The villa, a protected cultural monument in the north of Brno dating back to 1862, has been taken over by Brno City Museum and has received the necessary permits for a full renovation back to its proper condition. Visualisations: Brno City Hall.
Brno, October 8 (BD) – Vila Arnold was built in 1862 on a large plot of land next to Drobného, designed and built by the first owner, builder Josef Arnold. At the beginning of the 20th century it was expanded and adapted into an Art Deco style with Art Nouveau elements. From 1952 the villa housed a nursery school, for the next six decades. In 2010, the villa was declared a cultural monument, but it is in poor condition, and in 2012 it was added to the list of endangered cultural monuments. Efforts have been underway for several years to try to restore it back to its former elegance. (Read more in our previous article).
The good news for the villa is that all the required permits have now been received, and the renovation plan has been given the go-ahead from the planning authorities. At the same time, the property has been taken over by Brno City Museum, whose director Pavel Ciprian welcomed the developments: “Personally, I am delighted that Vila Arnold has joined Brno City Museum. After it has been reconstructed and opened to the public it will complement the four other famous villas in Brno. We plan to create a permanent exhibition on its history, and there will also be spaces for short-term exhibitions and a research archive.”
According to Miriam Kolářová (KDU-CSL), Deputy Mayor of Brno-sever, the villa could become an important resource for the community: “The project should include multifunctional rooms in the centre of the house where discussions, symposia and conferences can be held. There will also be a Center for Dialogue, which will focus on Czech-German-Jewish relations past and present. There could also be an art café or a public garden.”
First Deputy Mayor Petr Hladík (KDU-CSL) welcomed the news on behalf of Brno City Council: “I am very pleased that plans for the renovation of Vila Arnold are moving forward. Thanks to this planning permission, repair work can begin as soon as we have secured funding. Our aim is to protect the heritage value of the villa and preserve its historical character. Reconstruction of the whole building will be difficult. For this reason, we predict costs of CZK 123 million. At the same time, we will apply for a subsidy of CZK 39 million from the EEA and Norway Cultural Heritage Program.”
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