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History

The Stein Elbogen house was built by the Heidinger Brothers. The exact date of its construction is not known and is estimated date back to around 1820. The first preserved drawing (lithography) is dated 1841. Today the framed drawing can be seen in the hallway of the building. The Heidinger Brothers founded a china factory in Horní Slavkov and later another one in Loket. Right next to the factory they built their family residence.

The family property was adjacent to a wayside inn that was partly situated on the lot (the present-day caravan parking lot). Its original drawings or photos are also displayed in the hallway on the first floor. The lot was used as a horse swapping area. This part of the lot was connected through a short spiral staircase at the level of the house entrance with Zahradní St. where a wrought gate once used to have its place. The staircase is yet to be repaired. In front of the outside fireplace symbolic original stone steps are placed (Most of them are damaged (chipped off) in the newel area.).

During World War II the house served as the Mayor’s private residence. The then architecture has survived in the form of doubled beam structure above the mayor’s bedroom that was likely to protect the Mayor against the possible threats of war fights. According to eyewitnesses US jeeps used to park on the property that also offered rest to US soldiers during liberation days.

We know by hearsay that the house was later used as a butcher’s store. Today’s club room was finished with white tiles up to the ceiling and the vaults were plastered and painted white. When we took the house over the club room premises were occupied by a second-hand shop run by the Roma people; today’s pergola was taken by two half-dismounted Wartburg cars and one Zhiguli car. The house did not have any passage way for pedestrians, a sidewalk was winding around the house and the citizens of Loket could nothing but walk through an extremely dangerous, narrow street.