Jurkovič Villa in Brno will briefly open to the public after a century

Brno - Even before the planned reconstruction of the Art Nouveau Jurkovič villa in Brno-Žabovřesky, people will have the opportunity to view the rare building from the inside. In April, it will be open to the public for three days. According to records from the Moravian Gallery, which has managed the villa since last year, this is the first opportunity to see the interior in over a century. Larger groups of interested parties should notify the gallery in advance.
    "The villa was last accessible to the public right after its completion in 1906, when it was an exhibit at an exhibition organized by the Club of Art Friends. In September of the same year, the architect Dušan Jurkovič himself moved into the villa, and since then the villa has only served the private purposes of its owners. It will therefore be opened again after 101 years," said Hana Doležalová, spokesperson for the Moravian Gallery, to ČTK today.
    "Visitors will be able to view the cleared interior spaces of the villa in the condition in which the gallery received it, and see the necessity for extensive reconstruction," the spokesperson stated. Tours of the building will take place from Friday, April 13, to Sunday, April 15. Admission is voluntary.
    Slovak Dušan Samo Jurkovič (1868 to 1947) is one of the most significant architects who worked in the Czech lands at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. He uniquely combined Art Nouveau and other modern styles with the tradition of folk architecture. His buildings in the Beskydy Pustevny, spa facilities in Luhačovice, and the renovation of the castle in Nové Město nad Metují are particularly famous. He designed and built the villa in Žabovřesky above the Svratka River for his own needs. Experts appreciate its integration into the landscape, measured inspiration from folk buildings, and the rare combination of architecture and artistic crafts.
    Jurkovič sold the villa during his lifetime, and it changed owners several times later. Since the 1960s, it has been a cultural monument, but it was still inhabited by the family of the owners. "They tried to maintain the property within their means. They knew what they were living in and had a close relationship with the villa," said Marek Pokorný, director of the gallery, to ČTK recently.
    Construction and historical surveys have already begun at the villa, which will determine the extent of repairs and refine the total costs, which are expected to be around 40 million crowns. The gallery intends to obtain the funds from the so-called Norwegian funds. Repairs are planned to start this fall. Inside the villa, there will be a permanent exhibition about Jurkovič as well as a research center. The Moravian Gallery is also considering establishing an educational architectural trail in the vicinity. There are several other remarkable buildings in Žabovřesky, on nearby Kraví hora, and in the residential Masaryk district.