Dům U Kamenného beránka, Cultural monument in Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic
The House at the Stone Lamb is a building in Prague's Old Town that blends Gothic and Renaissance architectural elements on its facade. The structure maintains several original medieval features while displaying the ornamental details typical of its era.
The building was constructed during the Middle Ages and later recognized as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic to preserve its architectural heritage. Its survival records the construction methods and styles that defined Prague's Old Town during that period.
The building takes its name from the stone lamb carved into its facade, reflecting a medieval custom where Prague residents identified buildings through symbolic animal sculptures rather than numbers. This naming tradition helped people navigate the Old Town before the advent of street numbering.
The building sits in the Old Town amid other historic structures within easy walking distance of each other. Since it remains in active use as a residence and office space, visitors can only view it from the street outside.
The stone lamb on the facade is a rare surviving example of a medieval animal marker used to identify buildings before house numbers existed. Such animal sculptures are uncommon in Prague today, as many were lost during urban transformations over the centuries.
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