People in K. Vary reached Lützow's villa and walked through the garden

K. Vary - Today, people in Karlovy Vary exceptionally got close to the architecturally valuable Empire Lützow Villa on the occasion of the city's Open Monument Day. Although the interiors of the building remained closed, visitors walked through the terraced, romantically landscaped gardens, admired some sculptures commissioned by Baron August von Lützow, who had the house built 160 years ago, and also reached the roundel with the local symbol, the sitting cat.
    "The villa is privately owned. The current owner, a foreigner, has it furnished in the spirit of the mid-19th century, when it was owned by Baron Lützow," said Jiří Klsák, Deputy Mayor of Karlovy Vary and historian, who guided interested visitors today.
    According to Klsák, the owner strives to maintain the villa in its original spirit and also takes care of the adjoining garden. "In Karlovy Vary, we often do not encounter foreign owners maintaining the purchased houses in their original style, as they were when the monument was created," he stated. Although the owner was unable to obtain the original furniture and smaller items for the interiors, he placed period pieces in the villa.
    According to Klsák, the building is a gem of Karlovy Vary and until now, it, along with the garden, has been inaccessible. After the death of Baron Lützow, who settled permanently in Karlovy Vary due to the beneficial effects of the thermal springs and was known for his disputes with local councilors, the villa was owned by several owners. After World War II, it served as a recreation facility for Czechoslovak airlines. During that time, the last pieces of original furniture reportedly also disappeared.
    The villa is located on a steep rocky slope and can be seen from all viewpoints in Karlovy Vary. At the lower part of the garden is one of the well-known local symbols, a cat sitting on a pillar, turned away from the then Gothic town hall. The sculpture was allegedly commissioned by Lützow to be placed in his garden as a gesture of disdain for the unsuccessful statue of Emperor Charles IV located in the neighboring city park. Besides this cat, there are still several other original sculptures in the garden today.