In the Karlovy Vary Becher Villa, a center for young visual artists will be established

Karlovy Vary - A center for young artists will be established in the Becher Villa in Karlovy Vary. The Karlovy Vary Region, which owns the historic building from 1912, has already completed a study and a project. By the end of May at the latest, it will submit an application for a grant from the European Union as part of the Regional Operational Program’s call. By the end of the year, the reconstruction of the building, estimated to cost 89 million crowns, could begin, said Governor Josef Pavel to ČTK today.
    He believes that the plan for the use of the villa, built according to architect Carlo Heller for Gustav Becher, is interesting enough that the region will be successful in its grant application. His share would represent about 11.3 million crowns in this case. Construction work could thus begin in the autumn, and its duration is estimated to be about a year. The region already has a valid building permit. "In the lower part of the villa, there will be classrooms and workshops for artists and ceramics. There will be a firing kiln and other tools," said the governor.
    Another floor is reserved for a multipurpose hall and other smaller social spaces. These can be used for chamber concerts, lectures, and other cultural events. Exhibition areas will be located on the second floor of the villa. It will be part of the Gallery of Art Karlovy Vary, which is established by the Karlovy Vary Region. "The gallery will take care of the operations and program in the Becher Villa. The operating costs will be part of the gallery's budget. We mainly want to attract young artists here," added Pavel.
    Becher Villa is located on Karlovy Vary’s Krále Jiřího street. The original owner, Gustav Becher, later sold the property to the Chemical Society from Ústí nad Labem. During the war, the villa housed the SS. The state nationalized the villa after 1945, and from 1951 to 1987, it served as a House of Pioneers and Youth. In the 1990s, the Ministry of Education transferred it to the region as part of an exchange for another property in Karlovy Vary. The land around the villa belonged to the city, which sold it to the region in 2006 for about 140,000 crowns.