History of the U Raka house
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The U Raka house, no. 10/93, is located at Hradčany, close to Mariánské hradby (Maria Ramparts), in a romantic corner of Prague, where history has left many interesting monuments.
The oldest written record concerning the house dates back to 1739. At that time, the butcher Simonis bought some municipal land for 80 Rhine-gold Ducats in order to build stables. The next owner, Mr. Libický, who was also a butcher, extended the land, but the official Prague description from 1774 still listed only stables for livestock on that property. However, in 1794 Josef Schaller first mentioned the name of the house „U Raka" in his description of the royal seat and capital city of Prague. The Libický family transformed the stables into a residential house and built another house on the land adjacent to the former stables. The first house built on the property was a timbered building with a shingle roof. Once there were undoubtedly many log houses on the outskirts of Prague, but as time went by, this house remained the only timbered building in Prague, and therefore became, together with the whole complex, a registered cultural monument.
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The present owner bought both houses along with the lands in 1987. The houses were in desolate condition. The wooden structures including the shingle roof had been attacked by a wood-destroying fungus. The upper house stood on ancient wooden pillars; the walls were completely damaged because there is ground water flowing everywhere underneath the property. A complete reconstruction was therefore necessary. After 1990, the house U Raka came back to life.
There are many natural materials here, which give the house a very pleasant and comfortable feeling. Plentiful greenery and gurgling water, both in the interiors and in the garden, as well as the singing of birds, entice you to relax. The house U Raka in its present form serves as a hotel which, due to its small capacity, fits seamlessly into the surrounding environment.
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