The completely reconstructed Loos interior at Klatovská 12 will be used for cultural purposes
Two rooms in the building at Klatovská 12, reconstructed in 2004, were designed by architect Adolf Loos in the late 1920s for the family of doctor Josef Vogel. The city of Plzeň furnished them with replicas of the original furniture. This fulfills another planned step in preparing a special tour route that will open unique residential interiors designed by the world-renowned architect Adolf Loos to the public. Interested visitors will be able to see the two furnished rooms for the first time on April 18 from 2 PM to 6 PM.
"Adolf Loos is a prominent figure in modern architecture, and Plzeň has the great fortune that the most alterations of residential interiors were created right here. In terms of the number of unique spaces, it can even compete with Vienna. Loos's interiors are one of Plzeň's gems, with which we will convince Europe in 2015 that we are the capital of culture," says Mayor Martin Baxa.
Opening unique interiors designed by one of the giants of modern architecture, Adolf Loos, ranks the Plzeň 2015 organization among the key projects in the European Capital of Culture 2015 program. "The Plzeň Loos interiors remained unnoticed by both experts and the cultural public for many years. We are very pleased that the first of them is now opening for purposes other than just for tours. We plan to host a number of events here, such as the Night of Literature in May, which we are organizing in cooperation with Czech Centers for the first time this year in Plzeň. Similar themed and other events will increase, and I firmly hope that during the next year the public will also have the opportunity to see the other interiors. From the reactions of our foreign colleagues, travel agencies, and journalists, it is clear that a visit to Loos's interiors in Plzeň could become a very interesting tourist destination. I believe that we will be able to contribute to this with the Plzeň 2015 project in cooperation with the owners and operators of the individual interiors," outlines program director Jiří Sulženko.
The demanding and expensive renovation of the dining room and living room at Klatovská 12 was carried out based on the project documentation developed by a team led by architect Václav Girsa, a professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague. "We had photographs of the interior at our disposal, and individual pieces of furniture were created based on them. We also utilized consultations with Professor Girsa," states Jan Setikovský from the Municipal Property Administration of Plzeň. The production of the interior furnishings was expertly handled by Vladimír Bok.
The historical photographs used as a base come from Loos's private archive, which is stored in the Albertina gallery in Vienna. "Original historical chairs and armchairs also served as a model for making the replicas. They were lent to us by the owner of another Plzeň Loos interior, Michal Brummel. Thanks to the joint efforts of many people, both rooms were reconstructed in a perfectly accurate form," states Karel Zoch from the Heritage Conservation Department of the City Hall.
This year, the repaired interior in the house at Klatovská 12 was designed by Adolf Loos in 1928 for the family of doctor Josef Vogel. "Interestingly, this was not the architect's first interior in this location. As early as 1908, Loos designed the furnishings for the apartment of the previous tenants, the family of industrialist Otto Beck, whose daughter Klára he later married," recalls Karel Zoch. The Beck family lived there until the mid-1920s when they moved to náměstí Míru 2. "They dismantled the entire interior then and installed it in the new residence with Loos's assistance," adds Zoch.
Twenty years later, Loos received a new commission for the same space from doctor Vogel. The interior was completely different from the previous one. "Adolf Loos did not make his work any easier with this design, which is admirable," notes Karel Zoch. At that time, Loos designed the furnishings for the entire apartment, including the dining room, living room, bedroom, and children's room, as well as the doctor's office and X-ray workspace for doctor Vogel.
The replicas of the furniture for the part of the apartment at Klatovská 12, reconstructed ten years ago, were purchased by the city for just under two million crowns. The reconstruction of another apartment at Bendova 10 is expected to be completed by the second half of June. It includes rehabilitation of the dining room, living room, and bedroom spaces with Loos's interiors, as well as other areas. The building will offer a space for intimate cultural and social events, just like the spaces at Klatovská 12.
The owners of the apartment, the Vogl family, were Jewish. Therefore, after the German occupation, they faced persecution and death in a concentration camp. They ultimately managed to escape from the Nazis and continued their lives in Canada. The Germans established an Employment Office in the house. It was also used as an administrative building during socialism, when a housing enterprise was based there. Today, it houses the Municipal Property Administration of Plzeň.
