On Friday, the renovated Bílek Villa in Hradčany will open

Prague - The Bílek villa in the Prague Hradčany district will open after a comprehensive reconstruction this Friday. It may interest lovers of architecture, sculpture, and graphics, as well as researchers. In the basement of the villa, the Bílek Research and Documentation Center will be accessible, while in the spacious studio on the first floor there will be a collection of Bílek's sculptures and artworks, and sketches and graphics on the upper floors. The villa features original furniture that illustrates Bílek's fantasy and fondness for natural and religious symbols. Art historian Petr Wittlich presented the villa to journalists today.
    The villa of František Bílek (1872 to 1941) was built 100 years ago. It has a large, bright studio as well as a residential part. The prominent structure stands on the tram route from the Malostranská station to Prague Castle. The building is clad in red bricks and surrounded by a garden. Since the 1960s, the villa has belonged to the city of Prague and is managed by the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague.
    It will be open daily except on Mondays from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Admission will be 120 crowns for adults, with a reduced admission of 60 crowns. The research center in the basement will be accessible every Wednesday by appointment with the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague. A supplementary program related to the villa is also prepared, for example, for schools.
    Renovations of the house began in 2008. Almost everything was reconstructed, including the floors, restoration work was also carried out, new electrical installations and air conditioning were put in place, and the garden was landscaped. The reconstruction cost the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague 40 million crowns.
    In collaboration with the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague and Arbor Vitae Publishing, a publication titled "František Bílek and His Prague Studio" was released, which is the introductory work in a new Bílek book series. It was graphically designed by Robert V. Novák, with texts contributed by Petr Wittlich, Jindřich Vybíral, Zdeněk Lukeš, Martin Krummholz, and Hana Larvová.