Vila Antonína Wiehla Villa

Vila Antonína Wiehla in Smolnice near Louns is a new Renaissance building from 1898. The great Czech architect Antonín Wiehl had it built according to his own design. The building excels with a moderate facade, elements of folk architecture and the concept of so-called talking architecture. Since 1958 it has been registered in the Central List of Cultural Monuments.

The villa was established when Czech architects returned to Renaissance traditions and sought inspiration in folk construction. Wiehl chose a place for his residence in Smolnice, where he found the estate of the family of Luke, the father of his wife Mary. The architect also modified this estate in a neo-Renaissance spirit and decorated it with sgraffiti and reliefs. The villa itself was completed in 1898 and served the family until the architect's death in 1910. His wife owned the building until 1929 when she sold it to the Chapka family in whose possession the building remained.

The building has a rectangular floor plan and a single storey available with a tower risalite in the facade with a massive balcony on the first floor. The façade is decorated with sgraffiti, among which stands a picture of St. Wenceslas created by Mikolas Alš from 1879. Four large ceramic medallions with ancient motifs are a significant element, which were created according to the designs of Josef Václav Mysbek and Josef Mauder. Wiehl, a passionate archaeologist, had the medallions add simulated cracks to evoke the impression of archaeological excavations. The construction of the balcony and pergola uses richly carved wooden elements inspired by folk creation; One of the beams ends with a dragon's head cut. A similar theme appears on zinc gargoyle water.

The interior of the villa is tuned in a non-Renaissance style. The central area is a staircase hall with a wooden staircase and balustran railing. The doors of the rooms decorated with ancient wood elements and the original painting corresponded to the historical concept. In accordance with Wiehl's fondness for talking architecture, the house is marked in an archaic font, for example, "Wlastní dům zlato zlato" or "Wystaweli výrobky Wiehlowi l. P. 1898." The villa is surrounded by a garden with a gazebo, a grotto created by natural cave and castings of Roman vases.

Vila Antonína Wiehla is a unique document of the architect's personal manuscript, in which he combines the professional study of Renaissance designs with a deep interest in Czech folk art. For visitors, the object is a valuable example of history. Thanks to preserved details and authorial intent, it offers an authentic insight into the aesthetics of the late 19th century. The visit to Smolnice thus allows you to recognize the work in which architecture becomes a bearer of morality, humor and patriotic ideals.