The City of Prague Museum – Villa Müller (Müllerova vila)

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The City of Prague Museum – The Podskalská Customs Office at Výtoň (Podskalská celnice Na Výtoni)
December 12, 2018
The Czech National Bank
The Czech National Bank
December 12, 2018

The City of Prague Museum – Villa Müller (Müllerova vila)

The villa, built from 1928 to 1930 is a chef-d’oeuvre of world architectural avant-garde. František Müller was a prominent member of Czech society and he gave the project for his own representative home to one of the greatest architects of the time – Adolf Loos. The construction is superficially strictly functionalist; of primary interest is its internal layout, the Raumplan.

Contacts

  • The City of Prague Museum – Villa Müller (Müllerova vila)
  • Nad Hradním vodojemem 14
  • 160 00 Praha 6- Střešovice
  • +420 224 312 012

Object history

Villa of Loos – Villa of Müller

The family house of ing. Frantisek Müller constructed by the design of the architects Adolf Loos and Karel Lhota in 1928 – 30 in the functionalist style; sightseeing of interiors and exhibition of the work of A. Loos.

The villa was built between 1928 and 1930 as a residential house for Mr. František Müller (co-owner of the Prague based Kapsa – Müller construction company). The author of the project was Adolf Loos, who collaborated with the architect Karel Lhota on the project. Outwardly, the building appears austere functionalist; it is its interior layout that is of particular interest (so called Raumplan – Loos invention – each room is situated at different height levels, which are interconnected by stairs). Until 1948 the villa served as a residential house villa but later the Müller family was expropriated. It housed Státní pedagogické nakladatelství (the State Pedagogical Publisher) and the Institute of Marxism-Leninism. The building has been owned by the City of Prague (after 1990 it was acquired by the Municipal Authority, which bought its part from E. Maternová-Müllerová, who acquired the property within the restitution process) and its administration is the responsibility of the Prague City Museum.

Due to its exceptional architectural value the Villa of Müller was declared the National Monument by the government decree of 16 August 1995 (Journal No. 262/95).

From 1997, the preparation for villa restoration works began intensively in the cooperation between the Prague City Museum and the National Heritage Institute. Based on the results of a tender a contract was concluded with the Thalia – Consult Association of Restorers, which made the reconstruction according to the project by architects Václav Girsa and Miroslav Hanzl. The implementation of the restoration of the Villa of Loos started on 23 November 1998 and was completed on 25 May 2000.

On 6 May 2002 a commemorative plaque of Europa Nostra, which aims to protect cultural and natural wealth, was mounted on the Villa. It awarded the Villa of Loos with Cultural Heritage Prize for the exemplary restoration carried out between 1998 and 2000.

Living areas of villa consists of:

– Living room with marble tiles

– Mahogany dining room with round table

– Lady’s boudoir with Japanese decor

– Library

– Work-room of the master of the house

– Bedroom

– Bathroom

– Women’s and men’s dressing room

– Two children’s rooms

– Darkroom (now part of an exhibition on the work of A. Loos)

– Summer dining room

– Terrace with views

– Flat of the driver

– Servants suite

Also the Garden of the Villa of Müller was created in the 1930´s. For many years it was not sustained and was only renovated in 2000. In October 2010 it won the International Award of the ELCA Association, which specializes in gardening and landscaping arrangements.

Source: https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/493/the-city-of-prague-museum-villa-muller-mullerova-vila

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