The Villa Bílek () is a house designed by the Czech sculptor and architect

František Bílek František Bílek (6 November 1872, Chýnov – 13 October 1941, Chýnov) was a Czech people, Czech sculptor and architect, in the Art Nouveau and Symbolism (movement), Symbolist styles. Biography His father was a wheelwright. He graduated from ...

in 1911. The

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

is located in

Hradčany Hradčany (; ), is the district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic surrounding Prague Castle. The castle is one of the biggest in the world at about in length and an average of about wide. Its history stretches back to the 9th century. St ...

neighbourhood of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic, several minutes walk from Hradčanská metro station or

Prague Castle Prague Castle (; ) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for List of rulers ...

. It was designed originally for Bílek himself as his residence and

studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

. Located on site of the former

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

(see preserved

Písek Gate Písek Gate (), also called Bruska Gate () is a former city gate of ''Baroque'' fortification of Prague, Czech Republic. Once belonging to the fortification section called Marian Walls () it is located in ''K Brusce'' Street in the Hradčany nei ...

nearby), the villa has an unusual shape, resembling the trail of a

scythe A scythe (, rhyming with ''writhe'') is an agriculture, agricultural hand-tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It was historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains before they underwent the process of ...

in a field. The

brickwork Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called '' courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by ...

masonry is articulated by

pillar A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

s in the form of corn sheaves, evoking

Egyptian architecture There have been many architectural styles used in Egyptian buildings over the centuries, including Ancient Egyptian architecture, Greco-Roman architecture, Islamic architecture, and modern architecture. Ancient Egyptian architecture is best kno ...

. Through this building, Bílek, a deeply religious artist, aimed to express his perspective on the essence ubof life. Villa Bílek has been maintained by the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague () since 1963. It houses a public exposition that introduces many works by Bílek, as well as original interior fittings and furniture collection which was made according to his design.

References

External links

Official Website of the Villa Bílek
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villa Bilek Tourist attractions in Prague Art Nouveau architecture in Prague Art Nouveau houses Houses in the Czech Republic Buildings and structures in Prague Houses completed in 1911 1911 establishments in Austria-Hungary