New book unveils the forgotten story of the Semler residence in Plzeň

Plzeň – The previously forgotten or little-known story of the Semler residence in Plzeň, a building constructed according to the concept of the world-renowned architect Adolf Loos, is brought to light in a new book titled Semler Residence in Plzeň. A Three-Dimensional Story of Adolf Loos and Heinrich Kulka. The publication by curator of the architecture collection of the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň, Petr Domanický, organizes and supplements knowledge about the unique building, placing the Semler residence in the context of the work of Adolf Loos and his collaborators in Plzeň. It also explores the history of the Semler family and the fate of their house and apartment in more recent times, said Gabriela Darebná from the gallery to ČTK.

The home of the Semler family, Oskar and Jana, in Plzeň, along with the interior of their apartment, was built between 1933 and 1934 and, according to Domanický, ranks among the foremost monuments of modern architecture in Central Europe. "The unique concept of a spacious apartment, which does not have classic floors but features individual spaces of varying heights that concentrate around a central living hall in six levels, known as the raumplan principle, represents a certain culmination of Loos's work," Domanický said. After the West Bohemian Gallery acquired the building for management in 2012, a comprehensive and challenging restoration of the monument was carried out in stages, including the restoration of most of the preserved furnishings and the revival of many lost details. The nearly decade-long renovation of the residence, costing 110 million crowns, was completed last September.

"The book summarizes current knowledge about the origins of the Semler residence, including the latest findings from the ten-year restoration and also insights from valuable communication with Vilém Semler, the still-living son of the original investors," Domanický said. His book also addresses the activities of the Semler family in the pre-war industry of Plzeň and their intention to create a family estate. It describes the fate of the family and their properties after emigration in 1939 and highlights the heritage care for the property.

"Through a careful analysis of sources and a thorough analysis of the architectural motifs of the Semler residence, Petr Domanický was able to demonstrate that Loos himself was able to decide on the concept of the residence before his passing, so Heinrich Kulka merely executed and completed it, although Kulka's contribution cannot be diminished," stated Rostislav Švácha from the Institute of Art History at the Czech Academy of Sciences. Loos could not finish the building because he died in 1933. The construction was therefore carried out by his pupil Kulka. Plzeň is the second most significant focal point of Loos's work after Vienna. The Semler residence, as the only one of the interiors in Plzeň associated with Loos, features the raumplan. The same concept is used in the Müller villa in Prague.

This year, the residence was accepted into the international network of Iconic Houses. The foundation registered in the Netherlands brings together exceptional buildings designed by world architects of the 20th century. The interior of the Semler villa is among the 12 objects in the Czech Republic that belong to the network of iconic houses.