PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Musílek, Martin
TI  - "Unser stat rathaus". The Old Town Hall in Prague and its earliest gallery of coats of arms
"Unser stat rathaus". Das Altstädter Rathaus in Prag und seine älteste Wappengalerie
DP  - 2018 Jun 15
TA  - Staletá Praha
PG  - 2--42
VI  - 34
IP  - 1
AID - 10.56112/sp.2018.1.01
IS  - 02316056
AB  - This study presents evidence of minimum two main construction phases in the building development of the Old Town Hall. The completion of the lower part of its tower, including the oriel with a chapel, can newly be dated from 1365-1366, since the earliest gallery of arms in the Town Hall may be identified with the eighteen burghers-town councillors, who were in the session of that period and participated on the completion of the building. This is indicated not only by later evidence on the walls with the depiction of the arms of the town councillors from the period of a completion of a certain construction phase, but also by the absence of arms of some important families in the arms galleries, although they resided in the town. The corbels in the shape of monster heads below the observation deck of the Town Hall tower, which can be dated between 1372 and 1381, give support to the completion of the Town Hall construction in August 1381, including the tower. The arms gallery below the observation deck with only a single coat of arms preserved to the present day, may, in the author's opinion of, be associated cautiously with the council of 1381, which achieved to complete the Town Hall.