The Museum of the City of Brno has taken over the management of the Wittal villa and is preparing for its restoration

Brno - The heritage-listed Wittal villa on Hroznová Street in Brno is now under the management of the Museum of the City of Brno. The museum already cares for the Tugendhat villa and the Arnold villa in Černá Pole. The museum will now begin preparing an application for a grant for the villa's renovation from Norwegian funds, as well as the project documentation for this renovation, said the museum director Zbyněk Šolc during the ceremonial handover of the villa.

"Currently, thanks to the city's contribution, we are preparing both a grant application from Norwegian funds and the project documentation for the entire reconstruction. If everything goes according to plan, it could be completed by 2028," said Šolc. After the renovations are completed, the villa will house the Center for Jewish Culture Štetl.

The villa, designed by architect Heinrich Blum in 1932 for the Jewish family Wittal, is designed according to the principles of functionalism with elements of organic design. The family did not occupy the house for long; after the Nazi occupation, the building was confiscated, managed by the authorities, and housed the Gestapo. After the war, the Wittal brothers' textile manufacturing firm, along with the villa, was seized by the communists, and the building served the city as a representative space.

Until now, the villa was managed by the Brno-střed district, and in August the Brno city council decided to transfer it to the museum. They also approved an investment contribution of 7.1 million crowns for the preparation of project documentation for building permits and for the construction to be undertaken, which are necessary for the grant application. The city will also contribute 272,000 crowns to the museum for securing the property and garden, their maintenance, and for submitting the grant application and preparing documentation for the Norwegian funds.