The House of Jaroslav Hašek

The birthplace of the author of The Good Soldier Švejk, Jaroslav Hašek, was built according to the plans of Johann Nowotný in 1842. This resulted in a three-story, four-winged late Neoclassical building, of which only the wing facing Školská Street has survived to this day. The other three wings facing Štěpánská Street had to make way in 1927 for the functionalist Habich Department Store by J. Havlíček and J. Polívka. The aim of the design was to introduce rational development of enclosed residential blocks with large open courtyards into the medieval structure of the city, ensuring sufficient light and better ventilation. The result was a solid, modest building with an inner courtyard and a regular grid of windows, complemented on the facade by an entrance with two-winged Neo-Renaissance doors. Directly above the portal entrance, a memorial plaque is placed to commemorate the famous native who was born in the house 41 years after its construction.