Villa Primavesi / Vila Primavesi - Olomouc (Central Moravia) - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

Luxury Villa Primavesi, one of the most precious examples of the Viennese Art-Nouveau style (which is in comparison with Bohemian Art-Nouveau architecture very austere) in Czech lands, was built for Olomouc' Primavesi bankers family in 1905–1906.

Villa Promavesi, designed by Viennese architects Josef Tolk and Franz von Krauss for the Olomouc Primavesi family of bankers, was paradoxically owned by the family for only 14 years - since they left for Austria after the WWI. In the following years, the building served as a sanatorium, even after the 2nd World War when it was nationalized by the communist government. It was restituted to the descendants of its former owners in 1992. The building’s uniqueness lies primarily in its interior. Its design was quite innovative in Central Europe at the time - the key space of the house was the main living hall surrounded by the other rooms. This layout is known as the English hall system.

The interior furnishings are exceptionally valuable, since the Art-Nouveau furniture (mostly from the Wiener Werkstätte community), wooden staircase, wall paneling, stained glass, and others have all survived. The villa is not only a gem of fine arts - the house also includes a number of surprising technical achievements, such as an automatic central vacuum cleaner and its own power plant.

Even though the attic floors of the villa are currently used as apartments while other rooms are currently offices, part of the villa is open to the public. There is a gallery and a stylish restaurant which includes (in the summer) a lounge in the castle tower and a garden terrace.

Villa Primavesi is in the list of National Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic from 2010.