Site history in main historical dates

before 1348	lack of historical dates, sporadic mention of Romanesque farmyard is not really reliable
1348	the New Town of Prague founded by Charles IV., residential and craftsmen houses in Truhlářská street
1350	hospital for the poor with the church of Virgin Mary and garden founded as a private foundation grant of an Old Town townsman Jan Jakubův from the Velflovic family who was an intendant of the royal silver mines in Kutná Hora
after 1380	houses in the Na Poříčí street construction
1420	hospital plundered by Hussites and then abandoned
after 1420	hospital area parceled for several private houses, townsmen, craftsmen and royal servants housing development
1633	Capuchins arrive to the area of the Republic Square; their convent established
1636	monastery church of St. Joseph foundation stone laid down
1638	monastery buildings construction initiated
2nd half of 17th century to 2nd half of 17th century	building development and modernization of the monastery complex
1786	emperor Joseph II. defeats the monastery
1794	monastery buildings arranged for chariot troops needs
1840	new barracks buildings construction initiated in the area of the former monastery garden (stall, workshops)
1858	demolition of the monastery monuments with the exception of the church; building of the barracks street block (architect A. Wolf project)
1993	barracks liquidation
1996 and 1998	ascertaining archaeological excavation
2003-2004	archaeological excavations
2006	the commercial center planned opening

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

The oldest found features can be understand as remains of vast settlement existing before the foundation of the Old Town ramparts in the 1st half of 13th century. The settlement is traceable by different features entrenched into geological subsoil. These are most of all lines of postholes (picture 1), waste pits, (picture 2) and entrenched fireplaces (picture 3). Of the most interesting are rectangular entrenched features 1-2 m deep. The best preserved examples (picture 4) were uncovered on the eastern edge of excavated area but there are similar fragments elsewhere. In the largest of these features (7 x 11 m) were observed numerous details of original building in the corners, along the walls and in the center first of all huge postholes.

Here also some bits of wood were sporadically isolated as evidence of original wooden structures of the buildings. As for the function it is possible to say, that these features are basements remains of timber framework houses. Some of larger examples could be even of several floors. All these features do respect each other and have the same north-south orientation. So far we have no finds indicating closer the original function of the building (for example the absence of any heating system). The backfill layers contain numerous fragments of pottery and animal bones. Unique finds of denarius and bracteate issues of Czech rulers, few pieces of heavily corroded glass of foreign provenience and single piece of limy yellowish mortar. Its date can be preliminarily estimated to the 2nd half of 12th century. All houses termination date is put to the end of 12th century but rather to the 1st half of the 13th century. Connection with the constitution of the Old Town of Prague and construction of the city ramparts from 30`s to 50`s of the 13th century.

From 2nd half of the 13th century to 1st half of the 14th century was larger part of examined area inhabited. Human activities were possibly transferred to the safe space behind the new city wall.

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

From the middle of the 14th century a gothic hospital (picture 5) with large barn, brewery and other facilities. With its existence can be related slightly entrenched basements with hard packed shale floorings (picture 6) uncovered below the cloister garth garden of the Capuchin monastery. More precise interpretation and date will hopefully provide the excavation of the next season (picture 7).

Following period in supposed hospital area characterize several phases of rebuilding with numerous additional separating walls based on different backfills. This horizon corresponds presumably with the destruction of the hospital during the Hussite wars and consequent parceling of the plot for construction of townsmen houses. In the following period the houses were again and again rebuilt (about 1420-1600).

High medieval till early modern times phase of habitation is connected with housing of The New Town of Prague after 1348. The earliest proved phase of this period is represented by massive at least 32 m long parcel wall made of quartz rocks bond with clay. The wall of north-south orientation was uncovered on the eastern edge of excavated area (picture 8).

