Magical garden of Prague’s Rothmayer Villa, photographed by Josef Sudek, opens to public
The garden of Rothmayer Villa in Prague, one of the finest examples of Czechoslovak interwar architecture, is now open to the public free of charge. Visitors can now explore the garden, famously photographed by Josef Sudek, without having to join a guided tour of the villa itself.
Dozens of people gathered in the garden of Rothmayer Villa in the Střešovice district on Wednesday to mark its opening to the public. When the villa was built by architect Otto Rothmayer in the late 1920s, it stood almost alone on the edge of the neighbourhood. Today it is surrounded by other villas and overlooked on one side by the huge building of Prague’s Central Military Hospital.
But from inside the garden, none of this is really visible. Over the decades, the space has grown thick with trees, ivy and dense bushes, creating a secluded world of winding paths and hidden corners.
Scattered among the greenery are objects made of wood, stone and glass, including works by renowned Czech glass artists René and Libuše Roubíček, adding to the garden’s quiet, slightly mystical atmosphere.
Eliška Zlatohlávková from the Prague City Museum, which manages the site, says the idea was to make the space accessible even to people who may not want to tour the villa itself:
“We think that the garden is magnificent and we want to share its atmosphere with visitors, neighbours and people coming from abroad, and not limit it only to those who want to go inside the villa.
“We would also like to pay homage to the Rothmayer family. The garden was always open to their friends and they held many lively gatherings here during the decades they lived in the villa, so we want to continue this spirit.”
The two storey family home, now included in the prestigious Iconic Houses network, was built for Rothmayer’s wife Božena, a well-known fashion designer, and their son Jan.
Its design was inspired both by Mediterranean architecture and by the work of Jože Plečnik, the Slovenian architect who oversaw the reconstruction of Prague Castle after the establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918. Plečnik had been Rothmayer’s teacher, and the two later became close friends and collaborators.
As Zlatohlávková points out, the villa belongs to an extraordinary generation of modern homes built in Czechoslovakia around the same time:
“What is interesting is that the villa was built in the same years as Adolf Loos’s Villa Müller, which is also located nearby, about a 15-minute walk from here. And at the same time, Villa Tugendhat in Brno was also being built. All three houses share a unique approach to living.
“The interior of the house is very purist. There are only the things they needed for normal life. There is a kitchen, both parents had their own bedrooms and there was also a room for the son. Then there is a small Wintergarten, which leads to the roof terrace and one room in the cellar that served for gatherings with friends.”
By today’s standards, the villa itself feels relatively modest. During the warmer months, however, the garden effectively became an extension of the living space, where the family spent much of their time from spring until autumn.
Plečnik’s influence is evident not only in the villa itself but also throughout the garden. One example is the emphasis both architects placed on wood and natural materials, says Zlatohlávková:
“As you can see, there are a lot of trees here, as well as artefacts made from old tree trunks. The interior of the villa is also largely made of wood.
“We can also see the close connection to Plečnik’s Villa Stadion in Ljubljana. Otto Rothmayer used its composition and layout. But while Plečnik’s version is covered with decorative details on the façade, this villa is much more modernist in style.
“The area around the house resembles gardens in the Mediterranean region. There are little white stones, as well as grapevines.
“Some flowers and trees were also sent from Plečnik to Rothmayer in Prague. The two men also shared vivid correspondence in which they exchanged experiences about gardening, planting trees and so on.”
The atmosphere of the garden was captured over the decades by photographer Josef Sudek, a close friend of the Rothmayer family, as well as by Jan Rothmayer himself. Their photographs show how the garden changed over time, while still keeping much of its original atmosphere.
Rothmayer Villa
U Páté baterie 896/50
Prague 6
Open:
Tue, Sat, Sun: 10 am–4 pm
Thu: 12 pm–6 pm
(April–October)
