The opening of Werich's villa is postponed by two weeks

Prague - The opening of the Werich Villa and part of the exhibitions has been postponed from this Friday to June 30. Veronika Blažková, spokesperson for Prague 1, stated this in response to a query from ČTK today. The reason is a delay in building approval. The planned cultural festival will take place this weekend, but without guided tours of the exhibitions.

The construction office will finally approve the renovated building only on Friday, when the opening was originally scheduled. This does not provide enough time for the preparation of the exhibitions. "The ceremonial opening has been postponed to June 30 at 7 PM. The building office is waiting for the firefighters' statement; this is why the approval could not happen sooner," the spokesperson said.

The Werich Villa Lives! festival, planned for the weekend of June 17 and 18, will proceed as scheduled, except for the visitation of part of the exhibitions inside the villa. The program will take place outdoors on Kampa Island and in the garden of the building.

The municipality paid about 35 million crowns for the two-year renovation of the villa. The Kampa Museum, operated by the Jan and Meda Mládkovi Foundation, plans to open an exhibition focused on the life of Jan Werich and other prominent figures who lived there, such as the philologist and national revivalist Josef Dobrovský or the poet Vladimír Holan.

The municipality sought a use for the villa for a long time. It wanted to lend it to the Jan and Meda Mládkovi Foundation back in 2008 for 23.8 million crowns, and the foundation was to renovate the villa at its own expense. However, the new leadership after the 2010 elections did not support the contract. Citizens also voted on the new use of the villa, with the majority supporting the Kampa Museum project. Other applicants for the lease included the Post Bellum project and the Charter 77 Foundation.

The villa is located near the Liechtenstein Palace on Kampa. It dates back to the early 17th century and was originally a tannery. Actor and playwright Jan Werich lived there with his family from 1945 until his death in 1980. It was damaged by floods in 2002, necessitating the ongoing complete reconstruction.