the chief official, went bankrupt, which meant ries until in 1787 it originates from the 1st half of the 12th Vinkler’s fall. He died at the end of the century poor and moved to today’s Hus- century. It is a book containing 167 parch- abandoned; the villa later came to be known as Kradlovka. ová ulice. ment pages with a height of 29.5 cm and Since 1981 the Karola villa has been the home of the The old school width of 20.5 cm, and the wooden plates Mělník Town Library. used to form part of are bound in white leather. The Latin text the town’s fortifica- is neatly written in minuscule, the titles tions. It was connect- and initial letters of the paragraphs are ed with the chateau written in red majuscule. Originally this by the fortification contained a full-page illustration of all wall (which no longer the evangelists, namely Mark, Matthew, The west facade of the Old School exists), and on its left Luke and John. The page with Matthew corner there is a trans- was later cut out, and only Luke is entirely verse wall with four completed. The depiction with the rele- embrasures. The wall vant attribute informs of the author of ended with a moat the gospel, which begins on the opposite which circled the town page with the initial. to the Elbe gate.

The transverse moat wall with embrasures, link- The Old School from the park by the church ing with the corner of the Old School

Town Guide Mělník 23 Mělník town fortifications

View of vineyard of St. Ludmila

Vineyards previously surrounded the entire town of Mělník, today’s historic The moat wall and torso of the main fortification wall in the Jungmann gardens The last preserved moat fortification Columns with Empire vases now stand centre. As the town grew, the construc- on the site of the former gate-house in tion absorbed the vineyards. Today Česká ulička amongst the most significant is the vine- yard of St. Ludmila on the slope beneath Mělník town fortifications which was connected the castle and canon house, later the the chateau, established in 1895. first Mělník school), the easier access to the town from the Constructed amongst the vineyards One of the attributes of medieval towns was their fortifi- east and south required the use of the aforementioned for- were wine presses, watchtowers, chapels, cations. Mělník was just such a town, founded on the site of tification elements. and the slopes were divided by walls of an older Slav settlement. Judging by the remains of the for- The town enclosed by the fortification wall was accessi- marl. tification there was a wall with battlements, secured by ble by the Prague and Elbe gates, which lay on the main eight towers – fortifications, two gates and a smaller gate road passing through the town. From these two gates only for people on foot (gate-houses). This section of the fortifi- the Prague gate remains, as it was at the beginning of the cation dates back to the 13th century; later, moat walls were 16th century. On the site of the gate for foot-walkers – gate- built and the space created between the two bulwarks house, stand two empire-period columns from 1837. Of the turned into a moat turned into a foot-way known as a moat. eight bastions in the main wall only one has survived, in The moat wall, also known as a breast-level wall, emerged a Classical version, behind house no. 9. Certainly of note is from the moat (dry in Mělník’s case), to which the access one of the moat bulwarks dating most probably from the from the outer side was protected by a trench. The town’s 15th century. It can be seen in the Jungmann Gardens, position on the hill decided the fortifications necessary. where those interested in medieval fortifications can also While the sharp slope of the Mělník hill in the direction of see the fortification mound, the moat wall (newly repaired), the Elbe on the west and south-west secured the town with- a fragment of the main wall, obviously without battlements, out any need for further protection (apart from the walls, to Detail of the decoration on a house gable and the wide moat. Another type of wall with embrasures,

