The new managing director of the company owning the luxurious villa in Ústí promises its new use

Ústí nad Labem - The long-abandoned villa of Jacob Weinmann in Ústí nad Labem on Winston Churchill Street, which ended up in private hands in 2009, is likely to see some use in a few years. The new managing director of AEC Novák, which owns the property, Karel Novák Jr., has started to care for the greenery and is looking for partners to help realize the project. Details of the plans were not disclosed to ČTK.

The sale of the property for 20.2 million crowns was approved by the city council 14 years ago. At that time, a coalition of ODS and ČSSD was in power. "The property was originally used as a home for children and youth, but there were problems with its technical condition, especially with compliance with hygiene regulations," informed ČTK spokesperson Romana Macová, according to whom the children's home had repeatedly received exemptions from hygienists for its use.

The leisure center moved that same year to renovated spaces in the culture house, and since then the historic building has been abandoned. ČTK found on site that the villa has become a refuge for pigeons, and the windows on the lower floors are boarded up due to homeless individuals. The villa has lost its luster not only in its windows and facade but also in the railing around the property. However, the house was already in poor condition before the sale. According to Novák Jr., the house is secured to prevent further deterioration. The company maintains it and cares for the greenery.

Plans for the use of the historic villa were already held by Novák Jr.'s father. "It's my father's purchase, who led the company in the past. It was some kind of vision that is not entirely relevant today," said the current director, who has different plans for the building. According to Novák Jr., the cost of repairs and project realization remains the same, amounting to tens of millions of crowns. Novák Jr. stated that the company does not have such an amount of money, so he would like to find partners to join him and collectively finance the planned renovation. He does not want to sell the villa. The city spokesperson reminded that the company offered the house to the city in 2019 for 44 million crowns, at which time the company was still represented by Karel Novák Sr.

German-speaking Jew Jacob Weinmann was among the wealthiest residents of Ústí nad Labem, as noted on the website about architecture in Northern Bohemia. He made his fortune through coal trading. The luxurious villa, built between 1894 and 1895, had 18 rooms, two studies, and two kitchens. Weinmann hired the famous Viennese decorator and painter Adolf Falkenstein for the painting work. After the entrepreneur's death, his son Friedrich Weinmann lived in the house, who had the villa remodeled in 1928 according to the plans of architect Paul Brockhardt.

In 1938, the family moved to Great Britain, and two years later, the German Secret State Police began using the villa. After World War II, the house was used by the National Security Corps and later by the regional court. The villa later housed the regional political school and was subsequently a meeting place for Pioneers. "In the 70s, it burned down, so the main hall lost its embellishments because the original staircase burned down," recalled historian Martin Krsek, noting that some salons are still original. "Interestingly, there is a gnome on the facade, which is a symbol of coal and mining," added Krsek.