Svitavy plan to restore the listed Langrova Villa

Svitavy - Svitavy plan to gradually renovate the listed Langrova villa, which houses the municipal office. The repairs are estimated to cost around 25 million crowns. The city intends to obtain part of the funds from a grant, said Mayor David Šimek (Association for the City of Svitavy) to ČTK.

"In 2015, we completely replaced the doors on the building. Now, by March, we will be submitting a request for a grant to replace the windows, which is estimated to cost around eight million crowns," stated Šimek. If the city is successful, construction work will take place in the second half of this year or possibly next year.

This year, the city has also allocated funds in the budget for dehumidifying the building. Finally, a complete restoration of the decorative facade is planned, with costs estimated at 15 million crowns. "It is not possible to obtain a grant for that, so we will have no choice but to do it from the city budget. I expect that we would do it in phases, probably one wall each year," said Šimek.

The preserved original interiors of the villa require no significant interventions. The city hall plans only the reconstruction of the ceremonial hall, for example, it wants to restore the parquet floor, which is currently hidden under carpets.

The Langrova villa was designed in a historicizing style in 1888 by the Brno architect Germano Wanderley for the Svitavy owner of a woodworking factory, Julius Langer. The family lost it in the 1930s due to the economic crisis and the extravagant lifestyle of their son Robert, which led the business into bankruptcy. In 1933, the Svitavy savings bank acquired the property as a pledge. It rented the villa to the city, which intended to open an office for the new town hall there. In 1942, Svitavy decided to purchase it and make the park garden accessible to the public.