vila Samorostlá Villa

Welcome to beautiful Luhačovice. You just stopped in front of one of the most important and characteristic buildings in this city. You're standing right in front of the Mansion. If you look at her, you'll probably be interested in her unusual and very natural appearance at first glance. Unlike many other buildings in the area that are built from stone, bricks or other hard materials, this villa is a grafted house. Its wooden structure is very harmonious in this spa environment, as if it were part of the very nature surrounding you. Feel the atmosphere of peace and tradition that this wooden building radiates. It is a view that immediately transmits you into a different era, to a time when architecture sought a deeper connection with the people's roots and traditions of our ancestors.

Let us now return together in time to better understand why this house looks just like this and what importance it has for this place. To understand its origin, we have to look into the year one thousand nine hundred and three. That's the year the villa was built. But it wasn't just any building built for housing. It was a building with a deep spirit and a clear purpose. It was designed by two very important names of architecture at the time, men who understood not only construction but also the soul of folk art. They are called Dušan Jurkovič and Michal Urbánek. These men were able to create something special at the time - they were able to combine folk artistic elements with the needs of modern life and modern living. Dušan Jurkovič was not just an ordinary builder. He was a visionary who believed that architecture had to speak the language of the people. His work in this direction became a symbol of a certain era, when he sought the way to national identity through wood, colors and shapes known to the people of the countryside. The villa wasn't meant for anyone. The owner was Mr. Jan Evangelista Beránek. He was not only an ordinary person, he was a very important Prague official, but above all he was a passionate nationalist collector. That means he was very interested in how the people they made lived and what traditions they kept. It is his personal interest in our roots and what makes up our culture that he has decided to build a house in this unique, popular style.

Now pay attention to the very form of the house and what you see right in front of you. If you look at its walls and its overall structure, you see in them a reflection of something much older than the year of a thousand nine hundred and three. This villa is not an entirely new invention in the true sense. It is a free copy of the wooden tree, which comes from a place called New Hrozdenkov. You might be asking why someone would want to copy an old house. The answer lies in history and in how important the effort at the time to preserve traditions was. This original wooden tree was very famous because it was exhibited at a large national exhibition in Prague in a year of eight hundred and ninety-five. Imagine the era when people tried to rediscover their own form and their own history through folk art and construction. The exhibition in Prague was a huge event. People came from all over the country to see what true folk art looked like and what beauty can be found in it. It was a celebration of our roots. And it was this glory that then poured into this villa, which became its permanent reflection. When you look at these wooden beams, you see not only the material, but also a piece of history that was once presented to the general public as a symbol of our culture. It's a connection between the old world and the new age.

The life of the Lamb family was in this house. Jan Evangelista Beránek lived here with his family, including Mrs. Andělina Beránková. To them, it was not just an ordinary house, but a place where history, art and everyday life met. Imagine this house as a place of inspiration. Thanks to the fact that Mr. Lamb was a collector, this space was probably full of objects telling the stories of our ancestors. Every object in the house could have meaning and every part of the building could refer to a tradition. The Lamb family here created an environment that was consistent with their values and what they thought was important to preserve our heritage.

Look up now, at the villa's shield. There's something there you shouldn't miss when you look at the house. There is a glazed ceramic sculpture, a decorative sculpture that depicts St. Florian. Saint Florian is a very important figure in our traditions because he is considered a protector of fire. At a time when the houses were built mostly of wood, this protection was extremely important. His presence at the top of the house was not only an aesthetic choice, but it had a deeper, spiritual meaning. He was supposed to serve as protection for the whole house and for everyone who lived in it. It's a fascinating detail that connects people's faith to the artistic processing of ceramics and shows us how much human existence at the time was linked to seeking protection and blessing.

This villa has been declared a cultural monument since the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-two, which only confirms its incredible value to all of us. It is a place that stands as a witness to history and as a proof of how beautifully you can combine folk traditions with architectural art. I hope that this brief insight into her history and meaning has helped you better understand the place you're facing. Let yourself be carried away by the beauty of Luhačovice and pay attention to the other attractions this city offers. Thank you for your attention and I wish you a wonderful rest of the day during the tour.