The functionalist Liska villa in Hradec Králové is a monument

Hradec Králové - A functionalist villa from the First Republic period designed by architect Oldřich Liska in Hradec Králové has become a cultural monument. This was decided by the Ministry of Culture, which approved the city's proposal from April 2016. The villa is currently used by the trade office of the city hall. The ministry included the villa on the list of monuments as a unit comprising the house, land, and fencing. ČTK was informed of this today by city hall spokesperson Petr Vinklář. The last time a monument was added to the list in Hradec Králové was last year, when a First Republic water tower on St. John's Hill was listed.

Liska's villa, built in 1932, is part of the First Republic block development based on Gočár's regulatory plan for Hradec Králové. It is located in the western corner of the urban heritage site on Střelecká Street. Liska was the designer as well as the builder and user of the villa. In Hradec Králové, Liska also designed the original municipal baths on Eliščino nábřeží.

The building was designed and used until 1947 as a residential villa with a design studio. Later, the premises of the house and garden were used by a kindergarten, and in the 1990s it was rented by political parties. The villa has two above-ground floors and one underground floor with a living roof. The property includes a small garden with a pond and fencing. An office was located on the ground floor, while living quarters were on the upper floor.

Despite later changes in usage, the building has retained a large number of original elements and constructions, and the villa complex as a whole is very well preserved. "The sliding steel windows with a steel frame on the upper floor are unique, and they have been restored," said Jan Falta, head of the heritage protection department of the city hall. According to him, this is an experimental structure designed by Liska, where the frames and sashes of the windows are made from individual strips and angles using thousands of screws. A significant artistic element in the interior, according to Falta, is the fireplace with a cladding of colorful narrow strips that also appear on the entrance part of the façade.

In its decision, the Ministry of Culture stated that the segmented curvature of the building, which respects the shape of the important urban communication route, demonstrates the architect's sensitivity and perception of the broader context of the settlement structure. "The building is significantly divided both vertically and horizontally, and its mass is accentuated by a façade with alternating smooth light finishes and dark cladding evoking bricks, which are typical for the city of Hradec Králové," the ministry stated.

The city’s request to list the villa as a cultural monument was also supported by the Hradec Králové Region and the National Heritage Institute.