Stone Bell House

The most recent architectonic and historical research has documented that the beginnings of the Stone Bell House date to the latter half of the 13th century when an oblong side construction was built behind the massive tower corner and its thick peripheral walls. The traces of the earliest construction stage survived in the cellars and on the ground floor of the southern wing of the house.

The second stage of construction followed around 1310, when a chapel with rich figural and ornamental murals on the walls and vaults was established on the ground floor. The reconstruction from the latter half of the 14th century resulted in a representative city palace with a tower corner which remarkably documents the activities of the north-French court masonry and represents a unique example of this type of architecture surviving in Prague. The dominant feature of the front façade, lavishly covered with Gothic elements, was sculptural figural decoration. Its iconographic programme celebrated the idea of the kingdom and the ruling family, which has often led to the assumption that the builder was a person from the circle active at the royal court. The characteristic house sign was situated on the corner of the building in the 16th century. The Baroque adaptations of the house date to the period after 1685 and to the 18th century. The demanding reconstruction of the Stone Bell House, when the neo-Baroque 19th-century façade was removed and the Gothic frontage was discovered, was preceded by extensive architectonic and historical research.

The reconstruction was completed in 1988 and the City of Prague then assigned the house to the Prague City Gallery, which uses it as a space for its significant exhibition projects. The building also houses a bookstore offering a wide range of publications and catalogues, while the café is situated on the rear ground floor of the house.

Stone Bell House. Photo by Studio Flusser
Stone Bell House. Photo by Studio Flusser
Stone Bell House. Photo by Studio Flusser
Stone Bell House. Photo by Studio Flusser
Stone Bell House – gothic cellar. Photo by Tomáš Rasl
Stone Bell House – gothic cellar. Photo by Tomáš Rasl
Stone Bell House. Photo by Tomáš Rasl
Stone Bell House. Photo by Tomáš Rasl
Stone Bell House on the Old Town Square. Period photo
Stone Bell House on the Old Town Square. Period photo
Stone Bell House. Photo by Studio Flusser
Stone Bell House. Photo by Studio Flusser

Info

Address
Stone Bell House
Staroměstské nám. 605/13
110 00 Prague 1 – Staré Město
Mapa

The building is not barrier-free.

Open
during the exhibition
Tue–Sun 10 am – 8 pm

The Gothic cellar is accessible free of charge.
The concert hall is situated on the 3rd floor.

Accessibility
Sub A (Staroměstská or Můstek station)
trams n. 2, 17, 18 (Staroměstská stop)

Contact
T +420 224 828 245
E ghmp@ghmp.cz

Admission

  • CZK 200 full / adults
  • CZK 90 reduced / pupils and students age 11–26; ISIC, ITIC and EYCA card holders; senior citizens age 65+; school groups
  • CZK 50 reduced / children age 6–10
  • CZK 450 family / 2 adults + 1–4 children under 15 y.
  • free / GHMP Member / GHMP Member Plus; GHMP Patron

Special admissions and special discounts

Bookshop Cafe