They didn't even vote on the purchase of Medova Villa in Humpolec after a heated debate

Humpolec – The representatives of Humpolec in Pelhřimov today were to discuss the purchase of the Med villa proposed by architect Josef Gočár. After a heated debate, they ultimately did not vote on it. The mayor of the city, Petr Machek, withdrew the proposal for the city to purchase the functionalist cultural monument from the agenda.

Oppositional representatives were particularly unhappy that the city did not present a precise plan for the use of the building. They also criticized the estimated reconstruction costs, which the city calculated at 35 million crowns, as being too low.

The mayor wanted to gain broad support for the purchase, not just a narrow majority of 11 votes in the twenty-one member council. When criticism of the acquisition plan began to accumulate and the representatives refused a working vote that would clarify their stance on the purchase, Machek withdrew the item from the agenda. Therefore, the purchase price was not disclosed publicly. According to the mayor, this was in accordance with an agreement with the villa's owners. The public was to learn the price only at the moment when the representatives approved the acquisition plan. The representatives knew the price in advance.

On real estate websites, the villa is offered for 30 million crowns. Machek told ČTK that if the city bought the villa, it would like to make it accessible to the public. It could serve as a social and cultural center and to commemorate the cloth-making tradition in the city. "All types of usage could mix there, you could do tours, showcase Gočár's architecture, and at the same time you could explain how the cloth-making and the entire industry that created Humpolec functioned using this villa as an example," described Machek's intention.

The villa was built on Tyrš Square by fabric merchant Otakar Med between 1933 and 1934. The house served as both a family and company residence. It was subsequently confiscated by the communist regime. After the Velvet Revolution, the state returned the villa to the Med family.