Lederer's villa in Jindřichův Hradec is a cultural monument

Jindřichův Hradec – A new cultural monument has been established in South Bohemia, the Lederer Villa in Jindřichův Hradec. It has been included in the register by the Ministry of Culture. The Art Nouveau villa influenced by the English Arts & Crafts movement is one of the most valuable architectural structures from the early 20th century in South Bohemia, cultural heritage experts reported today in a press release.

The villa was built between 1904 and 1905. It is located on Pražská Street near the Franciscan monastery. The architecture of the building reveals the influence of Jan Kotěra, specifically his design for the District House in Hradec Králové. "The villa was designed by Kotěra's student, the then-beginning architect Otakar Novotný, who later became famous mainly for the project of the Prague building of the Mánes Association of Fine Artists. On the villa's building, we can still find authentically preserved elements that combine English villa architecture with decorative Kotěra details, such as geometric motifs, floral patterns, or combinations of contrasting surfaces," stated Jakub Drozda from the National Heritage Institute in České Budějovice.

A house existed at the site of the villa even during the Baroque period. The villa was created for the Jindřichův Hradec lawyer, writer, and politician Eduard Lederer. He commissioned the design for the renovation of the villa from Otakar Novotný, who at that time represented Jan Kotěra in negotiations regarding the modifications of the town hall interior.

Due to a lack of funds, the Lederer family sold the villa to the state in 1949. The villa gradually fell into disrepair. In the 1990s, it came into private ownership. The current state of the villa, including the extensive garden with terrace landscaping, is the result of repairs from the 1990s, the heritage experts noted.

In February, the Ministry of Culture (MK) included five other new cultural monuments in South Bohemia on the list. These are the Hardtmuth Villa in České Budějovice, the chapel in Herbertov, the forge in Číčenice in the Strakonice region, a new bridge in Písek, and a railway bridge over the Lužnice River on the Tábor - Bechyně route. There are 5,100 cultural monuments in South Bohemia. The MK included the monuments on the list based on proposals from heritage experts.