Beneš's villa in Sezimovo Ústí has opened to the public after renovations

Sezimovo Ústí (Táborsko) - For the first time after a three-year renovation, the Beneš villa in Sezimovo Ústí in Táborsko opened its doors to visitors today. This happened exactly one day after the 125th anniversary of the birth of Czechoslovakia's second president, Edvard Beneš. By making the house accessible, the last wish of the president's wife, Hana, is fulfilled, as she wanted the building to serve the public. The commemoration ceremony at the Beneš couples' tomb was attended by Prime Minister Jan Fischer.
    "This is a huge step in honoring the memory of the Beneš couple. It is truly a return to the last wish of Hana Benešová, who wanted this building to serve the public, and so it will," Fischer told reporters.
    The villa now corresponds to the original design by architect Petr Kropáček from the 1930s. During the restoration, the architects removed insensitive structural modifications made by communist politicians. The dark wooden paneling was removed from the interior, and there are period antiques and furniture in the rooms. The house now has green shutters and an ochre facade. The reconstruction, including the furnishing of the interior, cost nearly 20 million crowns.
    The basis of the exhibition on the ground floor is a dining room and a living hall with the president's favorite nook, including a comfortable armchair. On the first floor, the study and the bedroom where Beneš died are accessible. These two rooms were only open eleven times a year before the reconstruction, always on state holidays and the anniversaries of the Beneš family. Members of the public could otherwise only get to know the president's statesmanship and the private life of the couple through the exhibition established in the house under the villa in 2005.
    Edvard Beneš spent the last moments of his life in the villa. He mainly went there to rest, but also received significant visitors. Hana Benešová bequeathed the house and the land to the Tábor Museum in 1973 to serve as a memorial to her husband. However, during socialism, the building was converted into a government recreational residence. It is no longer anticipated that state officials would regularly spend their leisure time in the villa. However, there are spaces for government visitors and a prime minister's room on the second floor.
    The former summer residence of President Beneš will nonetheless be more accessible than before. Interested parties will be able to visit the villa from May to the end of October every last weekend of the month. Exceptionally, the Beneš house, which has been a cultural monument since 2000, will also be open this Friday. Entrance to it, as well as to the memorial at the garden entrance, is free of charge.