Semler Residence in Plzeň opens to the public

After a ten-year reconstruction, the Semler Residence at Klatovská Street 110 in Plzeň opens to the public on September 23, 2022. Ticket sales have already started for two guided tours: basic and extended. Tickets can be purchased online or at the information centers at Náměstí Republiky and Paluba Hamburk.
The historic apartment interior of Oskar and Jana Semler, which is the most significant part of the house, is one of the leading monuments of modern architecture in Central Europe. It was created based on the concept of Adolf Loos and according to the project of Loos's student and former collaborator Heinrich Kulka. The very spacious apartment does not have classic floors; instead, individual spaces of varying heights are concentrated around a central living hall across six levels. This solution, known as Raumplan, follows Loos's concept of the Müller Villa in Prague and represents a certain symbolic completion of the architect's work in Plzeň and in the Czech Republic in general.

During the basic tour, visitors with a guide will walk through the most spatially interesting part of the historic apartment, which offers up to 15 rooms ranging from changing rooms to the entrance vestibule to the representative living hall, as well as summer and winter dining rooms and the private rooms of the Semler family. The tour also includes the staff staircase, a guest room, and the kitchen. The historic interior houses two architectural models and photo albums with historical images of the family and the house. Visitors also have the opportunity to view the exhibition in the information center.

The extended tour, lasting 110 minutes, includes, in addition to the basic tour, a screening of the program "The Three-Dimensional Life of Adolf Loos" and, if desired, a screening of the older program "David Vávra Guided Tour of Adolf Loos's Plzeň" (2015), each approximately 20 minutes long; furthermore, this tour contains a visit to the exhibition "Cabinet of Plzeň Architecture 1874–1939" in the former governess's room, which houses four architectural models, the original writing desk of architect Karel Lhota, and an exhibition on the development of the city's architecture with loops of projected photographs.

In addition to the historic interior, the building houses the Center for the Study of Architecture; there is also a visitor center, a café, spaces for cultural events and school programs, and administrative facilities. The Semler Residence in Bory is a place of history, discovery, and cultural experiences, but it can also serve as a community center and a meeting place for coffee.

Exhibition Author: Petr Domanický
Project: Architectural and Civil Engineering Project Studio, s. r. o. / Veselák+Toman Architects
Construction Supervision: D-PLUS PROJECT AND ENGINEERING a. s.
Main Construction Contractor: SILBA-Elstav, s. r. o., Letkov
Interior Equipment: Design By Hy s. r. o., Prague / KOŽELUHA – ČESKÝ TRUHLÁŘ s. r. o., Plzeň
Graphic Design: Bušek+Dientsbier

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