24 Town Guide Mělník Mělník town fortifications • Prague Gate

flow (pressure), outflow and overflow pipe. The water was pumped from the Pšovka stream. Although we can only speculate about the precise date of the construction of such an important constituent of the town, which had only a single well inside the water-supply walls (due to indirect records such as references in the town books and comparisons with Prague water-supply systems), we know exactly when the tower ceased operations. This was in 1882, when the water-tank was moved to the Prague Gate situated at a higher level. The building material for the Mělník fortifications and their towers – marl – easily disintegrates (pulverises), which Josef Max: Charles IV. is one of the reasons for the rapid deterioration, and in many places the complete collapse of the local fortifica- tions. What is left today of the town fortifications is rightly The statue of Charles IV by Josef Max, maintained and cared for. a gift from the knight John of Neuberg to the municipality of Mělník, has had its place on the watchtower above the vine- yard of Ludmila, since 1925. The sculp- tural group Vintage (1938) is also con- Prague Gate nected with this theme, the work of The Prague Gate accesses the town from the south-east Vincenc Makovský. The Water Tower and is the best-preserved part of the Mělník medieval forti- fications. Its current appearance dates from the 1530s, as is which closes the moat on the south-west side of the town, evident from the clock dial pointing towards the town, is preserved by the building of the aforementioned Old which is dated 1536. All the gate’s original architectonic de- School in the public garden behind the church of Sts. Peter tails also date from this period – the key embrasures, the and Paul. window flanning (partly) and in particular the thoroughfare Another possible element of the town’s defence system vaulted over at both ends with a pointed arch. The gate was was the Water Tower above the Podolská úžlabina valley. entered by a spiral staircase built inside the north wall from The water tower, which forms a lesser dominant feature in the neighbouring house (today no. 110), on which an ease- the town’s panorama, can be dated back to the 16th century ment was attached. The stairway also led to the second together with the medieval water supply system. The four- floor of the gate. Today, unfortunately, access is bricked up. angled, 20 m high building, lacking in any typical historical The present staircase leading from the gate’s access is from styles, contained on the upper floor a water tank with an in- the 19th century, as is the extension through which it runs. Vincenc Makovský: Vintage (1938)

Town Guide Mělník 25 Prague Gate

The Prague Gate exited from the front of the main forti- fication wall into the moat. As it bears no traces of a draw- bridge, which can be seen on the gate to today’s chateau, the former castle, which is from the same era, it is almost certain that access to it was covered by another gate (barbi- can) which had this arrangement. In the gate tower en- trance to the town was guarded by an armed man, whose Plate on gable of sacristy of church of St. Peter and St. Paul responsibility it was to open the gate in the morning and to close it again in the evening. He also supervised the prison- ers, who served their sentence here in the prison. Like the town houses, over the ages the gate has also KH is the initials of the architect Kamil been subject to various catastrophes, chiefly fires. Follow- Hilbert, who directed the reconstruction ing the fire of 1562 the original arrangement of the floors of the cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in was changed and after the next fire in 1653 the tower, which the years 1913 – 1915, giving the church The Prague Gate at the end of the 19th The Prague Gate today its present form. The initials are at the be- century ginning of a text on the plate above the gable of the sacristy, which is reminiscent ad originally been covered by a sheer hipped roof, received of an envelope, into which the patrons of a high Baroque shield and the roof was completed with a lit- the church, saints Peter and Paul, are tle tower with onion-shaped dome. Further alterations were “stuffed”. They were sculpted by Vojtěch made to the roof, and thereby to the building’s appearance, Sucharda. following the fire of 1799. The gate’s roof was severely dam- aged by the gale that struck the town 7 December 1868. The Baroque additions were subsequently torn down and re- placed by a low, slate-covered hipped end. This form of the gate is captured in the photograph. The Prague Gate lost its chief function with the sale of its gates by auction on 17 October 1836. Afterwards a new role awaited it – it became the water-tank for the old town wa- ter-supply system. This was transferred here from the water tower located below. Between 1916 and 1920 the Prague Gate was restored by the architect Kamil Hilbert. Its mason- ry, built from quarry stone, was rendered in lime mortar, Plate on walling of new Romanesque floor of tower of church of St. Peter and St. Paul was constructed by Kamil the stone window flanning was added to or exchanged, Hilbert, bearing year inscription 1914 The Prague Gate an aperture was newly obtained for the clock dial facing

