Town hall (Český Krumlov)

Český Krumlov Town Hall is a Renaissance building standing on a corner of Náměstí Svornosti, right in the heart of the UNESCO-listed old town. It has served as the seat of local government for centuries, and its richly decorated facade, marked with the coats of arms of the town's former rulers, is one of the most recognizable sights in the historic centre.

How to get there?

The building stands on Náměstí Svornosti, the main square of the Vnitřní Město (Inner Town), just a few minutes' walk from the castle and the bridge over the Vltava. It is a natural stop on any walk through the old town, since the square works as the central landmark from which every street in the centre radiates — there is no need for navigation, just head towards the market square.

What will you see?

The plot on which today's town hall stands was first built up around 1300, when the town's basic street layout was taking shape. The building only took its present form, however, in the second half of the 16th century, when two separate houses were merged into one — including a house that had passed into private ownership in 1519. The merger was driven by an administrative reform: the Inner Town and Latrán, until then governed separately, unified their administrations, which required a single, shared seat of power.

The result is a corner, single-storey Renaissance house covered by four gable roofs, with characteristic ground-floor arcades. Its attic was reworked later, in 1796, giving it the classicist look it still carries today. The facade bears four coats of arms: those of the Eggenberg family, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the town of Český Krumlov itself, and the Schwarzenberg family — a record of the successive rulers and owners of the town across the centuries.

The interior holds several layers of history. A pointed Gothic portal leads into the building, topped with a shield bearing the five-petalled Rožmberk rose, the emblem of the oldest family to have ruled Krumlov. The entrance hall is covered by a decorative rib vault from the second half of the 16th century, and in an adjoining vaulted room, restoration work in 2000 uncovered fragments of wall paintings from the first half of the 15th century, thought to have depicted the Adoration of the Magi. Medieval stone cellars survive beneath most of the building, a reminder of how long this site has served the town's residents.

Who were the former owners?

The coats of arms on the facade are not mere decoration — they record the ownership history of Krumlov. The Eggenberg and Schwarzenberg families successively governed the town and surrounding estates after the Rožmberk line died out, and their presence on the town hall underlines the building's standing as the centre of municipal power, regardless of who held authority over the wider region at any given time.

The town hall today

The building still serves an administrative function: it houses the Český Krumlov Municipal Office, with meeting rooms and offices. Its cellars, open to visitors, hold an exhibition on historical methods of justice and punishment, drawing tourists looking for something a little different from the usual views of the castle and river.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Český Krumlov town hall built? The plot was already built up around 1300, but the building took its present form in the second half of the 16th century, after two houses were joined into a single seat of municipal government.

Why does the facade carry four coats of arms? They represent the town's successive rulers: the Eggenberg family, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the town of Český Krumlov itself, and the Schwarzenberg family.

What can be seen in the town hall's cellars? Medieval stone vaults, along with an exhibition dedicated to historical methods of justice and punishment.

Does the town hall still serve an administrative role? Yes, it still houses the Český Krumlov Municipal Office.