Trmal Villa or Trmalova Vila is a villa in

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designed in 1902 by the Czech architect Jan Kotěra in the English

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

style. The villa has been restored, and is now a museum and cultural centre open to the public and for research. Its architect has been described as the "founder of modern Czech architecture".

History

Jan Kotěra designed this villa for František Trmal, a leading teacher and inspector of schools, for whom it is still named. Construction began in 1902 and was completed the following year. The building stands on the corner of Vilová and U Nových vil. It was one of Kotera's early designs, and is therefore important since Kotera is regarded as a leading Czech architect and "the founder of modern

Czech architecture Czech architecture, or more precisely architecture of the Czech Republic or architecture of Czechia, is a term covering many important historical and contemporary architectural movements in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. From its early beginni ...

".Jan Kotěra, 1871-1923: the founder of modern Czech architecture
Municipal House, 2001, retrieved 3 November 2013 In 1911 the original owner sold the villa to Tereza and František Walek, who installed a

winter garden A winter garden is a kind of garden maintained in wintertime. History The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility would construct large conservatories that would house tropical and subtro ...

and a

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...

. The building was subsequently the property of Marta Wálková from 1925 until the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

.Alalier Villa Trmal
praguewelcome.cz, retrieved 4 November 2013 In 1945 the villa was recognised to be of national importance, and the State was given ownership in 1950. After this date it was painted red and used as a music school, which accounts for the loss of the original furniture.Cultural Movement
Foibos.cz, retrieved 4 November 2013 The villa was badly maintained after the

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until it became the responsibility of the City of Prague. In 2001 a three-year programme of repair was completed, and it was reopened to the public. Today it functions as a centre for architects studying Jan Kotera's legacy, and as a museum. The displays inside explain the architecture of similar buildings and other related themes.Jan Kotera
Hotels in Czech, retrieved 4 November 2013

Description

Although the house has some Czech folk design aspects, its dormer windows, tall chimneys,

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...

ends with exposed beams and its complex tiled roof establish it as a design based on modern English traditions. The house also has Czech aspects, and ideas from the Arts and Crafts Movement due to the influence of Charles Voysey on Jan Kotěra's ideas. A key point of the design is the craft-built staircase which is decorated with floral-inspired geometric designs on the stairs and the painted beamed ceiling. The staircase gives access to a dining room and living room on the ground floor, and bedrooms and a children's room on the first floor. The house is still set in the gardens Kotěra designed, although today it is surrounded by houses built after the Second World War. The house was not intended to be surrounded by other buildings, and was designed to allow the owner to keep farm animals in an outside shed. Today the garden still has Kotera's winding pathways leading to open porches, but the original

picket fence Picket fences are a type of fence often used decoratively for domestic boundaries, distinguished by their evenly spaced vertical boards, the ''pickets'', attached to horizontal rails. Picket fences are particularly popular in the United States, ...

is no longer there. Originally the house had three entrances. As part of the

European Heritage Days European Heritage Days (EHD) is a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission involving all 50 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention under the motto, ''Europe: a common heritage''. The annual programme offers o ...

initiative this building was opened to the public in September 2012. In addition the council of

Prague 10 Prague 10 is both a municipal and administrative district in Prague, Czech Republic with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Twin towns *Ballerup, Denmark *Prešov, Slovakia *Nyíregyháza, Hungary *Jasło, Poland Neighbourhood ( cadastral communities ...

and

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installed a QRpedia code to allow access to this article.Praha 10 spouští QRpedii. Památky označkuje QR kódy
Lucas Vaclavik, September 2012, CNews.cz, retrieved 16 November 2013

References

{{Authority control Tourist attractions in Prague Buildings and structures in Prague Buildings and structures completed in 1903