To the home with interiors by Loose in Plzeň, a museum may possibly relocate

Plzeň - In the house at Klatovská třída 19, featuring very valuable interwar interiors designed by architect Adolf Loos, a Patton Memorial museum could be located, which is currently situated in the cultural center Peklo. In the building on Klatovská, which the city acquired after negotiations with the army, the museum could move and would have larger spaces for further development. The house, which is in very poor condition, will first need to be repaired. The Plzeň city council decided today to commission a study to assess the potential use of the building and the possible costs of repairs, said the mayor's deputy Martin Baxa (ODS) to reporters.

In the building, on the second floor, are some of the most beautiful and valuable Loos interiors in Plzeň. People can currently view them only on a few special occasions each year. After complete renovation, they will be made accessible along with other apartments designed by Loos. If the Patton Museum were to move into the house, there would be an opportunity to exhibit military equipment in the courtyard, Baxa said. A visitor center would be established in the building, and the city does not rule out commercial use of part of the house. Interested parties are already reaching out.

Baxa is currently unable to say how much the repair of the house would cost. "It will certainly be tens of millions of crowns," he stated. Years ago, estimates were as high as 90 million crowns. "Although this is currently only an ideological intention, I consider it a significant step in addressing the functional use of Klatovská 19," he said.

The city took over the building from the Ministry of the Interior in 2005 and was supposed to repair and put it into operation within ten years. It was originally intended for the administration of identity cards and other documents. However, it turned out that it was not suitable for that. Because the city did not comply with the contract, it paid a penalty of just under five million crowns, but then negotiated the transfer of the house with the ministry.

The interior designed by Loos in the 1930s is unique not only for its preserved rooms but also because an important part of Plzeň's history took place there. After the forced emigration of the original owner Hugo Semler's family, the apartment was used as an office by the military commander of Plzeň, Georg von Majewski. In the apartment, on May 6, 1945, he handed over the surrender of the Wehrmacht garrison to the American army and then committed suicide on the spot.