Volmanova villa in Čelákovice will once again become the backdrop for the performance Malvína this summer

volmanova vila

Čelákovice - The functionalist Volman villa in Čelákovice near Prague will once again serve as the backdrop for the performance Malvína by the Pomezí theater group this August. The performance, for which the presale started today, is another way for people to glimpse the interiors of one of the jewels of modern interwar architecture. The Volman villa association also attracts visitors with concerts and guided tours of the villa, expanding Saturday openings to include some weekdays starting this spring. Last year, approximately 8,000 visitors came to the villa, said curator and chairwoman of the Volman villa association Zuzana Kadlečková today.

"With spring, in addition to weekends, we are opening on Thursdays and Fridays. Besides guided tours, we strive to establish ourselves as a cultural center, which we are succeeding at, for instance, with concerts, these are such intimate experiences; we have a concert about once every eight weeks," Kadlečková said. For example, in April, opera music fans will be treated to a concert by Andrea Kalivodová, but the program will also include music from other genres.

Malvína is a performance tailored to the space of the villa and its surroundings, loosely inspired by the novella The Rat-catcher by Viktor Dyk. It is a so-called immersive performance, where the audience members are co-creators of the show. "Through three characters and their stories, the performance also points to possible approaches to such types of architectural heritage," the association stated on its website. During the performance, the audience can move freely within a defined space and engage with whatever interests them at the moment. "In the space, parallel acting actions take place, and it is up to each visitor whether they will follow one character, focus their interest on several of them, or explore the villa itself," the association stated. This year, it offers 12 performance dates at the beginning of August.

The villa was built between 1938 and 1939 according to the design of Karel Janů and Jiří Štursa for businessman Josef Volman, who established a machine tool factory in Čelákovice, later TOS Čelákovice. Volman significantly contributed to the city's development, supported culture and sports, and built apartments for his employees. The villa, which stands in the middle of a large park near the Elbe River, features, among other things, protruding terraces. After World War II, the villa served as a kindergarten, and in the 1990s the building fell into disrepair. The villa, referred to as the "Central Bohemian Tugendhat," is a cultural monument.

The First Republic villa was reopened in the autumn of 2022 after extensive reconstruction, returning it to its original form. The repairs were financed by local entrepreneurs from private sources. The house is part of the international network Iconic Houses, which brings together exceptional buildings by world architects of the 20th century.

Visitors can choose from tour dates scheduled from Thursday to Sunday. Group tours of the villa last 80 minutes, and the admission for a guided tour is 350 crowns.