This Gothic-Renaissance style building of the Old Town Hall is situated in the centre of the historical quarter of town, on the Old Square in Ostrov.
The originally medieval building of the municipal hall burned down several times, and so today’s appearance shows the influence of reconstructions from 1569, 1795, and 1866. The originally Gothic structure is attested to by the massive walls with arcades. The cellars, whose origin date back to the 14th century, also have a medieval air about them. The Old Town Hall was reconstructed in the Renaissance style after a fire in the 16th century. Additionally, the prismatic tower with a clock, the city coat-of-arms, and three bas reliefs depicting Solomon’s Court, Justice, and Susanna and the Elders were later built on. Approximately three centuries later, the building was reconstructed in the Neo-Gothic style after another fire.
In the entrance area of the Old Town Hall, the original Councillor’s Hall is located – today serving as the ceremony room of Ostrov. This room boasts of a preserved fragment of an original Renaissance painting. A built-in Classicist stairwell leads to the attic of the Old Town Hall, where we find a very pleasant space that serves not only for exhibition purposes. The southern gable of the attic has a section of the original Gothic-Renaissance structure preserved in its stone walls.
Permanent Exhibits
The Tuscan Habsburgs and the Ostrov Estate in the years 1808 – 1918
A panelled exhibit installed to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of the prominent owner of the Ostrov Estate and Château, Leopold II of Tuscany (the family of Habsburg – Lothringen).
Clocks and Watches
Enthusiasts of time machines and of the art of ancient crafts will surely welcome the possibility of seeing the permanent exhibit of clocks, whose history reaches back to the 16th century.
Those interested can also view a small example of archaeological findings from Ostrov.
