Dolní náměstí was and is the natural business and social center of Vsetín. Its originally rural character began to change at the end of the 19th century, continued during the 1st Republic, and the last thorough reconstruction and modernization took place in 2002-03.
The history of the lower market starts to be written only from the year 1650, when at the end of the 30-year war, the settlement of Vsetín crossed the river Bečva and began to build on its left bank. Until then, there were Pastures here, and only in the places where we now see the municipal winter stadium "Na Lapači", there was an old mill already in the 15th century, in the drive of which was built a device used for "catching" fish. The first settlers of the new lower village were war refugees from the surrounding area - (mainly from the war-ravaged "Valmez"), who moved here with their families. Soon this Lower Town becomes an independent municipality, but shares a mayor with the original Vsetín. There were not exactly good neighborly relations between the two "Vsetíns" - residents squabbled with each other over market rights, the amount of taxes and, of course, most of all over land. It is not for nothing that the street running from the square towards the railway station to the south is not named Svárov to this day. Emotions subsided somewhat in 1849, when both villages merged and one single Vsetín was created. Dolní náměstí originally had an almost rural character - but this began to change in the 19th century thanks to the development of industry, and new construction soon transformed it into the current commercial and cultural center of the city. Thanks to a significant reconstruction in 2003, it offers today's visitor a much more pleasant face than it used to be in the past.
The lower square has the shape of a triangle with a length of 100 m and its greatest width is about 60 m. The market square is decorated not only with the facades of historicizing bourgeois houses, but also with functionalist architecture. Two such buildings have been classified as cultural monuments, namely the Rodinger's Department Store by architect L.Hilgert and the building of the former Savings Bank of the City of Vsetín from 1938, which today houses Komerční banka. Visitors who prefer to see more "historical" architectural styles should pay attention to the U Merkur house, whose Neo-Renaissance facade from 1900 was designed by M.Urbánek. The former Březáček hotel also has an interesting facade decoration, on the Town House we can see sgraffito by Acad. painter Kobzán. Among other such interesting objects are the facades of the restaurants U Lva and U tří svělenice. Hotel Magistr on the opposite side is also an interesting building, but with a slightly more modern character. Those who like art nouveau will see the beautiful building of Hotel Pančava with a restaurant at the end of the square. But it already stands outside the premises of the square in Svárov Street. Just a short distance in front of it, the end of the square is decorated with the modernity of the reconstructed Vsetín "Kremlin," which now houses Masaryk's public library and the Vsetín Information Center.
Translated by Google •
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