Trmalova Villa

Trmal Villa
Trmal Villa
Trmal Villa in Strašnice
General information
Status	Museum
Architectural style	English modernism
Address	Vilová 91/11, Prague 10 - Strašnice
Town or city	Prague 10
Country	Czech Republic
Coordinates	50°04′26″N 14°29′17″E / 50.0738°N 14.488°E / 50.0738; 14.488Coordinates: 50°04′26″N 14°29′17″E / 50.0738°N 14.488°E / 50.0738; 14.488
Construction started	1902 (1902)
Completed	1903
Owner	Prague 10
Design and construction
Architect	Jan Kotěra

Trmal Villa or Trmalova Vila is a villa in Prague designed in 1902 by the Czech architect Jan Kotěra in the English Modernist style. The villa has been restored, and is now a museum and cultural centre open to the public and for research. Its architect has been described as the "founder of modern Czech architecture".

Jan Kotěra designed this villa for František Trmal, a leading teacher and inspector of schools, for whom it is still named. Construction began in 1902 and was completed the following year. The building stands on the corner of Vilová and U Nových vil. It was one of Kotera's early designs, and is therefore important since Kotera is regarded as a leading Czech architect and "the founder of modern Czech architecture". In 1911 the original owner sold the villa to Tereza and František Walek, who installed a winter garden and a terrace. The building was subsequently the property of Marta Wálková from 1925 until the end of the Second World War.

In 1945 the villa was recognised to be of national importance, and the State was given ownership in 1950. After this date it was painted red and used as a music school, which accounts for the loss of the original furniture. The villa was badly maintained after the Velvet Revolution until it became the responsibility of the City of Prague. In 2001 a three-year programme of repair was completed, and it was reopened to the public. Today it functions as a centre for architects studying Jan Kotera's legacy, and as a museum. The displays inside explain the architecture of similar buildings and other related themes.

Although the house has some Czech folk design aspects, its dormer windows, tall chimneys, gable ends with exposed beams and its complex tiled roof establish it as a design based on modern English traditions. The house also has Czech aspects, and ideas from the Arts and Crafts Movement due to the influence of Charles Voysey on Jan Kotěra's ideas. A key point of the design is the craft-built staircase which is decorated with floral-inspired geometric designs on the stairs and the painted beamed ceiling. The staircase gives access to a dining room and living room on the ground floor, and bedrooms and a children's room on the first floor.