The Werich Villa will open to the public in the spring of next year

Prague - The Werich Villa on Prague's Kampa will open to the public in the spring of next year. Construction work will be completed by the end of this year, after which the garden and interior will be adjusted. This was stated by Veronika Blažková, spokesperson for the Prague 1 district. The villa is owned by the district, and after the repairs are completed, it will be managed by Museum Kampa, which is a project of the Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation.

Today, the future tenant is organizing a fun afternoon for families with children in the vicinity of the villa. "A mysterious treasure hunt is prepared for children and parents, during which they will learn about the famous residents of the villa, explore Kampa Island, and also visit the building of Václav Sova's mills, where they will create their own artwork," said Jana Pelouchová from the foundation.

The district will spend approximately 30 million crowns on the repairs. Afterward, a Cultural and Social Center of Voskovec and Werich will be established there, managed by the Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation. The rent for the villa, where actor and playwright Jan Werich and poet Vladimír Holan lived, will be 600,000 crowns with VAT per year. The contract will be for ten years with an option for another ten years.

The Museum Kampa project includes a permanent exhibition dedicated not only to the Liberated Theater and its protagonists but also to poet Vladimír Holan. A permanent exhibition, library, research room, space for lectures and screenings in the attic, and spaces for temporary exhibitions in the basement are to be created. The foundation also aims to utilize the garden, but a large part of it will be attached to the surrounding park.

The municipality searched for a use for the villa for a long time. The Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation wanted to rent it as early as 2008 for 23.8 million crowns, and the foundation was to renovate the villa at its own expense. However, the new leadership after the 2010 elections did not support the contract. Citizens also voted on the new use of the villa, and the majority supported the Museum Kampa project. Other candidates for the lease included the Post Bellum project and the Charter 77 Foundation.

The villa is located near the Liechtenstein Palace on Kampa. It dates back to the early 17th century and was originally a tanning workshop. Actor and playwright Jan Werich lived there with his family from 1945 until his death in 1980. It was damaged by floods in 2002, which necessitated the ongoing total reconstruction.