The renovation of the Wittal villa in Brno will cost between 60 and 80 million according to the museum

Brno - The complete reconstruction of the Wittal villa on Hroznová Street in Brno will likely cost between 60 to 80 million Czech crowns. Zbyněk Šolc, the director of the Museum of the City of Brno, which took over the villa's management last November, told ČTK. The architectural-historical survey will last until the end of February, followed by the preparation of detailed project documentation. The Brno city hall has promised the museum a subsidy of over seven million crowns for project preparation, and the museum also intends to obtain funding from Norwegian funds.

"So far, we have reports on the building's stability, which is good, and there is no significant moisture anywhere. Mild structural issues are noticeable at the staircase, but compared to the Arnold villa, the building's stability is in significantly better condition. This means that the reconstruction will be easier and cheaper than it was for the Arnold villa," Šolc stated.

The reconstruction of the Arnold villa in Černá Pole was completed a year ago and cost 150 million crowns. In addition to the overall renovation, it was necessary to ensure the building's stability. In the preliminary cost estimation for the Wittal villa renovation, the museum also draws from its experiences with the repair of the Arnold villa.

"The villa was originally built as two apartments; the renovations between the 1950s and 1990s changed the interior into five apartments. To return the villa to its original layout, some partitions and bathrooms will need to be removed. Of course, we plan to repair the electrical installations and install fire detectors. The restoration should maximally accentuate the original heritage value of the building," Šolc added.

This year, the museum hopes to secure a building permit. "The Norwegian funds should reopen in spring 2026, from which we will seek to obtain about 38 million crowns, or half of the total renovation costs. We expect that the repair work could begin in the fall of 2026, lasting about a year and a half, so it is realistic for the Wittal villa to open as the Center for Jewish Culture Štetl in spring 2028," the museum director stated.

The villa, designed by architect Heinrich Blum in 1932 for the Jewish Wittal family, is designed according to the principles of functionalism with elements of organic concepts. The family did not inhabit the house for long; after the Nazi occupation, the building was confiscated, and an administration was imposed on it, housing the Gestapo. After the war, the communist authorities seized the Wittal brothers' textile manufacturing company along with the villa, and the building served the city as a representative space. Later, it was converted into apartments, serving as housing for several families.