The territory of present-day Karlín, formerly known as Hospital Fields, lay between the Vltava River and Vítkov Hill. This agricultural area, administered by the Order of the Crusaders with the Red Star, was transformed from 1817 into Prague's first suburb named Karlín in honor of Empress Caroline Augusta.
An important moment was the establishment of a port in 1822, which provided connections along the Vltava and Elbe to Hamburg. It was the final port on the Vltave-Elbe shipping route, from where goods were transported via Litoměřice and Dresden onwards to Europe. The arm of the Vltava River with the harbour was located directly behind the house Near the City of Hamburg — in the places of today's busy Rohanské nářeží street.
Near the port, warehouse buildings, houses and inns were quickly formed, whose names, such as Near the City of London, Near the City of Leipzig, Strasbourg and Hamburg, completed the specific atmosphere of Karlín. At the same time, the port district attracted entrepreneurs and industrialists who established factories using hydropower and other innovations of the time, making Karlín an important place of industrial development in Prague.
The house Near the City of Hamburg was built between 1828 and 1829 by the Karlín burgher Václav Novotný on the corner of the square and the main road leading to the port. The house consists of an opulent two-story building with an Empire facade and a spacious inner courtyard, which was surrounded by wings with stables, carriage houses and warehouses. The elegant main facade is dominated by a three-part window with a balcony above the passageway and a triangular gable that is perched between the roof dormers. The interior attracts attention with preserved cellars and a magnificent three-arm staircase, which underline the historical significance and architectural value of this jewel of Karlín.
The House Near the City of Hamburg has played an important role as a tourist inn since the beginning of its existence. It was a meeting place for merchants, travelers and locals, who used its hospitality for rest, business dealings as well as social gatherings. At the end of the 19th century, he bought part of the house JUDr. Francis Lokay, in whose family he remained until 1948. After the forced takeover by the state, the building was transferred to Tesla Karlín n.p., a Moscow plant that used the court buildings as a car operation and part of the building as a hostel. By this time the house had fallen into disrepair, and around 1955 the north court wing of the house was demolished.
In 1992, the house was returned in restitution to the family of the original owners, who were instrumental in restoring it. A flood in 2002, when water reached up to the ground floor ceilings, brought further damage. Subsequent renovations and sensitive alterations helped return the building to its original beauty. Today, the House U City of Hamburg is once again an important part of the cultural, culinary and social life of Prague.
There is currently an architectural competition where we choose a new form of roofed backyard. Implementation is planned for 2026.
Terminal Karlín
Sokolovská 55 (Dvur Dva kohouti)
186 00
Prague 8
Main contact
info@terminalkarlin.cz
Tel: 778 496 444
Events & Catering
petr@terminalkarlin.cz
Tel: 728 109 937
Explore our offer
Mexico:
Monday: 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Tue - Wed: 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Thu - Fri: 5 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Sat: 3:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun: 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Asia:
Mon-Fri: 2 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Sat: 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sun: closed
Bar:
Mon-Sat: 5 p.m. - 1 a.m.
Sun: 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.
(we accept card payments only in all businesses)