26 Town Guide Mělník Prague Gate • Underground

Underground Below the town’s historic core lies another town, one created from a network of corridors and spaces of various sizes. The Mělník underground, for many a veil of mystery, has since the 1970s become a subject for research, not only as a result of natural human curiosity but also due to certain dangers that it contains within it. The underground probably began life at the end of the 13th century at the same time as the construction of the town. The corridor system, mostly hewn from sandstone at a depth of 8 to 10 metres below today’s surface, was, and in most cases still is, part of almost every building in the town’s St. John of Nepomuk in park by church of St. Lawrence, historic core. Previously, its individual buildings were linked; transferred from Pšovka stream today, however, this is no longer possible due to the fre- Above the roofs of the town quent brickwork additions, fillings in and cave-ins, as a re- sult of which many sections of the underground are now in- Mělník is relatively poor in terms of the Prague Suburb, and a new, more pointed hipped roof accessible and it is not possible to even gain a proper idea exterior sculptural decoration. To find the was erected with skew fillets and an oriel for the clock of its size. And because Mělník is situated on a hill whose oldest statues it is necessary to go out- gongs. After the water-tank was taken out of service in 1930 rock is disintegrating there have been several instances of side the historic centre, either to Pšovka, the gate lost this task as well and remained merely a striking roadways or pavements collapsing (e.g. in 1875 in Husova to the park by the church of St. Lawrence, lesser dominant feature in the town’s panorama. ulice a brewer’s van fell in), and of defects in buildings’ stat- or to climb the old pilgrimage route in The painter Vladimír Veselý devised and prepared its ics. These are some of the reasons for the town deciding to the direction of Chloumek. current role. It is now an original gallery called the Gallery go ahead with systematic research into the underground. in the Tower. Here, visitors can combine the pleasure Its first phase was led by Dr. Vladimír Havelka from 2000 to of viewing the exhibited works, the remarkable view 2003. of the town streets and beyond to the east, and relax with Why did the underground come into existence in the refreshments. first place? Such spaces are not unique to Mělník. We find them in many historic towns, such as Jihlava, Plzeň, Tábor, Kutná Hora or Slavonice. Underground spaces have been used for storage, for example as wine or beer cellars, and have provided refuge at times of danger, whether from ar- mies or fires. In our town the cellars are on two to three lev- els; the upper floors are reinforced with brick while below that they are surrounded merely by rock (marl, sandstone). They weren’t only excavated under individual houses but St John of Nepomuk in Chloumecká street (1720)

Town Guide Mělník 27 Underground

often extend beyond their ground plan under public The corridor is hewn squares and today form a damaged system of corridors, evi- in andstone at a depth of dence of which can be found in a corridor opening beyond 8 metres. At the corridor’s the fortification walls or a corridor leading to a well. The rock end an aperture has been hewn from the underground spaces was used by our ances- punched through into the tors to construct buildings, houses or fortifications. brick casing of the well A circle with inscription in the paving of Peace Square (0.5 x 0.5 m); this has been (náměstí Míru) shows the spot on which a well was hewn recently reconstructed (the out of the rock, a unique work of mining. This was probably brickwork reaches down St. Ludmila in recess of large tower of church of St. Peter hewn at the time of the town’s beginnings and for a long 11 m into the well, below and St. Paul (Jaromír Čermák, 1915) time was its only source of water. Previously, the well’s depth that is sheer rock). was given as 60 metres, which would make it equal to the The underground spac- St. Ludmila and Mělník height of the tower of the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul; the es are not yet accessible to The princess Ludmila, who in the year latest measurements (2000), however, give a depth of 54 the public (with the excep- 874 was married to Bořivoj, the first his- metres, where the height of the water column is 7.2 metres. tion of the chateau cellars, torically documented Czech prince, came Its diameter is much larger than that stated on the circle in the cellars in the museum originally from Mělník, formerly known the pavement, i.e. 4-5 metres. The current, although not and spaces that form part of as Pšov. Their names are connected with original, access to the well is the underground corridor from the operations of the Modrá hvězda, Sv. Václav and Rytíř the most significant event of the oldest the house no. 51. wine bars), although the town of Mělník would like to open Czech history: the introduction of Christi- at least part of them for visitors. anity into the Czech lands. St. Ludmila was always honoured in Mělník. This is documented not only by

