The renovation of the Brno villa Stiassny will be extended until the summer of 2014

Building for the COPA lecture activities (Archteam; in progress)

Brno - The work on the restoration of the Stiassny government villa in Brno is technically so demanding that it will finish roughly six months later than previously expected. The preservationists aim to start operations in this functionalist building in the summer of 2014. A Center for the Restoration of 20th Century Architectural Heritage will also be established there. Petr Kroupa, its director, said this today to ČTK. The work will cost approximately 180 million crowns. The villa's interiors have already regained their original appearance.
    The villa was commissioned in 1927 by textile industrialist Alfred Stiassny of Jewish origin according to a design by architect Arnošt Wiesner. During socialism, it was used by the government. When visiting Czechoslovakia, the Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro stayed there overnight.
    "We expect to present the interiors to the public during an open house next April. However, the work will still be ongoing at that time. We face a challenging restoration of the swimming pool, paths, and especially the completion of a new building for the Center for the Restoration of Heritage," Kroupa stated. The center, with a library and lecture hall, will offer assistance to all who embark on the reconstruction of valuable 20th-century buildings.
    During the reconstruction, Kroupa noted that some adjustments would be more complicated. The interiors have regained their original form based on old documentation. However, in some places, it was only during the repairs that the original appearance of the building was uncovered. Experts rank it among the most valuable architectural monuments in Brno, alongside the Tugendhat villa. The static stabilization of the Stiassny villa was particularly challenging.
    After reconstruction, the building should serve not only for social events but also for the education of specialists who will gain experience at the Center for the Restoration of 20th Century Architectural Heritage. This will primarily involve art historians and architects focusing on interwar constructions.