Units (Basic information on the project)

Orthophotographic map of Prague (aerial picture) shows the Old Town and the northern part of the New Town of Prague (excavated area stressed).

General view of excavated area from north-east after removal of recent layers corresponding with barracks courts. Excavations started from this level.

General view of excavated area from the same place

General view of examined area from north-west. In the top left there is a riding-hall from the middle of the 19th century. To the right stands the church of St. Joseph on the corner of Na Poříčí street and Republic Square. In the front turn up the ruins of Capuchin monastery from the 30`s of the 17th century.

Northern wing of the horse stall originally situated on the barracks courtyard and demolished in the beginning of 2003. Rectangular circumferential masonry with two rows of pillars once supporting the vault columns of the stall. Seen from the west.

Eastern half of the southern wing of the horse stall (demolished in the beginning of 2003) originally situated on the barracks courtyard emerges gradually from the ground. Its rectangular plan is complemented with two rows of pillars once supporting the vault columns of the stall. Seen from the north- east. Riding-hall is on the top.

Foundations of Capuchin monastery from the 30`s of the 17th century were revealed in the south-western part of excavated area.

Technology (Strategy, tactics and research method)

Geodetic net divided the vast excavated area into the squares 4 by 4 meters (totally 960 squares). It helps to document precisely each archaeological find and feature and to reach better spatial understanding of found monuments.

Research of particular squares proceeds in chessboard strategy to utilize for drawn documentation vertical sections across the entire area. After finishing digging and documenting first half of the squares a second half of them is excavated.

Within an individual squares single archaeological features and situations are recorded by drawings with number of dumpy levels. These sheets together with digital photographs are processed in computer center, saved and printed. This allows already during the excavation phase to match related horizons, understanding shapes of the walls and many other operations making processing of primary field records easier.

Records of vertical sections as well as horizontal drawings are transformed in computer center into working drawing and joined general sections.

The use of Swedish tower in the former Capuchin monastery area. Besides drawings a single picture photogrammetry is used for credible and appropriate presentation record of complicated (masonry, paving) and attractive (furnace, kiln) features. A digital camera is placed on the top of the Swedish tower or hangs on the hand rod above documented particular feature kit out with geodetically surveyed points and orthographic picture is taken. Computer transformation of such picture allows to get usual drawing.

Construction and use of the Swedish tower for a single picture photogrammetry. Digital camera is placed high above documented archaeological feature.

Output of a single picture photogrammetry. Orthographic picture from the Swedish tower shows an oven with long heating and ventilating flues.

Pre-urban phase - (First settlement level - 2nd half of 12th century to 1st half of 13th century)

For the oldest settlement level (preliminarily dated back from the 2nd half of 12th century to 30`s of 13th century) found on the site are typical large (up to 7 by 12 m) and deeply cut into the natural subsoil (up to 2 m) rectangular basements of timber framework houses with numerous postholes originally fixing complicated elevated wooden structures. Picture shows two of such houses detected in the north-east part of the excavated area.

Entrenched basements of the houses belonging to the oldest settlement horizon are accompany very often by features cut into the natural subsoil (pits, postholes and cold store pits).

Typical feature of the oldest settlement level is so called heating furnaces possibly of nutritional nature (bread baking) cut into the subsoil and characteristic with burned crust of subsoil.

Besides entrenched rectangular basements of the houses are often uncovered in the oldest settlement level not deeply founded structures - originally wooden. Rows of postholes witness elevated structures as wicker walls or parcel fences.

Town foundation - (Foundation horizon of The New Town of Prague - town development after 1348)

35 m long parcel wall (north-south direction) along Truhlářská street is a remnant of high medieval built-up area constructed after foundation of the New Town of Prague. To the wall attached two-spatial house not provided with cellars (in blue) and another house with cellar and entrance to it. The situation in north-east part of excavated area was partially destroyed by the northern wing of barracks stall and horse-hospital (in red).

Barrel vaulting of cellar with the entrance in the north-east corner of excavated area is a remnant of construction activity soon after foundation of the New Town of Prague along Truhlářská street in 1348.

View of partially uncovered barrel vaulting of a cellar in the north-east corner of excavated area (houses built after foundation of the New Town of Prague along Truhlářská street in 1348) and pebble stone paving of a courtyard.