St. Ludmila from the altar of church of St. Peter and St. Paul (1749)

28 Town Guide Mělník Church of St. Ludmila

Following its consecration in 1585 it was not long before the church of St. Ludmila and the chateau the outbreak of the Thirty Years War, which consumed chapel of the same dedication, but also Europe in the years 1618-1648. Mělník was not spared its numerous depictions in Mělník churches devastation when in the Swedish incursion of 1639 the and in secular constructions. An example church was burnt down and partly demolished, which was may be the face of the town hall and also the fate of the entire suburb. The people of Mělník had Kroup’s triptych on its ground floor, fea- to wait until 1685 for the consecration of the church re- turing a scene in which St. Ludmila in- stored by the builder Francesco Cerasolla. In the founda- structs St. Wenceslas, a theme also ap- tions this building still exists today, even though it and its pearing on the side altar in the church of surroundings have undergone many changes and repairs. St. Peter and St. Paul. Ludmila’s baptism is In 1828, during the expansion of the graveyard (first the also a frequent theme in Mělník. one adjacent and then between 1775 and 1880 the main one) the bell-tower and ossuary were removed. The bells were put in the extension (probably from 1789) on the south Church of St. Ludmila with bell-tower side of the nave, which survived until the major repairs to the church of St. Ludmila performed 1906–1907. They were then placed in the newly-built bell-tower de- Church of St. Ludmila signed by the architect Antonín Wiehle (the main force be- with bell-tower The church of St. Ludmila is situated in Prague Street (Pražská ulice) just below Charles IV Square (náměstí Kar- la IV). Previously, this part of the town was called the Prague Suburb and it was from here that people would leave the town via the Prague Gate to make their way to Prague, the capital city of the kingdom of Bohemia. According to legend, the church was built on the site where Princess Lud- mila slept soon after accepting Christianity, when the Mělník populace, in those days still pagan, did not want to let her enter the town (in Ludmila’s time, however, the town did not actually exist, just like the name Mělník). The church of St. Ludmila was built at the bequest of a native of Mělník, Ludmila Hronová, née Metelicová, the widow of the first imperial magistrate. It was only Vases on the pillars of the entrance Renaissance tomb of the Sixtus Dvor- Shrine containing hand bone of St. Ludmila, gift of nuns the third church in Bohemia dedicated to this Czech patron gate – the skulls recall the former ský family (1599) from convent of St. George, centre of honour saint; today it is the oldest surviving church of St. Ludmila. graveyard of St. Ludmila, to Mělník (donated before 1669)

Town Guide Mělník 29 Church of St. Ludmila • Protestant Church

hind the Czech neo-Renaissance) who led the construction work. Among other objects of interest inside this snug little church the visitor will certainly wish to see the marble tomb of the five children of Sixtus Dvorský, a citizen of Mělník (1599). The main altar with a picture showing the baptism of St. Ludmila dates from 1746 and is the work of the sculptor Jan Pursch of Pšovka. The pulpit dating from 1699 has boards depicting the four holy fathers (St. Jerome, St. Am- brose, St. Gregory, St. Augustine), while the staircase para- pet shows St. Andrew and the boy Jesus speaking in the temple. At the beginning of the 1990s the church of St. Ludmila and the adjoining public gardens were renovated and the bell-tower repaired. Most recently in 2006, replicas of vases in the form of urns were placed on the pillars of the entrance gates to the park, a former cemetery. They are decorated with festoons, hung in this case on skull. Memento mori.

