The House at the Picture of Virgin Mary (U Obrázku Panny Marie) | Originally a Renaissance house from the 2nd half of the 16th century was rebuilt and extended in the back during the years 1671 - 1730. It got its present appearance in 1846. The house’s front is turned towards Charles Bridge. It has a small balcony with a beautiful wrought grille and a forever-lit lantern. Above the balcony, there is an ancient painting of Virgin Mary with Infant Jesus, with wooden sprockets and also racks with flowers on the sides. Everything is protected by a deflected roof. Legend says the painting was hung there out of gratitude that Virgin Mary did not allow the Swedish army to conquer Prague in 1648. Another legend says that the owner of this house, František Pelz and his wife saved this painting from a wild river during the great flood in 1784 and hanged it on the house. There are also marks on the house with records of water level during some floods. The house was often threatened by them, and a story goes that the inhabitants once had to climb from the windows over a ladder to Charles Bridge for safety. Wooden sprockets are explained in another legend, according to which Virgin Mary answered devout prayers and saved the hands of a careless maid named Mary who put them among the rolls during mangling.The house in such a charming neighbourhood was often sought after by artists. In the 2nd half of the 19th century it was inhabited by painters, brothers Petr, Čeněk and Karel Maixners, who were sometimes visited by the family of painter Karel Purkyně, and also by painters Josef and Quido Mánes. Adolf Kašpar was lodging here, the famous illustrator of Božena Němcová’s The Grandmother (Babička), who in 1907 married the daughter of the house’s owner. His stay in the years 1903 - 1934 is commemorated by a bronze plaque with a relief of the painter’s face by a sculptor and medallist Josef Šejnosta, installed here in 1956. The last known inhabitant of this house lived here until his death in 1942. It was Josef Rousek, who used to rent boats in summer and in winter he operated a skating ring on the river. He was famous for saving many drowning persons, for which he was distinguished at the Prague town hall.