General view of houses in north-east corner of excavated area built after foundation of the New Town of Prague. To parcel wall is attached two-spatial house (right). Entrance and barrel vaulting of a cellar (bottom left). Area between houses is paved with pebbles.

Hospital - (Hospital of Jan Jakubův from the Velflovic family - turn of 14th and 15th century)

Large entrenched cellar belonging presumably to gothic townsmen hospital from 80`s of 14th century was situated in the area of later Capuchin monastery in the south-west part of excavated area. Large barn, brewery and other facilities were incorporated into the hospital.

Slightly entrenched basements with hard packed shale floorings were uncovered below the cloister garth garden of the Capuchin monastery. These features can be related with townsmen hospital from 80`s of 14th century. Hospital was destroyed during the Hussite wars. The picture shows one of the rooms with baker`s oven of complicated construction set on the floor.

South-western part of excavated area - Capuchin monastery. Monastery walls in blue, masonry of gothic hospital and townsmen constructions in red.

Potters - (Potters` production - 2nd half of 15th century to 1st half of 16th century)

Traces of potters` production of 2nd half of 15th - 1st half of 16th centuries were found in the north-western part of excavated area close to Truhlářská street (former Hrnčířská/Potters street). The picture shows one of four uncovered unicameral potter`s kilns built of bricks and originally possibly vaulted with pots put one to another.

Half of potter`s kiln attached to older wall - during the excavation. The vault was based on vertically set hollow tiles. The kiln yielded plenty of pottery including rejects.

Potter`s kiln later during excavation with number of pottery inside. Two brick made pillars originally supporting grate or internal construction of the kiln are seen inside.

Rejects and moulds for making stove tiles serve as evidence of potter`s production. Picture shows one of moulds decorated with floral motifs and the date 1554.

Rectangular box stove tile decorated with motif of Adam and Eve by the Tree of cognition - 1st half of 16th century.

Square box stove tile with motif of king Judas - 1st half of 16th century.

Box stove tile with unusual motif of execution using guillotine-like mechanism - 1st half of 16th century.

Mould of square box stove tile with motif of monarch Ferdinand the Habsburg - 1st half of 16th century.

Mould of stove tile with complicated floral motifs - 1st half of 16th century.

One of typical examples of late medieval pottery - cup of so called Prague type - 15th century.

Gothic stove tile with slitted front side - 15th century.

"Loštice" cup (after place of origin) is typical table ware of late Middle Ages - 15th

Rich collection of modern times pipes comes from layers forming barracks courtyards - 19th century.

Monastery - (Capuchin monastery - 30`s of 17th century - middle of 19th century)

Idealized plan of Capuchin monastery stored in Tišnov monastery was possibly a model for the monastery on the Republic Square.

Pinpointing of Capuchin monastery on the Republic Square - end of 18th century.

Section of the Capuchin monastery area in the south-western part of excavations. Masonry connected with gothic hospital or townsmen buildings that precede the construction of the monastery drawn in red and the monastery walls are in blue.

Foundations of Capuchin monastery from 30`s of 17th century are gradually uncovered in south-western part of excavated area. Four wings typically surrounding the cloister garth were connected with still standing church of St. Joseph (above) which was built on the ruins of former townsmen hospital from 80`s of 14th century. The cloister garth in the right, large cellar in the left.

Backfill removal of a large cellar which is situated east of cloister garth.

Underground corridor leading to the monastery well east of monastery cloister.

Classicist tile stove thrown away and found in one of the rooms of the Capuchin monastery.

Dud mortar projectile found during the excavation presumably comes from monastery bombardment by Prussian army in 1753.

Barracks - (Barracks of Jiří z Poděbrad - after middle of 19th century)

Remnants of northern wing of former stalls destroyed in 2003 emerge gradually during excavation. Circumferential masonry was supplemented by two parallel rows of pillars supporting vaults of stall. Seen from the west.

Partially uncovered eastern half of the former stall southern wing. This building was destroyed in the beginning of 2003.

Pinpointing of eastern part of the northern wing of the stall with circumferential masonry and two parallel rows of pillars originally supporting vaults (in red). Further north (also in red) part of the smaller house used as a horse hospital.

General view of the building of The Barracks of Jiří z Poděbrad built in the half of 19th century after project of Achille Wolf.

The complex of the barracks formed besides the main building and stall the most valuable building - the riding hall (top left).

View of the riding hall interior with its uniquely preserved wooden construction of roof frame.