History of the hotel

Husova Street was a very important and frequent communication of medieval Kutna Hora, connecting the Kourimska gate, the town hall, markets and minting zone. In the 16th century its importance had risen and it became a centre of merchants and handicrafts-men, because it was an advantageous place for trading and catering sphere of business. The original houses of medieval handicrafts-men having only marginal value were rebuilt in the Renaissance and Baroque style and merged, with shops, taverns and workshops in the ground floor. The social position of their owners had changed as well: with decreasing influence of mining businessman, they became a chief-branch of town inhabitants and minting was their secondary investment. More and more it was better to invest into lands and agriculture business than to declining minting. The ownership of land had been for a long time the privilege of noble families: therefore the most successful townsfolk make an effort to get a title. Just like that in this time from minting businessman became estate owners and founders of small land nobility. To own several houses in the near town, except of a generic countryside mansion, was a part of their lifestyle. These houses were partly inhabited by their owners or they were rented for living or practicing of a trade. House no. 138 met the same destiny.

We do not know the very oldest history of this house, the newer is written from the 12th century before the arrival of Cistercian monks to Sedlec. In the 14th and 15th century less important houses were here, but in the 16th century we can find many notes about this house in the local chronicle. Firstly the house no. 138 was called „Proksovsky“ but in the 15th century it was bought and owned by Hanykyr’s family, who became rich mostly thanks to owings of the black market of silver and copper. By the time they got lands and a title. Their neighbors from no. 139 were the members of Maternas´s family, whose way to become rich was same: strange business machination, wealth, titles and so on. Nevertheless they could not escape from human destiny, which is connected and complicated mostly in the little town. Before they were neighbors „… Vilem Hanykyr found his beautiful wife with Jan Materna…“ . It was two years after their wedding and Jan Materna had to waive Alzbeta Hanykyr in the court. But later Vilem Hanykyr married Hana Materna, a relative of his rival.

But maybe the most known owner of the house no. 138 is Anna, the wife of Matyas Dacicky from Heslov, the nephew of one famous personality of Kutna Hora – Mikulas Dacicky from Heslov, whose reputation is immortalized in Kutna Hora history as an important writer and a dedicated Renaissance gourmand, hearty imbiber and womanizer.

Very close to this house an important event of Mikulas´s life had happen: one day he was walking with his friends to the local tavern, where he met sir Stastny Novohradsky from Kolovraty, already drunk. He sat down and drank with him, when suddenly sir Stastny drew a weapon against him and injured him, because Mikulas Dacicky did not take off his hat. Then sir Dacicky in self-defence, as he said, killed him. Because of this story Mikulas Dacicky had been judged and kept in prison for several times and it influenced very much the rest of his life. After the death of his wife he changed from the Renaissance debauchee to serious embittered old-man. He died in 1626, when Jesuits came to Kutna Hora and confiscated St. Barbara´s Cathedral.

From the period of Jesuits a legend about friendly patron of the Hanykyr´s house has been preserved. The patron is a monk, later the abbot of Sedlec monastery, who was a confessor of Alzbeta Maternova, the faithless rich wife of Vilem Hanykyr, the house owner. As her uneasy conscience he has been rambling in the walls of the house and controlling honesty of the inhabitants. Because o fit he carries a book, where he put down their acts – good ones and bad ones ass well. The good acts are rewarded with nice dreams: the bad dones are punished by insomnia.

Let´s move back to the hotel´s history. As a proof of the ownership by membership of high society families can be named broadminded reconstructions at the end of the 18th century and in the 19th century. Despite of them, the hotel has preserved medieval bottom, stonemason components and very nicely decorated ceilings in the Baroque style. In the 19th century and during the communist´s era the house fortunately was not destroyed, only the interior was changed to lodging house and collecting point of raw materials in the ground floor. After the Velvet revolution in 1989, as restitution, it was given back to a descendant of former owners. He started with the project of a hotel and a manufactory and shop with meat products, but this project was not finished. Today´s owner bought the house and started the reconstruction to the stylish hotel and restaurant. It was in April 2007. In March 2008 the hotel was given the final appearance – maximum of the original components are left, as they grew together into an indivisible complex now adapted for the new function and utilization as well.¨

We are happy to say:

Welcome to Hotel Opat in Kutna Hora!