Staré purkrabství, Historical building in Hradčany, Prague, Czech Republic.
The Old Burgrave's House is a two-storey Renaissance building on Prague Castle, set in a courtyard separated by a wall with a gate from Jiřská Street and backing onto Zlatá ulička. Its façade is covered with psaníčková sgraffito, a tower projects in front, and inside are a decoratively painted timber ceiling and three barrel-vaulted Gothic rooms at ground level.
Romanesque walls and a tower on the site date to the 12th century; the Gothic palace that replaced them hosted the young Charles IV with his retinue in 1335–1337, and three barrel-vaulted Gothic rooms survive on the ground floor. After the 1541 fire of Malá Strana and Hradčany, Giovanni Ventura built the present Renaissance house in 1553–1555, with larger renovations in the 19th century.
Since 1994 the Renaissance building has housed the Museum of Toys, and its name refers to the burgrave, the royal official who once administered Prague Castle from here. The rear facade faces Zlatá ulička, the lane of goldsmiths' workshops.
The building stands in a courtyard off Jiřská Street, reached through a walled gate, with its rear facing Zlatá ulička. Since 1994 it has housed the Toy Museum, so visits follow the museum's opening rather than the castle courtyards. The courtyard keeps only a ceramic fountain after the 2015 removal of later additions.
In his autobiography Vita Caroli (chapter VIII), Charles IV recounts that in January 1335, while staying here on his way from Křivoklát to Moravia, a cup was thrown across the candlelit room at night; neither he nor his chamberlain Bušek starší z Velhartic saw anyone, and all doors and windows were shut.
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