The famous Jurkovič villa will welcome tourists only in 2010

Brno - History enthusiasts could today view the famous Jurkovič Villa in Brno-Žabovřesky for the last time this year, which is among the most significant Art Nouveau monuments in the Czech Republic. The building was opened by the Moravian Gallery (MG) in April, and approximately 5,100 tourists have visited it this year. The villa will reopen only in 2010 as it awaits a demanding reconstruction, said Simona Juračková, a gallery worker, to ČTK today.
    Jurkovič Villa was built in 1906. It served for a hundred years like any other residential building. Last year, however, this wooden structure with interesting folk elements was purchased for 15 million by the gallery, which intends to make it permanently accessible. However, a complete restoration of the building is necessary. 
    Repairs will cost 40 million crowns. The gallery aims to secure funds from so-called Norwegian funds. "Primarily, it is essential to restore the original appearance of the interiors. The restoration work will include the renewal of wallpapers and wooden trusses," Juračková stated.
    Replicas of the original furniture will be made for the interiors. It will also be complemented by furnishings that are almost identical to the original. An exhibition will be created in the building not only about the former owner of the famous villa but also about other Art Nouveau architects and their works.
    "We are pleased with the great public interest in the object. If they waited a hundred years for its accessibility, they will now have to wait another two years due to the villa's renovations," added Juračková.
    Slovak Dušan Samo Jurkovič (1868 to 1947) is among the most significant architects who worked in the Czech lands at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. He uniquely combined Art Nouveau and other modern styles with folk architecture. His famous buildings include those in the Beskids Pustevny, spa buildings in Luhačovice, or modifications to the castle in Nové Město nad Metují. He designed and built the villa in Brno for himself but lived in it only briefly.