Czech Těšín now has two newly protected heritage villas

Fuldova vila

Český Těšín - Český Těšín in the Karviná region now has two buildings on the list of protected monuments. These are the Fuldova villa in Masaryk Gardens from 1899, built by a Těšín builder for his family, and a villa on Smetanova Street from 1930. Both villas now house kindergartens. The city aimed to add them to the list for better protection of the buildings, said city hall spokesperson Dorota Havlíková today to ČTK.

In the future, the city would like to renovate the villas and use grant money for their repair and preservation of historical character. "We want to protect exceptional architectural monuments and the fact that they are on the list allows us to seek contributions from various programs for their restoration," explained Beata Křenková, a conservation officer at the city office.

The two-story Fuldova villa also served as a German consulate in the past and began to be used as a kindergarten after World War II. "The neo-Renaissance two-winged villa is an example of high-quality historicizing architecture with demanding decorative embellishment. In particular, the portal around the door is a masterful artistic craftsmanship," Křenková noted. According to her, the extent of sandstone used in the predominant parts of the decorative elements is also remarkable.

The house on Smetanova Street was built for Gottlieb and Stella Fantel. Its appearance was inspired by English villa architecture. From the 1950s onward, the villa housed a nursery, later a kindergarten.

The spokesperson reminded that the city also tries to financially support the renovation of buildings that are not protected as monuments. For this year, it has announced subsidies for the restoration and preservation of small architectural elements.

"The grant title is intended for the restoration of historical elements of buildings that are not cultural monuments but are located in the urban heritage conservation area. These are small elements that were created before 1945 and are evidence of the construction and craftsmanship of that time. They mainly include original reveal windows, entrance and balcony doors, wooden showcases, metal railings in the exteriors of buildings, winter gardens, original fencing, or gazebos," Křenková specified. For interested parties, who can submit applications until February 15, 200,000 crowns are prepared. They can obtain half of the eligible costs.

Currently, there are 16 architecturally valuable monuments in Český Těšín. This includes, for example, the Střelnice building, the Roman Catholic church, and the chapel in Koňákov, as well as the former synagogue building.