Sanctus spire of church of St. Ludmila and roof of belfry Protestant Church Protestant Church Old vedutas of the town are dominat- Where now stands the church of the Evangelical Church ed by the tower of the church of St. Peter ting up of a protestant congregation in Mělník in 1901. Its of Czech Brethren with its 23 m tall tower there used to be and St. Paul, the tower of the town hall, the first priest was Dr. František Žilka, a figure of wide renown a vineyard (as throughout the whole area) called Damiánka. Prague Gate, the sanctus spire of the (from 1920 the professor of New Testament scholarship at The construction of the church of our Lord in Mělník was Capuchin church and the church of St. Lud- the Master Hus Czechoslovak Protestant Theological Facul- undertaken by the “presbyterium of the Evangelical mila, and the water-tower. Over the course ty, the author of many theological works and the translator Reformed Church” in Vysoká in keeping with the last will of of the years, however, further features have of the New Testament – first edition in 1933). Soon after- Mrs. Rosalie Titěrová. The application for its building after been added, and often attentive pedestri- wards the area around the church was transformed. To its a design by the architect František Červenka was submitted ans have their gaze drawn to heights, to south a single-storey vicarage was built in 1903; this was lat- on 7 June 1896 and the final stone was laid in the same year admire a range of various details of towers, er rebuilt in 1937 and the Hus House added. on 13 September. The consecration of the new “Evangelical spires and turrets which accompanied con- As fits the character and methods of worship in the re- Church of our Lord” was celebrated within a year on 18 Au- structions and houses in historical styles or formed churches, the church building is very simply gust 1897, thereby laying the foundations for the develop- Art Noveau-style buildings. equipped. The main symbol of the church, the chalice, is lo- ing protestant life in the region. This was reflected in the set- cated in several places in a dominant position.

30 Town Guide Mělník Protestant Church • Mělník town parks

The Czechoslovak Evangelical Church derives from the dens, which were created in Mělník cemeteries Czech Reformation and acknowledges the works of the Ref- the mid-1860s at the instiga- The oldest Mělník cemetery spread ormation theologians, of whom two of the most prominent tion of the then burgomas- out around the church of St. Peter and St. are Jan Hus and Ja¬n Amos Komenský. The Mělník Protes- ter Josef Valenta on the site Paul until 1775, when burial here was tant church building has a commemorative plaque to Jan of the filled-in fortification halted and transferred to the cemetery by Hus on the east façade and also inscriptions on the two trench along the moat wall. the church of St. Ludmila, which became bells in the tower. The third bell was requisitioned during Compared with the original the main cemetery until 1880. Then the the Second World War. space its area was reduced cemetery of St. Wenceslas was estab- Behind the left side doors can be found stones which by the built-up part of the lished in Pražská street, divided into the in former times were probably located in the Damiánka Prague Suburb. The latest Catholic and Protestant sections. An older vineyard. They recalled the vineyard’s founder Charles IV chapter in its history oc- cemetery is also the cemetery by the and its owner in the 1840s Josef Neumann. curred on 5 May 2000, when church of the Holy Trinity in Mělník – a memorial by Miroslav Chloumek, mentioned by written sources Kroupa was unveiled here to In spring magnolias blossom near the from the end of the 16th century on- the victims of the Second Jungmann gardens wards. This cemetery contains a part of Mělník town parks World War. the history of the town of Mělník, since it The modest size of the historic core of Mělník, a medie- The Na Polabí Park was was the last resting place of a range of ex- val walled town, did not offer possibilities to build gardens built under the auspices of the Mělník Savings Bank, the ceptional personages from the town. Also and parks. The town itself was surrounded by vineyards, and town and the generous help of the wine and fruit-growing amongst the Mělník cemeteries is the a small garden adjoined the school – at the suggestion of its teacher Arnošt Peths. It was small but enchanting Na Ráji cemetery north wing of the chateau. intended to be an embellishment to the town and at the under trees. The first (and last) park with- same time to serve the school’s purposes. It was actually in the walls was created a botanical garden, with 300 timber species. A plaque to the on the site of the former park’s founder Arnošt Peths was unveiled on 20 April 1999. graveyard of the church of The youngest Mělník park is the Na Podolí Park, which Sts. Peter and Paul, which spreads across the left bank of the river Pšovka. It is being was removed at the time built in stages and its final area will take up a total of 4 hec- of the Josephine reforms. tares. The first part, opened on 18 June 1998 in the vicinity The space transformed into of the bus station, preserves the character of a valley mead- a green area was called the ow with wetlands and a water area including native timber Church Square, and later the species characteristic for this region. It is the last locality in Bernat Gardens (after the the town where rare species of amphibians live. In other provost Josef Bernat). parts the park is conceived as a town park with various tim- The oldest actual Mělník ber species, including exotic, and with two children’s play- Winter park by the Church of St. Peter grounds. On the eightieth anniversary of the creation of Haupt family tomb at Chloumek cemetery and St. Paul park is the Jungmann Gar-

