The mayor offered the Tugendhats to participate in the renovation of the villa

Brno - Descendants of the original owners of the functionalist villa Tugendhat will be able to participate in the repair of this significant landmark. During today's informal meeting, this was offered to them by the mayor of Brno, Roman Onderka. According to deputy mayor Barbora Javorová, who attended the meeting, the Tugendhats consider the offer interesting, but they still need to discuss it with the rest of the family. They mainly accepted the assurance that both parties share the common interest of wanting to repair the villa as quickly as possible, Javorová told ČTK.
Onderka and Javorová met with the descendants of the villa's owners in Brno for a private dinner and discussed without lawyers. The mayor informed them that they can discuss repairs to the villa with the city. They can comment on the repair study and participate in the renovation. "There was no talk of lawsuits," Javorová emphasized. "We verified that we do not want to deceive each other, but to cooperate," she added.
According to an earlier statement by their legal representative, Augustin Kohoutek, the Tugendhats considered filing a lawsuit against Brno if the landmark is not returned to them. Today's meeting was attended by Daniela Tugendhatová and her nephew Eduardo, who flew in from the United States for the meeting.
Brno's city councilors decided last month that the villa should continue to belong to the city. They disagree with its gratuitous transfer because, they say, the legal conditions have not been met. Although the councilors initially recognized the family's claim to have the villa returned and approved that the city should transfer it to the state, which would then return it to the heirs, the state refused to take over the landmark. Consequently, the councilors revised their earlier decision.
The Tugendhat villa is one of the unique examples of interwar functionalist architecture. It was designed in 1928 by German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 to 1969), who is considered the father of modern architecture of the 20th century. The villa established new standards for modern living; the glass main living space with a winter garden is only slightly divided by free walls - the architect breathed life into the idea of a habitable continuous space. The building also had original furnishings, bath solutions, toilets, and heating units.
The house is owned by Brno and is managed by the Museum of the City of Brno, which has equipped the main living space with replicas of the original furniture. In 2001, the Tugendhat villa was inscribed on the UNESCO list as the only modern architecture monument in the Czech Republic. The museum is now preparing for an extensive reconstruction of the building and its statically disturbed foundations.

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> The Mayor of Brno will meet with the Tugendhats regarding the rare villa | 21.03.2007
> Brno will not return the Tugendhat villa to the descendants of the original owners | 20.03.2007
> The Tugendhat villa should remain with Brno, the councilors said | 19.03.2007
> The Tugendhats do not like the criticism of the sale of the statue, saying it has nothing to do with the villa | 06.02.2007
> A statue from the Tugendhat villa was purchased by an unknown collector for a million pounds | 06.02.2007
> The gallery returned to the Tugendhats not only the auctioned statue but also furniture from the villa | 05.02.2007
> A statue from the Tugendhat villa will be auctioned today in London | 05.02.2007
> Brno wants to transfer the Tugendhat villa to the state, which is supposed to return it to the heirs | 30.01.2007
> The opposition ODS in Brno wants to return the Tugendhat villa to the original owners | 13.01.2007
> Brno does not want to release the Tugendhat villa, a court may have to decide | 09.01.2007
> The descendants of the Tugendhats officially requested the return of the villa | 9.1.2007
> The Brno city council canceled the tender for the repair of the Tugendhat villa | 14.12.2006
> Brno will check whether the tender for the Tugendhat villa was manipulated | 9.12.2006
> The descendants of the owners will probably request the return of the Tugendhat villa | 7.12.2006
> The Office for the Protection of Competition turned to the Supreme Administrative Court regarding the tender for the Tugendhat villa | 4.12.2006
> The Moravian Gallery returned a valuable statue to the Tugendhat family | 30.11.2006
> A record number of tourists visited the Tugendhat villa | 14.11.2006
> The repair of the Tugendhat villa is postponed, it probably will not start this year | 10.10.2006
> The lowest offer for the repair of the Tugendhat villa is 140 million | 29.09.2006
> The court will today assess the verdict of the Office for the Protection of Competition regarding the contract for the repair of the Tugendhat villa [27.9.2006]
> Brno councilors approved an increase in funds for the repair of the Tugendhat villa [8.9.2006]
> The repair of the Tugendhat villa will become more expensive due to fidelity to the details [11.8.2006]
> The reconstruction of the Tugendhat villa is set to begin in the fall [16.6.2006]
> Symposium MATERIALITY with support from Xella [24.5.2006]
> The Tugendhat villa is set for repair; an exhibition maps the preparations so far [15.5.2006]