The most eastern part of examined area offered the opportunity to investigate more complicated structure of buildings belonging to Truhlářská street. To the parcel wall was attached two-spatial house not provided with cellars (picture 9), 12 m long and 4 m wide with remains of two thresholds and floor made of bricklike paving tiles. Northern gable wall belonged also to adjacent house with barrel vaulted cellar which was oriented to the north (picture 10). To the partially backfilled rooms led walled entrance with steps in the south-east side of the house (picture 11). Space between the houses was accessible from the north through the narrow gate and was closed from the south and the east by the wall forming thus small house courtyard carefully paved with pebbles (picture 12). Rectangular waste trap was added later in the north. Two silver and secondarily gilded Habsburg grossi from the 2nd half of the 16th century and rich collection of Renaissance table and technical glass comes from it.

By the end of the 14th century new townsmen houses most of all in Na Poříčí street are built up profitably in the vicinity of newly built royal palace in the area of present day Municipal house. To these houses belong most of the walls and vaults uncovered in the southern part of examined area. Extensive rebuildings and new constructions were done especially during the reign of Jiří z Poděbrad in the 2nd half of the 15th century. It will be possible to excavate this part of the area in the next season after static protection of the riding- hall.

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

In the central part of excavated area in the back yards of the houses oriented to the Thruhlářská (former Potter street) and Na Poříčí street remained well preserved examples of medieval and early modern layers and features of production and economic character (1-3 m). One of the most characteristic horizons in the north-western part of the area belong to potter`s activity from 2nd half of the 15th century to the 1st half of 16th century. Four oval, most likely unicameral potter`s kilns built of bricks and originally possibly vaulted with pots put one to another and then covered with clay were excavated (picture 13). The kiln side was attached to the older wall and the vault was based on vertically set hollow tiles (pictures 14 and 15). Very vast and jagged deposits of pot sherds as production waste are typical for this horizon. These layers yielded extraordinarily preserved and valued pieces of pottery (pictures 16 and 17), different types of stove tiles (pictures 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22), and numerous examples of production e.g. moulds (pictures 23 and 24), semiproducts, rejects etc.

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

Fundamental change in the development of the site came up during of the 1st half of 17th century. Foundation of Capuchin monastery with large garden changed dramatically whole block of houses between Truhlářská and Na Poříčí streets. Most of the houses were demolished, entire area was covered with the destruction debris and consequently covered again with soil layer for gardening purposes. These "preservative" layers were thick up to 2 meters. Going south the layer is thinner and thinner. The period of garden existence brought no significant traces for the site then. Besides of several remains of wooden waterpipe there were no interesting features within the garden soil level. Only large amount of animal bones, shells and other small finds (baroque statue fragment of a leg) worth to mention.

More interesting development can be seen in the former gothic hospital area. Most of the constructions were destroyed and replaced by the Capuchin monastery building (pictures 25 and 26) joining the monastery church of St. Joseph in the north (still standing). The removal of backfills from 19th century allowed precise analysis of the three rooms belonging to the cellar beneath the refectory in the monastery wing east of cloister garth (pictures 27, 28 and 29). Parallelly with the cellar was executed a corridor leading to the well situated north of the cellar (picture 30). The garden of cloister garth well preserved older walls and consequently allowed to trace entrenched features remaining from light wooden structures of the garden architecture a water pipe and central cistern including. The 19th century (picture 31) destructions removed unfortunately most of the monastery functional levels and basically only wall foundations remained. Unique dud mortar projectile found during the excavation presumably comes from monastery bombardment by Prussian army in 1757 (picture 32).

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

Emperor Joseph II. defeated the monastery at he end of 18th century and the area fall to the army radically rebuilding entire plot. By the large building of an H-shaped plan (picture 33), from the 40`s century of 19th century remains of the horse stall (pictures 34 and 35) and fence wall (picture 36) serving originally for gathering is sick horses. Construction of barracks buildings wonderfully preserved riding-hall including (pictures 37 and 38) during 19th century created top layers of backfill used for leveling the barracks courtyard. Thickness of these layers was up to 2 m in the eastern part of the excavated area.