Town Guide Mělník 31 Mělník town parks

The Mělník Jewish cemetery is a his- an independent Czechoslovakia a lime tree was planted torical feature which serves as a reminder here – the Tree of the Republic. On 8 February 2001, the day that before World War II our neighbours of the Jewish celebration of the New Year for Trees, other here were also Jewish citizens, who never trees were planted in memory of the murdered Jewish fel- returned home. The cemetery was found- low citizens during the Holocaust. ed in 1878 and belonged to the Jewish community in Mělník. It was used until the war, and also contains a symbolic tomb of four members of the Kantor fam- ily, who died in a concentration camp. In their form most of the tombs are similar

Route beside the river Pšovka

In the Mělník land registry there is also an English park. This was created in the 1860s by Jan Eduard, Knight of Neu- berg, at the summer chateau of Neuberg (beginning of the 18th century).

Tombs of Jewish cemetery to Christian graves, made of granite or marble, with Czech or German lettering and Jewish symbols (star of David, Kohen hands, Levite´s cup etc.)

Na Podolí Park - stops in the country

32 Town Guide Mělník Modern architecture

Modern architecture Lateral navigable canal with a lock From the chateau there is a view of The corner two-floor house with turret (no. 26) on Peace the magnificent Hořínské lock, part of Square, today the home of the Komerční banka bank, was the waterworks – canal locks on the built between 1907 and 1908 by the Mělník Savings Bank Hořínsko-vraňanský canal, which was on the site of a single-floor house with a sculpture of Christ built in 1902-1905 as a result of the poor on the corner. The designer of its Art Nouveau style was the navigability of the lower Moldau flow. Prague architect F. Buldra, although the actual realisation The lock, an Art Nouveau building from was left to the Mělník builder Karel Novák. In 1933, when stone, brick and metal is one of the most the savings bank celebrated its 70th anniversary, the build- important works by the Prague architect ing underwent refurbishment. The design for the conver- František Sander (1871-1932), who de- sion of the cellars, ground-floor and first floor was the work signed many waterworks. It is preserved of two pairs of architects – Prague engineers with the sono- in perfect condition and is a major archi- rous names of Jindřich Freiwald and Jaroslav Böhm, and the tectonic and technical monument, which Mělník inhabitants Josef Širc and Bedřich Zeman. It was includes a residential building for people then that the savings bank acquired its current appearance Corner house No. 220 servicing the lock. The point at which the – the facade to the ground-floor was faced with marble canal flows into the river Elbe is often slabs. 1936–1937. It was built by the District Economic Savings mistaken for a confluence. The building at the corner of Pražská and Fibich streets Bank after a design by Jindřich Freiwald and Jaroslav Böhm, (no. 220), today the seat of Česká spořitelna, dates from who gave the corner a concave incline in which they placed a cylindrical section. The whole ground-floor is harmonised by cream ceramic tiling, including the cylindrical centre, in which the right-angled portal of the entry, finished with glazed granite tiles, is located. The plastered floors of the wings are jutting out. The sculptor Oskar Kozák was respon- sible for the sculptural decoration. This large building was the home not only of the savings bank but also of a coffee house and wine bar, although these are now gone. Žilkova villa (no. 204) in Nová ulice, now the home of the Employment Office, was built in 1906–1907 by Marie Neumannová according to a design by Quido Bělský. The villa’s current name comes from the marriage of Marie Neu- mannová’s daughter to ThDr. František Žilka. The storeyed Lateral navigable canal with a lock from the castle villa in geometric Art Nouveau style has largely been pre- observation point served in its original state. Its smooth white facade is divid- Art Nouveau mascaron on house No. 26 ed into stripes of coarse ochre plaster which alternate with

