The House of the Stone bell, the house "At the stone bell" or the house of the white bell, the house "At the White bell" (Czech name: Dům U Kamenného zvonu) is a historical building in Prague, which is one of the most valuable Gothic monuments of the city.
The house has a rich history and now serves as an exhibition space with a Gothic chapel of the Gallery of the capital city of Prague (Galerie hlavního města Prahy).
In addition to the Stone Bell House, the Gallery of the capital Prague has several other buildings. All gallery objects are listed at the end of this article.
The house "At the stone bell" is located in the heart of the old town of Prague, on the famous Old Town Square (Staroměstske naměstí).
Views of the house At the stone bell in the ensemble of buildings of the Old Town Square
The house by the stone bell is in the center; on the left - the Kinsky Palace, now the National Gallery Prague; on the right - Tyn Temple
The house at the stone bell is on the right, the Kinsky Palace is on the left
The house "At the Stone bell" is one of the oldest and most remarkable monuments in Prague. This rarely preserved house is an extraordinary Gothic palace architecture of the tower type.
The name of the house "At the white bell" or "At the stone bell" (U Bílého, Kamenného zvonu) was first mentioned in 1417 and comes from a stone bell, a copy of which is located on the corner of the house.
The house was built in two stages - the second half of the 13th century and the first half of the 14th century. Most likely, it was built as a palace for the royal family, especially for Elishka Przemyslovna. Although there are no documents of that time, fragments of sculptures discovered during the reconstruction of the building indicate the fact of the construction of the house as a palace.
The oldest written mention of the house dates back to 1363, when the building was already the property of the townspeople. Then the house belonged to the jeweler Pekold from Cheb, and then to the old city councilor Jan Ortlin named Domshik.
The legends of Adolf Wenig say that Saint Lyudmila, the grandmother of Saint Wenceslaus, when she came to Prague from the Tetinsky Castle, there was a chapel in the dungeon of the house where masses were secretly celebrated during the persecution of Christians during the reign of her daughter-in-law, Princess Dragomir. It is also said that the stone bell on the corner of the house reminds of the uprising and the victorious battle with the pagans, to which the ringing of the bell called. However, most likely, the bell will remind of the historical event of 1310, when the chaplain of Elishka Przemyslovna Berenger gave a bell signal to Jan of Luxembourg that he could come with his army for Elishka and thus occupy the Old City of Prague.
The original Gothic appearance of the house changed over time. So, during the reconstruction of 1685, the house was given a baroque appearance. In 1899, the house received a new pseudo-baroque facade. And in 1961, it was decided to return the house to its original Gothic appearance.
Today this Gothic structure catches the eye and adorns the most significant square of the Old City of Prague - Old Town Square.
From 1988 to the present, the house "At the Stone Bell" has served as an exhibition space of the Gallery of the capital city of Prague - various thematic exhibitions are held in the building.
The original Gothic chapel is also open to the public in the building and there is a concert hall on the 3rd floor.
Entrance to the house is paid.
In addition, there is a book and catalog store in the house, and a cafe is located in the back of the building.
Photo of the Gothic chapel
Photo of interiors and concert hall in the house "At the stone bell"
In addition to the house "At the Stone Bell", the Gallery of the capital city of Prague also includes:
- Villa Bilek (Bílkova vila) with original interior decorations and a permanent exhibition of Bilek's works from the period of his heyday of creativity. Address: Mickiewiczova 233/1, 160 00 Praha 6;
- the Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace
- Prague House of Photography (Pražského domu fotografie) with photography exhibitions. Address: Revoluční 1006/5, 110 00 Prague 1 - Old Town;
- City Library 2nd floor (Městská knihovna) with representative exhibitions. Address: Mariánské náměstí 98/1, 110 00 Prague 1 - Old Town;
- castle-Villa Troja (Zámek Troja) with interiors, art exhibitions and an adjacent garden. Address: U Trojského zámku 4/1, 170 00 Prague 7;
- František Bilek's house in Hinovo (D?M Františka Bílka v Chýnově) with interiors with visual accompaniment and a local cemetery where František Bilek is buried next to his monumental five-meter statue "Prayer over Graves", created in 1905. Address: Údolní 133, 391 55 Chýnov u Tábora, Czech Republic.
For up-to-date information about the objects of the Gallery of the capital city of Prague, expositions and exhibitions held, as well as opening hours, ticket prices and conditions of visits, we recommend checking on the official website: ghmp.cz .
The address of the house "At the stone bell": Staroměstske nam. 605/13, 110 00 Stare Město, Czech Republic.
Coordinates of the house "At the stone bell": 50°05'16.3"N 14°25'19.1"E (50.087847, 14.421978).
All accommodation facilities in Prague (hotels, apartments, guest houses, etc.), including in the historical center of the city and more remotely from it, can be viewed and booked here 