The rescue of Loos's interior at Klatovská 12 was significantly contributed to by art historian Věra Běhalová. In the late 1960s, she advocated for it to be registered as a cultural monument.
"Adolf Loos is a prominent figure in modern architecture, and Plzeň has the great fortune that the most alterations of residential interiors were created right here. In terms of the number of unique spaces, it can even compete with Vienna. Loos's interiors are one of Plzeň's gems, with which we will convince Europe in 2015 that we are the capital of culture," says Mayor Martin Baxa.
Opening unique interiors designed by one of the giants of modern architecture, Adolf Loos, ranks the Plzeň 2015 organization among the key projects in the European Capital of Culture 2015 program. "The Plzeň Loos interiors remained unnoticed by both experts and the cultural public for many years. We are very pleased that the first of them is now opening for purposes other than just for tours. We plan to host a number of events here, such as the Night of Literature in May, which we are organizing in cooperation with Czech Centers for the first time this year in Plzeň. Similar themed and other events will increase, and I firmly hope that during the next year the public will also have the opportunity to see the other interiors. From the reactions of our foreign colleagues, travel agencies, and journalists, it is clear that a visit to Loos's interiors in Plzeň could become a very interesting tourist destination. I believe that we will be able to contribute to this with the Plzeň 2015 project in cooperation with the owners and operators of the individual interiors," outlines program director Jiří Sulženko.
The demanding and expensive renovation of the dining room and living room at Klatovská 12 was carried out based on the project documentation developed by a team led by architect Václav Girsa, a professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague. "We had photographs of the interior at our disposal, and individual pieces of furniture were created based on them. We also utilized consultations with Professor Girsa," states Jan Setikovský from the Municipal Property Administration of Plzeň. The production of the interior furnishings was expertly handled by Vladimír Bok.
The historical photographs used as a base come from Loos's private archive, which is stored in the Albertina gallery in Vienna. "Original historical chairs and armchairs also served as a model for making the replicas. They were lent to us by the owner of another Plzeň Loos interior, Michal Brummel. Thanks to the joint efforts of many people, both rooms were reconstructed in a perfectly accurate form," states Karel Zoch from the Heritage Conservation Department of the City Hall.
This year, the repaired interior in the house at Klatovská 12 was designed by Adolf Loos in 1928 for the family of doctor Josef Vogel. "Interestingly, this was not the architect's first interior in this location. As early as 1908, Loos designed the furnishings for the apartment of the previous tenants, the family of industrialist Otto Beck, whose daughter Klára he later married," recalls Karel Zoch. The Beck family lived there until the mid-1920s when they moved to náměstí Míru 2. "They dismantled the entire interior then and installed it in the new residence with Loos's assistance," adds Zoch.
Twenty years later, Loos received a new commission for the same space from doctor Vogel. The interior was completely different from the previous one. "Adolf Loos did not make his work any easier with this design, which is admirable," notes Karel Zoch. At that time, Loos designed the furnishings for the entire apartment, including the dining room, living room, bedroom, and children's room, as well as the doctor's office and X-ray workspace for doctor Vogel.
The replicas of the furniture for the part of the apartment at Klatovská 12, reconstructed ten years ago, were purchased by the city for just under two million crowns. The reconstruction of another apartment at Bendova 10 is expected to be completed by the second half of June. It includes rehabilitation of the dining room, living room, and bedroom spaces with Loos's interiors, as well as other areas. The building will offer a space for intimate cultural and social events, just like the spaces at Klatovská 12.
The owners of the apartment, the Vogl family, were Jewish. Therefore, after the German occupation, they faced persecution and death in a concentration camp. They ultimately managed to escape from the Nazis and continued their lives in Canada. The Germans established an Employment Office in the house. It was also used as an administrative building during socialism, when a housing enterprise was based there. Today, it houses the Municipal Property Administration of Plzeň.
The rescue of Loos's interior at Klatovská 12 was significantly contributed to by art historian Věra Běhalová. In the late 1960s, she advocated for it to be registered as a cultural monument.
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