Town Guide Mělník 33 Modern architecture

The Masaryk House of Culture (no. 323) is the result of the Mělník people’s long and tireless campaign for the town to have a cultural centre. It was built in 1935–1936 from a design by the Mělník architects Josef Širc Jnr. and Bedřich Zeman, with whom Dr. Jan Bo- huslav Zelený later Art Nouveau villa No. 204, known as Stained-glass window – peacock Žilkova worked closely. illustrations of glazed tiles and supplemented by carved The purist building coloured wooden shield and the balcony balustrade. The is an articulated, right- asymmetrical street front with pillared entrance is domi- angled space in the nated by a combined window with a coloured pane with south-west with a semi- the motif of a peacock. Quido Bělský followed a similar spir- circular end. Many ma- it in designing villa no. 2 in Radniční ulice, which bears the terials were used to Masaryk House of Culture name of the Surrealist poet Oldřich Wenzl (1921–1969). Also make up its facade: of interest is villa no. 210, which was created in close con- scarred plaster, cut nection with the Water Tower according to a design by the brickwork masonry from glazed red bricks; the additional Prague architect Bohumil Hübschmann, Wagner’s pupil elements are from copper, stone and wood. Someone arriv- Master IW: votive picture with Christ, from the art academy. The villa, which is today ing will be surprised by the grand scale of the entry, which Death and Petitioner (153?) the seat of the District State Attorney´s Office, bears matches the grandiose external entrance area. This is where 28 October street (which heads straight to the building’s One of the most important works the name of the man who built it JUDr. František Valina, centre) ends, and this created for the Augustinian monastery in lawyer, chairman of axis culminates in the Pšovka is the votive painting of Master the Mělník Savings statue of T. G. Masaryk IW from the period of late Gothic/early Bank and also the (the work of Vincenc Renaissance. It is a double-sided painted town’s mayor (1908- Makovský) raised on wooden board showing on one side 1919, 1923-1925). the landing of the a picture of the Most Holy Trinity with equally grand staircase. a gloriole of cherubs and on the other the victorious Christ, at whose feet kneels a petitioner with hands clasped in prayer, from the right enters Death – a skeleton with scythe and hour-glass measuring Tyršova street with the neo-Renaissance time. building of the Sokol hall and school Valinova villa below the Water Tower buildings – Art Nouveau and Cubist

34 Town Guide Mělník Church of St. Lawrence

Church of St. Lawrence painted the picture “St. Lawrence healing the blind Roman soldier”. Also restored was the picture of the Virgin Mary, The Church of St. Lawrence (Mělník – Pšovka) was creat- Mother of Good Counsel (above the tabernacle), which to- ed as part of the Calced Augustinian Monastery, which was gether with the Virgin Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help established in Pšovka near Mělník in the 1260s by Smil of Cí- (on the side altar in the presbytery) is especially venerated tov a Pavel of Luštěnice. It was originally a church with an in the Augustinian Order. elongated vaulted presbytery with an adjoining basilica The total restoration of the church led to a number of double-nave. The north side nave was destroyed after the discoveries testifying to the centuries of building work that Hussite wars, which meant the monastery’s temporary clo- stand behind it. In 1996 the restoration of the church facade sure. revealed a large pointed window in the east façade. Its exist- Today, the church’s appearance is dominated by the Ba- ence was expected due to the engraving which records the roque alterations which were made after the devastation ransacking of the monastery in 1611, but the work per- wrought on it by Mělník conscripts in 1611 and after the formed after the flood of 2002 gave up more surprising dis- Thirty Years War. The contents of the church are also pre- coveries in the church interior. In the presbytery this in- dominantly Baroque. The interior is currently incomplete as volved an early Gothic sedilia with early Baroque stucco the church was flooded by the rising Elbe in 2002, which decorations and a Renaissance sanctuary, while in the nave damaged the building and its contents. Restoration was the wooden side Baroque altar concealed an older Baroque carried out of those parts which are essential for the church’s illusive altar with scenes from the Crucifixion and St. John of operations, i.e. the main altar, including pictures and the Nepomuk by J. E. Vodňanský. richly carved church pews. Sources confirm that Karel Škréta Until 1789 the Church of St. Lawrence served as the Master IW: The Most Holy Trinity monastery church before becoming a parish church follow- ing the monastry’s dissolution under Joseph II. The convent was used for the administration of the Lobkowicz estate and later served as the premises for a vocational school. The building is now awaiting a new purpose. The Church of St. Lawrence was flooded in August 2002 up to a height of 80 cm. That might not seem a lot, but the water, which entered the church at the lower level, was ex- tremely destructive. This resulted in the entire restoration of the church, which was reopened to the public on 15 August 2004. Not only divine services are held here but also cultural events.

