The reconstruction has restored the former beauty of Klinger’s villa in Nové Město

New Town pod Smrkem (Liberec) - Klinger villa is once again a decoration of New Town pod Smrkem in the Liberec region. This valuable monument has undergone an expensive reconstruction over the last ten years, which returned it to its form from the early 20th century. This was made possible by the German owner of CiS Systems, Petr Wöllner, who decided to save the unique building from the late 19th century.
    The villa, or rather the chateau in the middle of an English park, was built by textile magnate Baron Ottomar von Klinger between 1888 and 1891. The house was part of a set of three family villas, of which only two have survived to this day. The villa is a rarity in northern Bohemia, as it is built in an Italian style, rather than the German style that has always dominated this area. The richly decorated stucco interiors refer to the Renaissance, Classicism, and also bear traces of the then-modern Art Nouveau.
    After World War II, the villa, like the textile factory, was nationalized and belonged to Textilana until the 1990s, which established a kindergarten and nursery there. However, by the end of the last century, it was empty and deteriorating.
    Consequently, little of the original furnishings has survived. Surprisingly, vandals did not take the original wrought iron railing on the staircase, and practically all doors were found. "The parquet and tiles in some areas are also original," said Wöllner, for whom the villa is, as he admitted, a matter of the heart. He embarked on the costly restoration even at the cost of significant debt. He was forced to mortgage a substantial part of his own and his family's property. Neither Czech nor German banks wanted to finance the uncertain project, even though today the building serves as the headquarters and storage for a company manufacturing cables and cable harnesses, CiS Systems.
    In 2001, however, the villa resembled rather a ruin that threatened to collapse at any moment. The house lacked a tower, its roof was partially collapsed, and water was leaking into the building. The rafters were damaged, and some ceilings were affected by wood rot, and the basements were wet. "At that time, the architect estimated the restoration costs at seven million marks (about 120 million crowns)," noted Wöllner. He sacrificed a lot of time and effort to restore the house to its original face. Employees of the company also helped, significantly reducing the costs.
    Among the workers at CiS Systems were skilled masons, plasterers, and other craftsmen. "We all learned a lot from it," admitted Wöllner. In the restoration, he did not use cheap replicas from DIY stores, but the craftsmen supplemented and repaired the stucco according to what had survived. Since 1994, the villa has been a cultural monument protected by the state, which is why the restoration was overseen by heritage officials.
    "I think we can be satisfied," remarked Luděk Zelenka, head of the heritage preservation department from nearby Frýdlant. According to him, the result is all the more valuable because the owner repaired the building at his own expense. "The state contributed about half a million crowns to the restoration of the parquet and ceiling paintings on the staircase," explained Zelenka.