The Ústí nad Labem Region will seek the return of the Fill's Hall through legal means

Peruc - The Ústí Region will seek the return of the Emil Filla Memorial Hall at the castle in Peruc through lawyers. The owner was supposed to hand over the renovated premises to the region for use in the summer, but did not do so. The placement of Filla's paintings in Peruc is conditioned by a donation agreement from the 1950s, and the region has an easement on the hall.

In the autumn of 2015, Dominika Matušová acquired ownership of the castle and announced to regional representatives her intention to restore the monument. The Emil Filla Memorial Hall in the southern wing of the castle closed in July 2016. The owner committed to returning the premises by June 30, 2018, after the building's reconstruction.

"The owner refuses to let us enter the premises. Communication is very complicated, so the council decided to address the matter legally," stated Dosedělová. The region can file a lawsuit against the owner. ČTK has not yet managed to obtain a response from Matušová.

The hall is to be operated by the Benedikt Rejt Gallery in Lounech, which is a contributory organization of the region. The placement of works by the cubist painter in Peruc is a condition of the donation agreement from 1956. At that time, the artist's wife, Hana Fillová, transferred part of Filla's extensive works, the equipment of the studio, and the summer apartment in the castle, where the painter stayed from 1945 to 1953, to the state under this condition.

Currently, several paintings from the hall are exhibited at the gallery in Louny, and other property is stored in depositories.

Before 1989, the castle belonged to the Ministry of Culture; later, it was owned by the municipality, which later sold it to a private owner. The Ústí Region considered purchasing the property but did not proceed. The castle was then acquired by Matušová. The restoration project is backed by Pavel Ondráček, the owner of the castle and the medieval tavern Dětenice.