Lützowova vila Villa

Lützowova vila, located on the slope above the Hot River in Karlovy Vary, is an empire building built in the middle of the 19th century in the style of eclecticism. The owner was Baron Lützow, who built it as a holiday home and later donated it to the city. Since 1964, it has been protected as a cultural monument.

The foundation of the villa is closely connected with August Friedrich Ulrich von Lützow, who became an important citizen of Karlovy Vary. He was born on 13 December 1795 in Schwerin and after the death of his wife in 1840 he went to Karlovy Vary for treatment. The spa brought him a new direction of life when he sold his house in Germany and settled in Karlovy Vary a year later. During his stay here he became a generous benefactor, who, among other things, built a workhouse under the Three Cross and purchased land for the evangelical cemetery in Drahovice. His relationship with Karlovy Vary City Hall was tense, which was reflected in symbolic acts such as turning a cat's plastic ass towards the Market. Yet, in 1853, the city granted him an honorary citizenship.

The architecture of the Lützow Villa presents an empire with romantic elements of the summer castle. The building was entrusted by the Baron of Karlovy Vary architect Johann Knoll, and although the original plans were not preserved, the villa represents a unique construction of its time in Karlovy Vary. Its asymmetric disposition with corner risties, receding elevation and middle parts in the form of massive towers is supplemented by a flat roof with a cimbura. The facade is divided by cordon mansions and Tuscan pilasters, which gives the construction an elegant look. The interior was also carefully thought out with an eight-sided salon and an oversized salon.

After the death of Baron Lützow in 1872, the villa became the property of the city of Karlovy Vary. Over the next few years, she has undergone various changes in ownership, from Ludwig Knoll to a private investor to a velvet revolution. After reconstruction in 1971 it was bought by the Czech Transport Airport Administration Prague and subsequently served as a holiday home for employees before becoming a private family home.

The villas include a romantic terrace garden with imitation of two baskets and many mysterious recesses. Interesting is the sculpture of the cat, which became the only remnant of the original statues of the surrounding environment. Baron Lützow turned his ass to the city hall as a symbolic provocation.

Today Lützowova vila is inaccessible to the public, but its history and architecture make it an interesting subject for study. Its preservation as a cultural monument underlines the importance of the protection of historical objects and recalls a significant time when Karlovy Vary became a popular holiday centre. Visit the city offers the opportunity to explore other historical monuments and understand the rich past of this area.