Čapek villa to be renovated to resemble time of the First Republic
Karel Čapek's villa, located in Prague's Vinohrady, is undergoing plans for restoration. The goal is to restore the villa to reflect the atmosphere of the Friday gatherings once held there. The renovation is expected to begin in the spring and the villa is anticipated to open for visitors around the end of 2026 or early 2027.
Prague 10 Deputy Mayor Tomáš Pek met with Czech Radio to showcase the current state of the villa and discuss the future restoration plans:
"It is striking how much testimonial value the house has retained, even though it has been lived in since the time of Čapek. Through the construction plans and research, we have been able to document every possible phase of its development, whether it was with his father, without his father, with Olga, and even after that."
The house was first occupied by Karel Čapek and his father and later by his wife Olga Scheinpflug, who lived there until her death, architect Jan Vašek explains.
"The first design of the house dates back to 1922, and the overarching architect was Ladislav Machoň. The construction took place in 1924 with the building of the local colony called Stromky. The building has elements of rondocubism, such as the railings, which are well preserved from the house. Otherwise, in terms of style, it is a very sober building; it does not try to experiment too much."
The house was divided into two parts. Karel lived on the right and his brother Josef Čapek on the left. Vašek continues:
"They kept fairly low to the ground. Of course, the model based on English country houses is clearly visible here, but the construction of the doors, bathrooms, and kitchens shows that they did not aim high and stayed low.
The deputy mayor explained that on the first floor, there is a study where Čapek wrote. Its appearance has only been preserved in photographs from that era. It was also the place where Čapek passed away.
The whole house is covered by a wood-paneled attic. It was there that on Fridays, a group of cultural and political First Republic figures from Čapek's circle, gathered, whether it was Ferdinand Peroutka, Eduard Bass or Karel Poláček. Mr. Pek continues:
"The whole thing has been reverently preserved, and the other inhabitants of the house have also kept the condition of the attic extremely authentic without any interventions."
According to the deputy mayor, the renovated villa could open to visitors in late 2026 and early 2027.
