burgher's house Burgher house

Welcome to Banska Stiavnica, a city that is a lively museum under the sky. Right now, you are standing in front of a building that may seem subtle at first glance, but in fact, it is a dire witness to the changes that this city has seen in the last three hundred years. In front of you, the burrow burgher's house, the typical representative of his time, which by his presence defines the space in which you are now located. Feel the atmosphere of this place and look at the facade of the house, which carries a trail of several epochs. Now let's crash in time and see when and why this house was created. Let's write a thousand seven hundred years. During this period Banská Štiavnica was situated in the dynamic stage of its development. It was not just a mining town, but it became an important centre of county and military administration. It was this administrative boom that brought about the need for new housing for influential families and functionariore. The townhouse you're standing before was created in this context, at a time when the architects of the late renaissance and the emerging baroque interspersed. It is a time when a balance was sought between functionality and representativeness, which is visible on this construction. Nyni pay attention to the architecture itself and to what you see right in front of you. First of all, note the location of the house. The building is situated as an end corner object in a small micron square. It's not a coincidence. It is thanks to this location that the house fixes the original urban situation of this place. If you look at how the house closes the space, you will see how the city was planned in the past to create natural centers of communication and social life. Although we do not know the names of the specific architects who proposed this project, it is clear that they worked with typical principles of burgher housing then. When you overlook the facade, think about how the building changed over the centuries. Although the house preserved its overall architectural expression and ground plan-space composition, time left its mark. If you look at the ground floor, you will see the result of the 19th century changes. During this period there was a gradual modernisation of the partition. Business premises were created, reflecting the growing business in the city. The townspeople were doing this to adjust their homes so that the lower floor could serve trade and craft, while the upper floors remained reserved for family privacy. Let's go a little further in time until the twentieth century. If you perceive the material stability of the house today, you may not realize that it looked slightly different in the past. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the material expression of the building changed to remove part of the side wing. This means that the house you see today is essentially a compacted version of its original form. It is fascinating how one building can adapt its shape to the needs of new generations and economic conditions. Although there are no specific names of known personalities known to the general public in this house, this house tells a story about thousands of nameless people. Imagine generations of townspeople, administrative workers, and merchants who passed through this door. Imagine morning hustle in the commercial premises of the ground floor in the nineteenth century, when people from all over the region met here to trade goods that were then valued in Banská Štiavnica. One of the most interesting things about this house is its authenticity within the urban plan. In many cities, the original structure of streets and squares was lost due to new constructions. But here is this townhouse as an anchor. By standing on this particular corner, it enables us today to determine exactly where one road ended and the other began more than three centuries ago. It's like an architectural compass that shows us the way to the past. While many buildings in the city are known for their magnificent details or royal history, this house represents something else - the daily life of mosque. He is a representative of the type burgher house, which combines the rationality of the Renaissance and elegance of the Baroque. It is at this central point between luxury and functionality that its value lies. Now that you have gone through the history and architectural development of this house, I recommend you for a little while to perceive the silence of this micronámestie. Look again at the corner of the building and imagine how hundreds of years ago the roads of the people who built the glory of Banská Štiavnica started here. This house is a silent witness to everything that happened in town, from military orders to business deals. We hope this short trip to the past has helped you to better understand the meaning of this building. Banská Štiavnica has many other hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. We invite you to continue to explore the surrounding streets and to enjoy the feeling of wandering around this unique urban area. Thank you for your attention and we wish you a pleasant rest of the day in discovering the beauty of our common history.