The repair of the Zelenka Villa in Kutná Hora will take longer, it is expected to be completed in March

Kutná Hora - The reconstruction of the functionalist Zelenka villa in Kutná Hora will not be completed by the end of the year; it is expected to be finished in March next year. The delay was caused by significant moisture in the walls, issues with the roof structure, and other deficiencies that the project did not account for. The costs are around 41 million crowns, originally planned to be six to seven million lower. Most of the expenses are expected to be covered by a grant, said Mayor Lukáš Seifert (ODS) to reporters today. The renovated building will provide facilities for home care services.

Work began last autumn. Throughout the year, the city announced several months of delays. In the end, everything was to be completed by the end of the year, but according to the mayor, that will not happen either. According to him, the slower progress was due to the city's approach to the reconstruction as if it were a heritage building. Restoring some elements turned out to be very complex. "Thanks to our intervention, the Zelenka villa may one day become a heritage site," stated the mayor.

However, the condition of the subsoil, foundations, and structures under the extensions turned out to be worse than expected. Therefore, the city decided to modify the project and remove the extensions. Workers also uncovered original windows that had been bricked up later. Due to significant moisture in the walls, it was necessary not only to dry them out but also to implement waterproofing. According to Seifert, all the non-original extensions were poorly constructed. If it weren't for the architecturally valuable building, he said the only solution would have been to demolish it.

After the reconstruction is completed, the city intends to build a community garden by the villa without a grant. It will mainly be used by seniors from the Hlouška and Šipší housing estates.

The former factory owner's villa on Masaryk Street was inhabited from 1939 to 1942 by Leo and Grete Reiniger. The two-story building in the functionalist style was designed for them by the prominent Czech architect, scenographer, and designer František Zelenka. The Reinigers ended up in a concentration camp due to their Jewish origin and did not return. Later, there were nurseries and a special kindergarten for disabled children in the Zelenka villa. The building underwent a series of adaptations and extensions.

The basement of the villa served during the original owners' time as a technical facility with a boiler room, coal storage, laundry, drying room, and janitor's apartment. On the raised ground floor, there was a kitchen, dining room, spacious hall with an adjacent study, and winter garden. The house also had rooms for family members, a governess, servants, and a guest room.