Reconstruction of the Bauer Villa in Libodřice

Vilu was designed in 1912 by architect Josef Gočár for Adolf Bauer, the owner of the estate in Libodřice. The reconstruction of Bauer's villa for the Foundation of Czech Cubism was designed by us between 2004 and 2006, with implementation occurring from 2004 to 2008. The key was to combine the old with the new, in this case, cubism with the architect's interventions. The degree of interventions was determined by the fact that a lot of things and documentation from Gočár were preserved. The villa was owned by the municipality until 2002. Fortunately, the communist period did not disrupt the essence of the building and interiors too much. The bathrooms, sanitary facilities, parquet floors, and fireplaces were preserved; the furniture was looted, but many items were found in the attic - pieces of gas lamps, windows. Some elements had to be supplemented from second-hand shops - doors, part of the furniture. It was more of an adventure. What is interesting about the villa is that the shell is cubist, but the interior is eclectic. The original color and structure of the facade were determined according to samples. There are Gočár's designs for some interior elements, but the interior is eclectic, as if the taste of the gentleman farmer was not entirely cubist. It seems something happened during the construction because the villa was built according to the design, but the Bauers furnished it themselves. This is not uncommon since few buildings are gesamtkunstwerk.