Church of St. Lawrence

Town Guide Mělník 35 Other sights

The Church of the Most Holy Mělník cultural and residents’ association and the Mělník Trinity (Mělník – Chloumek) Provostship. The pilgrimage Church of the Most Holy Trinity is Gothic in origin (probably the second half of the 15th century). Its The Church of St. John earliest history is attested to not only by written sources but of Nepomuk (Mělník – Chloumek) also materially (specifically the stained glass from the south The Baroque Church of St. John of Pomuk stands just to window, now in a museum) commemorating the names of the north-east of Mělník. It was built in 1708 thanks to those who were probably responsible for administering the Eufrosina Schmiedová, née Jaroměřská of Štromberk, who church assets. In addition to praising God a text dated 1585 lived in Mělník. It served its purpose until the Josephine re- also mentions the name of St. Ludmila. Paintings on the forms, and after its restoration in the middle of the 19th cen- Angel with coats of arms bearing city and estate emblems, presbytery vault are evidence of alterations at the begin- Church of St. Peter and St. Paul tury for another 120 years. In 1971 it was leased and remains ning of the 17th century. The cloister which on three sides so today. closes off the area around the church was probably built Its position, which offers a view of the country far and Angels – messengers of God, protec- in connection with repairs carried out in the second half of tors of people, their assistants, inspiration wide, has attracted many pilgrims. K. H. Mácha stopped at the 17th century. The entrance gate to the area leads its the church on his pilgrimage to Krkonoše in 1832, Svato- for human activity, particularly in the centre and the cloister concludes with two chapels – the field of art – could be your guides through pluk Čech made his way here from Obříství (1896) and north chapel consecrated to St. Gotthard and the south to in 1920 T. G. Masaryk also stopped here. Their visits were your tour of the town, or at least certain the Virgin Mary. Today it contains a mortuary and the sec- parts thereof. And if you haven’t yet no- commemorated by the unveiling of a bronze memorial ond serves as a “waiting room” for mourners, which is con- plaque in 1933. And because Viktor Dyk also used to come ticed them, look upon their benign faces nected with the change in the church’s function when, at least now. here from Pšovka, the observation point, now no longer in spite of the protests of accessible, was named after him. the church, conservationists and the public a funeral hall Chateau Neuberk was built in it. Despite this, the Church of the Most Holy The Neuberk summer chateau was built in the Baroque Trinity is a place with an un- style at the end of the 18th century by Jan Fridrich Neu- repeatable genius loci. mann, Knight of Neuberg. The English park which surrounds From the 16th century the chateau was created much later during the time of by pilgrimages were held here Jan Eduard, Knight of Neuberg, in the 1860s. on the festival of the Most The chateau remained in the hands of the Neubergs un- Holy Trinity. This persisted til the First Republic land reforms. In 1921 the district au- for centuries until the 1950s. thority gave the building with adjoining lands to the wine The Holy Trinity pilgrimage and fruit-growers’ school. Today the building has a hall of residence for the Mělník Central Horticultural School, while Head of angel from panel of Baroque pew in church was restarted in 2005 due to the lands form the basis of the school estate. of St. Lawrence the joint efforts of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity

36 Town Guide Mělník