Exhibition Famous Villas of the Ústí Region: Kotěra's Colony in Louny
Kotěrovo Centrum – Trmalova Villa organizes an exhibition titled Famous Villas of the Ústí Region: Kotěra's Colony in Louny in collaboration with the Regional Museum in Louny. The exhibition will run from April 1 to May 17, 2009 (the exhibition has been extended to May 24, 2009) and is located in the picturesque spaces of Trmalova Villa in Prague's Strašnice.
The exhibition aims to remind visitors of the somewhat forgotten work of architect Jan Kotěra. When building the district for railway employees, Kotěra was the first in Bohemia to apply the idea of garden city architecture. He drew from his knowledge of German and English garden cities. His goal was to create an independent city within a city, combining the advantages of both the countryside and the city into one whole.
According to his plan from 1909, the colony was to consist not only of family houses for railway employees but was also to include a school, a church, shops, restaurants, baths, and laundries. Unfortunately, the financial possibilities of the railway prevented the realization of the entire project. Only the upper, so-called villa part of the colony, including two laundries, was built. After the war, Kotěra returned to Louny and built the so-called Eight Houses. Although the project was not completed according to the original plan, this ensemble of fifty-three houses in Kotěra's colony remains an undervalued gem of Czech modern architecture.
The colony is characterized by practicality, light ornamental decoration, and burnt bricks combined with rough masonry. Nine different types of houses and laundries were built. The houses were meant for two to eleven families. The exhibition will attempt to present the development of garden cities, the personality of the author, the realization of the colony, and will also look at the social and demographic composition of the colony's inhabitants shortly after its establishment.
A collection of unique period photographs, original plans, a model of Kotěra's colony, and the most typical family house will be on display.
The exhibition aims to remind visitors of the somewhat forgotten work of architect Jan Kotěra. When building the district for railway employees, Kotěra was the first in Bohemia to apply the idea of garden city architecture. He drew from his knowledge of German and English garden cities. His goal was to create an independent city within a city, combining the advantages of both the countryside and the city into one whole.
According to his plan from 1909, the colony was to consist not only of family houses for railway employees but was also to include a school, a church, shops, restaurants, baths, and laundries. Unfortunately, the financial possibilities of the railway prevented the realization of the entire project. Only the upper, so-called villa part of the colony, including two laundries, was built. After the war, Kotěra returned to Louny and built the so-called Eight Houses. Although the project was not completed according to the original plan, this ensemble of fifty-three houses in Kotěra's colony remains an undervalued gem of Czech modern architecture.
The colony is characterized by practicality, light ornamental decoration, and burnt bricks combined with rough masonry. Nine different types of houses and laundries were built. The houses were meant for two to eleven families. The exhibition will attempt to present the development of garden cities, the personality of the author, the realization of the colony, and will also look at the social and demographic composition of the colony's inhabitants shortly after its establishment.
A collection of unique period photographs, original plans, a model of Kotěra's colony, and the most typical family house will be on display.
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