The reconstruction of the Tugendhat villa is set to begin in the autumn

Brno - The complete renovation of the rare Tugendhat villa in Brno, listed as a UNESCO site, is likely to begin this fall. Preparatory work concluded in recent days, and the city announced a public tender for the reconstruction. The minimum cost of the repairs is 85 million crowns. Miroslav Hošek (ODS), the deputy mayor of Brno, said this today.
Construction firms wishing to bid for the work on the villa must submit their offers by July 28. The city hall wants repairs to start on November 1, and they are expected to last for two years.
"The reconstruction of the villa has been in preparation for a long time; we are finally announcing the tender now. Just a month ago, we were discussing where each sink, toilet, or cooker was located. The preparations delved into such nuances,” Hošek said. The heritage restoration should return the villa to its original state, including details of the furnishings and fixtures. According to Hošek, the reconstruction will not only concern the building but also the adjacent gardens.
Most of the villa's furnishings are irretrievably lost, so they will be replaced with faithful copies. The Museum of the City of Brno keeps the only original armchair from the villa, while the Moravian Gallery manages another four pieces of furniture. The Tugendhat family took part of the furnishings with them into exile. "However, it is hard to ask them to provide us with these items,” said Pavel Ciprian, the director of the Museum of the City of Brno, recently. The rest of the furnishings were lost over the past decades when the building was often insensitively used for various purposes.
The Tugendhat villa in Brno's Černá Pole was designed in 1928 by the world-renowned German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The building is unique in its spatial concept, choice of materials, and interior design. It garnered significant acclaim even at the time of its creation. “It was a UFO that landed in Brno; it was worth hundreds of villas,” believes architect Tomáš Rusín, who is involved in the preparation of the reconstruction. After a series of vicissitudes, the unique project received due recognition – in 2001, it was added to the UNESCO list.
The building enjoys exceptional interest from tourists, which far exceeds the capacity for tours. The interest continues to rise, as people are concerned about the long-term closure of the villa due to renovations. More than half of the visitors are foreigners.