In the Zlín Čiper's Villa and the observatory in Val. Meziříčí, creative centers will be established

Zlín - Čiper's villa in Zlín and the observatory in Valašské Meziříčí in the Vsetín region are set to undergo transformation. Cultural and creative centers will be established there. The Zlín region will receive 165 million crowns for this purpose, with both projects successfully applying for grants from the European Union through the National Recovery Fund, the region's spokesperson Soňa Ličková informed CTK today.

The architecturally valuable villa of Dominik Čipera, former director of the Baťa company, mayor of Zlín, and Czechoslovak minister, was built in 1942 based on the design of architect Vladimír Karfík. Since 1947, the building has served as a children's home, and it currently houses a facility for children requiring immediate assistance, established by the regional contribution organization Counseling and Crisis Center. In 2002, the villa and its garden were listed in the Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments.

The region wants to make the villa and the adjacent park in the Zlín district of Burešov accessible to the public, having secured over 100 million crowns for the project. "We aim to open the complex to the public by 2025. A new cultural and educational center will be created here, which will serve as a meeting point and strengthen children's and students' interest in cultural and creative sectors," said regional councilor Zuzana Fišerová (Pirates).

The original owner's family welcomed the use of the monument. "We are very pleased that the grant was awarded to Čipera's villa. We are grateful that the grant providers recognized and appreciated the benefits of restoring and reusing this historical building. We believe that if our ancestors were alive today, they would be excited about the plans and future use of the area," said granddaughter Michaela Čipera, who lives in Canada.

The project for the Valašské Meziříčí observatory will receive nearly 65 million crowns from European funds. "We will use the money to build a creativity center, including its equipment. As a result, interesting, and possibly long-term projects aimed at students and pupils can be developed at the observatory. We also plan to modernize the instrumentation and the grounds," Fišerová stated.