České Budějovice want to open Hardtmuth's villa to the public

České Budějovice - České Budějovice are striving for the new Baroque villa of the grandson of the founder of the Koh-i-noor company to be permanently opened to the public. This initiative was started by the city’s heritage commission. The Hardtmuth villa belongs to the South Bohemian Region and houses a children’s and youth center. Therefore, the city is looking for a solution to where this organization could potentially be relocated. This was stated today by the deputy mayor of České Budějovice, František Konečný (ANO).

"Of course, it will depend on the will of the South Bohemian Region. If they say yes, a new facility for the children's and youth center needs to be addressed. And I can't imagine anything other than building a new modern children's and youth center," said Konečný.

According to the deputy, the Hardtmuth villa could become a popular tourist attraction, as is the case with similar buildings in other large Czech cities. Konečný noted that České Budějovice do not have any open heritage sites of this kind.

The South Bohemian Region has not yet addressed the future of the Hardtmuth villa. "But as for my personal opinion, I am inclined to the idea proposed by České Budějovice," said the South Bohemian Governor Jiří Zimola (ČSSD) to ČTK. However, he also stated that the region must first address the question of the further operation of the children's and youth center in cooperation with the city. "It is necessary to find a suitable facility. However, this should also be decided by representatives of the children's and youth center and the parents of the children who attend this organization," Zimola noted.

The Hardtmuth villa was built in 1911 by the company of Johanna Stepan. The spouses Anna and Franz Hardtmuth had it constructed in close proximity to the pencil factory of their company Koh-i-noor and lived in it until the turn of the 1940s and 1950s. The children's and youth center has been located in the villa, which is listed in the Central Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic, since 1979.