Kafka's Villa: An extraordinary jewel of architect Pavel Janák
Fabulous work of architect Pavel Janák
There is an exceptional work by architect Pavel Janák Na Ořechovce in Prague. The sculptor Bohumil Kafka, who is also the author of the J. Žižka equestrian statue at Vítkov, had the villa built in 1923-1924. The architect was inspired here by the sober, yet luxurious Dutch and English architecture composed of raw red bricks.
Accept an invitation to a "virtual" tour of the villa
The house breathes a unique atmosphere. The unique luxury unique villa of Bohumil Kafka and his wife Berta has a rectangular ground plan and boasts a beautiful entrance hall, kitchen and dining room on the ground floor, bedrooms with a bathroom upstairs and a residential attic.
On the right side of the villa there is a luxury glassed-in sculpture studio with a roof terrace, which can be considered the dominant of the entire building, gradually completed by a shield. The sculptor's original studio added a touch of flashiness and originality to the building. Try to find a similarly tuned villa in Prague, I think you will not find one equal to it. Above the entrance is a relief bust of the sculptor and in the garden you can find Kafka's bronze statue of Orpheus from 1922.
No less interesting is the exterior of the villa. The perimeter cladding is made of raw masonry with sophisticated details of the overhead and ledges. In many places, such as the chimney or the attic, the embossed bricks just below the roof add plasticity to the building.
Who owns the villa today?
The former widow, wife Bert, left the house to her carer, whose family still owns it. In 1958, the house with the studio and adjacent garden was declared an immovable cultural monument.
"HERE LIVED CZECH SCULPTOR BOHUMIL KAFKA", says a sign that decorates the main entrance to the house.
