Vila Barrandovská 60 Villa

Welcome to Hlučepy, one of Prague's most beautiful and most important residential districts. Stop for a moment, take a breath and look in front of you. You're standing in front of a building with an address of Barrandova 60, which is Josef Auerbach's villa. The first impression you probably perceive of her is a sense of peace, order and incredible purity of lines. It's a house that doesn't scream, but with its elegance and simplicity, it tightens attention. Notice how the building is inserted into the surroundings and how it acts in its appearance, which is typical of its time. Now let's go back almost a century together. It is the year nine hundred thirty-two, and Elektafilm, which was in control of the film world at that time, purchased the building plots right here on Barrando. A year later, nine hundred thirty-three years later, this villa was completed. Its owner was Josef Auerbach, the main shareholder of the aforementioned film company. Why was this building so important? Because at the time, it wasn't just a private home for the Auerbach family, it was a place of representation. Imagine that the most important people of the time, foreign film partners and creators who came here from all over the world, met in these areas. The villa was intended to serve as a business card for the success, modernity and openness of Czech film towards the world. Now pay attention to the architecture itself. The building is one of the major representatives of functionalism. If you don't know exactly how to connect this to a particular painting, try looking at the facade. It's puristically pure, which means you won't find any unnecessary ornaments, no invented Roman columns, or complex ornaments. Everything here is practical, logical and clear. Look up on the roof. It is flat, which was at the time a bold and modern element, which optically closed the house while giving it the appearance of a modern living machine. The interesting detail you can observe is the way architecture works with the terrain. Note that we are located in a narrow area. This creates a fascinating optical effect. If you're looking at a house from the street, it looks like a two-story building. It's a perception that's very quiet and subtle. However, if you were to take a look at the garden now, you would find that the house actually has three floors. This game with the terrain has enabled genius to connect the inner spaces with nature. Note the terraces that serve as the crossing between the interior and the green garden. And if you imagine internal arrangements, in your mind, you can think of spindle steps that elegantly connect individual floors and provide space for dynamics. When you're standing in front of this building, try to imagine who was passing through here. The villa of Josef and Olga Auerbach was not just a quiet family nest. It was the center of the social life of the film elite. Imagine how she opened her Adina Mandlová dress in these areas, how she made jokes with her unmistakable charm, or how she made jokes with Oldřich Nový in these discussions. They were people who defined the golden age of Czech film, and this villa was the scene of their real lives. Imagine those party receptions, the script discussions, the plans for new movies and the atmosphere of luxury that ruled here in the 1930s. But the history of this place isn't just about film and society. The year is coming, nine hundred thirty-eight, and dark clouds are gathering over Europe. Czechoslovakia declares mobilization. And it was in this dramatic moment that the luxury villa turned into something completely different. Remember that flat roof we talked about earlier. She was used as an artillery observer in the year nine hundred thirty-eight. It's both fascinating and freezing contrast. The place where art and film were discussed before became a strategic point for tracking enemy movements and controlling artillery. This change in the function of the villa from a representative residence to a military object reminds us how quickly the world can change and how deeply personal fates are linked to the history of the entire nation. So this building carries two completely different faces. On the one hand, it is a symbol of modernity, optimism and the bloom of the interwar period, on the other hand, it is a silent witness to the tension and fear of the coming war. It is precisely this subtlety, which of the villa Barrando sixty such an extraordinary object. It is a house that survived its original glory, survived a dark period of history and worked to the fact that in the year nine hundred and ninety-two it was officially listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic. With this recognition, the state has confirmed that the architecture of this house and its history are of irreplaceable value to all of us. Now that you know the stories that lurk in these walls, I suggest you take a walk around the villa. Feel her silence, watch the light fall on her smooth facade, and try to imagine the contrast between the calm of the garden and the tension that once ruled on her roof. Look at the way the house is leaning up the hill and naturally moving from one floor to another. It's a lesson about how architecture can be functional and beautiful at the same time without having to be complicated. Thank you for accompanying me on this short trip to the history of Josef Auerbach's villa. I hope that this view behind the facade has helped you to better perceive the atmosphere of this place. You are now fully entrusted with the space. CZECH NOTE: Explore the surroundings, enjoy the peace of the Barrando district and be inspired by the spirit of the time when the film was the greatest dream of the modern world. I wish you a pleasant further continuation of your trip to Prague. Goodbye.