Becherova villa in Karlovy Vary has transformed into a new gallery

Karlovy Vary - The grand Karlovy Vary villa of the factory owner Johann Gustav Becher, the former owner of the famous liqueur company, has been renovated and transformed into a new interactive gallery. The cost of repairing the dilapidated building reached approximately 88.7 million crowns. Of this, 77.6 million crowns were EU grants, and more than 11 million crowns were paid by the Karlovy Vary Region, which owns the villa. This was reported today by Governor Josef Novotný (ČSSD) to ČTK.
     The project to create the Interactive Gallery Karlovy Vary - Becher's Villa was divided into two phases. The construction part involved the renovation of the villa and gazebo. It lasted from November 2009 to June 2010. The second phase followed, culminating this April, stated regional councilor Eva Valjentová (KSČM). "It involved the furnishing of the villa's interior, the garden house, as well as the renovation and restoration of the villa's facade," she added.
     The operation of the villa will be managed by the Karlovy Vary Art Gallery, which is established by the Karlovy Vary Region. It offers art workshops, a library, a multifunctional social hall with facilities, exhibition halls, galleries, and a depot. The villa includes an outdoor studio that was created by converting a garage into a garden house. "The villa features not only exhibition spaces but also facilities for concerts or social events," said gallery director Jan Samec.
     The costs of operating the new facility of the Karlovy Vary gallery have not yet been precisely calculated, according to Samec, as the budget is still being developed. The Karlovy Vary Art Gallery has an annual budget of around eight million crowns, and the operation of the Interactive Gallery Becher's Villa should be funded from it. The governor's deputy Martin Havel (ČSSD) commented that this will definitely not be sufficient. "It is clear that the gallery needs to receive more money for operations," he added.
     Becher's Villa is located on Krále Jiřího Street. The original owner, Gustav Becher, sold the property to the Chemical Association from Ústí nad Labem. The state nationalized the villa after 1945, and from 1951 to 1987 it served as the House of Pioneers and Youth. In the 1990s, the Ministry of Education transferred the villa 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.

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