The Zlín Region Council approved the contract for the reconstruction project of Čiperova Villa.

Zlín - The councilors of the Zlín Region approved the initiation of a public procurement for the project documentation for the reconstruction of Čipera's villa in Zlín. The region announced this today in a statement on its website. The region has previously stated that it plans to reconstruct and make accessible the architecturally valuable villa of Dominik Čipera, former director of the Baťa company. The building could become a new cultural and creative center.

"We have approved the public procurement for the designer with the condition that before the contract is signed with them, the economic model of operation will be presented to the Zlín Region Council to ensure that the use of Čipera's villa in the future is not unprofitable. Based on this information, we will decide further," said councilor Zbyněk Fojtíček (ODS). The estimated value of the public procurement is 2.7 million crowns excluding VAT.

"Our vision is to eventually open this extraordinarily well-preserved building to the public by finding a suitable, active program for its operation. We want to use grants from the National Recovery Plan and transform Čipera's villa into a cultural and creative center of the Zlín Region. If we want to apply for grant titles, it is necessary to have the project documentation prepared," stated regional councilor Zuzana Fišerová (Pirates).

The region commissioned a study for the new use of Čipera's villa in January this year to document the condition of the building, propose layout changes, and calculate the costs of reconstruction. "The goal is to respect the historical value of this unique building and, after its restoration, integrate it into the collection of 'Zlin directors' villas'. Subsequently, we would like this ensemble to be registered as a National Cultural Monument. The villa is also an ideal platform for connecting educational and cultural activities. Creative education is a significant challenge for our education system, and I believe that thanks to Čipera's villa, we will make great progress in this area in the Zlín Region," Fišerová added.

The building should not be a passive exhibit, but a vibrant center. "The adjacent garden and the family character of the interior layout offer ideal conditions for direct contact with nature and simultaneously the possibility of versatile use with a range of flexible creative activities," stated Fišerová. Last week, during his visit to Zlín, the Minister of Culture Martin Baxa (ODS) also visited the villa.

The house of the former director of the Baťa company, the mayor of Zlín, and Czechoslovak minister was built in 1942 according to the design of architect Vladimír Karfík. Since 1947, it has been used as a children's home. In 2002, the villa with the garden was listed on the Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments.