The Karlovy Vary Region will repair the villa of manufacturer Becher

Karlovy Vary - The Karlovy Vary Region will repair the villa of industrialist Johann Gustav Becher, the former owner of the famous liqueur factory. The cost of renovating the dilapidated building in the residential area of the spa town is around 88.7 million crowns. The renovation of the building, which will be transformed into a gallery, will begin this spring and is divided into two phases. The work will be completed in 2011. This was announced by the regional spokesperson Andrea Bocková.
    The costs of restoring the neglected villa will initially be covered by the Karlovy Vary Region, and upon completion of the construction, it will receive nearly 77.7 million crowns back from the European Union in the form of a subsidy. The remaining approximately 11 million crowns will be paid by the region from its budget. In Becher's villa, the region will gain, for example, a multi-purpose community hall with facilities, exhibition halls, galleries, and a depository, the spokesperson said. The Becher Villa will be managed by the Karlovy Vary Art Gallery.
    Becher's villa is located on Krále Jiřího Street. The original owner, Gustav Becher, later sold the building to the Chemical Association from Ústí nad Labem. The state nationalized the villa after 1945, and from 1951 to 1987 it served as the House of Pioneers and Youth. In the 1990s, the Ministry of Education transferred it to the region as part of a swap for another property in Karlovy Vary. The land around the villa belonged to the city, which sold it to the region in 2006 for about 140,000 crowns.

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