Villa Gröbe (Gröbovka, Grébovka) - Praha, CZ
Posted by: 
Noe1
N 50° 04.154 E 014° 26.696
33U E 460277 N 5546475
The two-storied villa in a style of a spectacular Italian Renaissance dwelling was designed by Antonín Barvitius, the actual construction was conducted by a builder František Havel in 1871 - 88. The interiors were designed by Josef Schulz.
Waymark Code: WMX7K4
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 12/08/2017
Views: 21
"In the slope between Botic and Vinohrady, there used to be two estates with vineyards, Dolní (Lower) and Horní (Upper) Landhauska. In 1870, both the estates and the land plots were purchased by en entrepreneur Moritz Gröbe. He had the Upper Landhauska demolished, and built his summer residence there, creating a beautiful English park around it. The two-storied villa in a style of a spectacular Italian Renaissance dwelling was designed by Antonín Barvitius, the actual construction was conducted by a builder František Havel in 1871 - 88. The interiors were designed by Josef Schulz. The facade of the house, just under the roof, is decorated by a band of frescoes with children’s motives by painter Kugler. The sculptural decorations in the interior are the work of sculptor Detem. There is a huge terrace on the villa’s ground floor, connected with the recently renewed St. Clara’s Vineyard in the slope below the house via a two-flight staircase. There is a splendid view of the town’s Southern part from the ground-floor terrace. After Gröbe died, his heirs rented the villa. The granddaughter of Emperor Franz Joseph I found accommodation here with her husband, prince Windischgrätz. When the prince was ordered to Vienna, they left the villa. In 1905, everything was purchased by the Vinohrady district. For a time, the house was used by the University of Forestry, and in 1937, the City of Prague established here a facility named Baxa’s habitat for children’s tours for temporary accommodation for the youth visiting Prague. It was named after chief magistrate Baxa. During occupation, the villa was annexed by the German Nazi organization for youth Hitlerjugend, and on the 14th February 1945 it was badly damaged, together with a part of the garden, by bombing and subsequent fire. After the war, it was re-opened in 1953 and it was used as a House of pioneers and youth. At that time, there were some insensitive interventions, both constructional and in decorations. At present, the objects are maintained by the Prague 2 municipality. Reconstruction was completed in 2007."
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