meštiansky dom Burgher house

The townhouse, located in Košice-Old Town, is an important monument to Slovak culture. This article focuses on the history and architecture of burgher houses built from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

During the Middle Ages, wooden houses were built, especially at solvent owners. The types of houses were influenced by the material, the way of heating, the solvency of the owner and the way of defense.

In the 17th and 18th centuries there was an increased interest of nobility in the town, which related to its functions in the county administration. The nobles bought houses next to each other and rebuilt them into representative houses.

In the 19th century, urban population grew, causing the construction of new residential rental houses. They followed the traditions of the city's palace with tectonics, embodiments and entrances.

Pavlačové houses were characterized by a closed layout of a four-winged block with a central courtyard. Common sanitation facilities were located at the end of the pail.

Houses of poverty, iron houses were on the outskirts of the city, often forming part of the walls. They represented the existential minimum.

The architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries was modernized mainly in the parter. Many retained their original functional use, but the sales method was more oriented towards advertising.

The function of housing remained in originally residential burgher houses until today, only the requirements of the standard of housing changed.

The townhouse in Banská Štiavnica included an older unorganized building. The cellars, dug into the rock subsoil, passed in some houses into the sheds.

The structure of the townhouse is characterized by narrow streets and row houses. The city's palace was the main feature of the front courtyard. In front of the floor there were social spaces, which led to comfortable, architecturally and visually highlighted staircases.

Today the townhouse is a significant monument of Slovak culture and worth a visit.