Discover the History of the building of the Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa 

The Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa is housed in a magnificent Baroque house Dům u Ježíška (House at the Jesus Child), dating from the 16th century, and it takes its name from the time of Rudolf II, whose court teemed with alchemists, seeking to turn base metal into gold.

The first written information about today's Dům u Ježíška dates from 1548. The building must have certainly looked different back then and its ground plan was much more modest. The land on which the Dům u Ježíška and other buildings stand originated from the local garden apportionment that took place towards the end of the sixteenth century under the supervision of the notable builder, Oldrich Avostalis. Based on the wishes of the Lesser Town settlement representatives, he also drafted the regulation of two streets, known today as the Břetislavova and Vlašská Streets. He also proposed the construction of eighteen new buildings here.

The building is also famous because the young František Palacký (Czech historian and politician, the most influential person of the Czech National Revival, called "Father of the Nation") lived here from 1823 to 1825 when he arrived in Prague.

In the 19th century a picture of the Infant Jesus of Prague was hung on the balcony on the main façade and the Lesser Town neighbors began to call it the Dům u Ježíška. The new name caught on and has been preserved until today. The name has also been reinforced by the fact that the widely worshipped wax statuette of the Infant Jesus of Prague is placed on its own altar in the nearby Carmelite Church of Our Lady of Victory.

The oldest preserved part of our hotel is the rear part of the structure facing the courtyard. The lower part of the original tower structure could date from the fortification of the Lesser Town in 1257, the oldest Premyslid fortification. This tower, which later underwent a Baroque adaptation, is decorated between the second-floor windows with a very well-preserved polychrome relief sculpture of Our Lady of Loretto.

The hotel is also linked with several legends. One of them says that a convent once stood there, and a local nun seriously violated the rules of her order. Although the legend does not specify her offence, we can assume it was a breach of the order of celibacy, because the punishment that followed was the usual sentence for this kind of behavior - she was bricked alive. Legend claims that her unhappy soul has been wandering the nights here ever since; however, the legend also suggests a solution - the nun will be freed only when the house built on the former convent foundations is demolished and the nun's remains are, duly buried. 

We are happy to assist with any questions, concerns or inquiries you may have regarding our hotel.

  1. address: Tržiště 303/19
  2. city: Praha 1
  3. check-in: 2:00 pm
  1. phone: +420 257 286 011
  2. info@alchymisthotel.com
  3. check-out: 12:00 pm

Operated by: Alchymist s.r.o., registered seat: Vlašská 24, Praha 1, 118 00, Czechia
ID No. 25149148, registered with the Commercial Registry maintained by the Municipal Court in Prague, section C, insert 53707

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