Plzeňský region wants to help with 5 million CZK for the additional equipment of the Semler Residence

Plzeň – The Plzeň Region wants to help with 5 million CZK for the additional furnishing of the Plzeň residence proposed by architect Adolf Loos. The object with the historic interior of the Semler family's apartment, which was reconstructed for six years at a cost of 102 million CZK, is set to open to the public in June. The tour route will be part of the collection of interiors by Adolf Loos in Plzeň. The regional leadership recognizes the necessity to complete this regional project, which will certainly become a welcomed tourist destination, said Roman Zarzycký, the deputy governor for the economy, to ČTK.

The residence was completed at the end of last year. So far, 102 million CZK has been spent on construction works, restoration, architectural study, and project. The region contributed 72 million CZK to the construction works, and the European IROP program provided 30 million CZK.

According to Roman Musil, the director of the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň (ZČG), the final step is needed before the residence can be fully opened to visitors. "We would like to equip the information center spaces, which will also include educational programs, with the necessary equipment, as well as the café for visitors," he said. He requested the region to release an additional 5.5 million CZK.

The house of Oskar and Jana Semler, with the interior of their apartment, is one of the foremost monuments of modern architecture in Central Europe. It does not have classical floors; the various spaces of different heights are concentrated around a central living hall on six levels. According to Musil, it represents a certain culmination of Adolf Loos's work (who lived from 1870 to 1933) in Plzeň. His work has been connected to the city since before 1910, and he worked there again after 1927.

The Plzeň Region acquired the Semler residence in 2012 and handed it over to the administration of the ZČG. The reconstruction had several phases. After the first two phases from 2013 to 2015 and a provisional partial opening (2015 to 2018), the decisive phase took place from 2019 to 2021. Almost the entire object was structurally repaired, most of the preserved furnishings of the apartment were restored, and many details that were not preserved in the original were renewed. For example, restorers repaired the floor of the living hall, the kitchen, the preparation area, and the children's rooms. The most challenging task was the repair of the octagonal dining area, where the restorer had to completely disassemble the damaged mahogany panels, restore and reshape the deformed boards, and reassemble them.

In the second wing of the apartment building, there is a new information center, a research center for the study of architecture in the Plzeň Region, space for educational and cultural programs, and a depository where the ZČG architecture collection will be stored.