Repairs of Jurkovič's Villa are being postponed, they will probably start next year

Brno - The planned repairs of the rare Jurkovič villa in Brno-Žabovřesky will not start this year. The Moravian Gallery (MG), which owns the building, had to postpone the reconstruction to early next year. It is still waiting for a commitment of funds from the so-called Norwegian funds, through which it aimed to cover a large part of the repair costs. The gallery expects the approval of the application in January or February, spokesperson for MG Hana Laudátová said today.
    The repairs costing 40 million crowns were supposed to start this year. The gallery had already planned to make the permanent exhibition in the villa accessible next year. Although the approval process has taken longer than expected, according to Laudátová, the gallery management considers obtaining the Norwegian grant very likely. "As far as we know, the project is rated well, and I believe we will get the money," said MG director Marek Pokorný recently.
    The Jurkovič villa, built in 1906, was inhabited by private owners for 100 years and was purchased by the Moravian Gallery last year for 15 million crowns. Construction and historical surveys, which concluded in spring, showed that the overall condition of the Art Nouveau wooden building with elements of folk architecture is good, and most interventions and changes can be at least partially reverted, restoring the building to its original state.
    "The current appearance of the house reasonably corresponds to the project from 1906. Especially the last owners treated the villa very carefully," said the head of the survey work, Petr Všetečka. He recommends removing the ceiling that one of the former owners used to cover the wooden ceiling of the entrance hall. Removing moisture from the basement, which is the only brick part of the building, will supposedly not be difficult, as will partial repairs of the roof structures. Strengthening the statics is essential, as the house was built only for family use.
    Slovak Dušan Samo Jurkovič (1868 to 1947) is one of the most significant architects who operated in the Czech lands at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. He uniquely combined Art Nouveau and other modern styles with the tradition of folk architecture. His famous buildings include those on the Beskydy Pustevny, spa buildings in Luhačovice, or modifications of the castle in Nové Město nad Metují. He designed and built the villa in Brno-Žabovřesky for his own use, but only lived in it for a short time.
    Residents of Brno showed great interest in the special tours of the Jurkovič villa that the gallery organized sporadically this summer. During the first opening to the public since 1906 in April, about a thousand people attended, prompting the event to be repeated several times. Another tour is scheduled for October, said Laudátová.