The unveiling of the architect of the Ústí museum opened the story of a spy

Ústí nad Labem - Historians in Ústí have recently succeeded in uncovering the architect of the city museum building. The publication of his name has opened the door to a story from the early 20th century about an Austrian spy who was expelled from France due to a espionage affair. CTK today informed about the new connections with the name August Krumholz, as reported by historian Martin Krsek.

The author of the significant building in the center of Ústí nad Labem was unknown until recently. He was identified during the preparations for the exhibition "Cizí dům?" which showcases the architecture of German houses in Bohemia.

"We traced the name of the author of the museum building, and apart from a few references to his other works in the Czech Republic and Austria, there was nothing more detailed available about his fate. Immediately after its publication, another researcher built upon our work the very next day and created an entry about Krumholz for Wikipedia, where he published the found information about his career as a spy," stated exhibition curator Krsek.

Archives revealed how the Habsburg monarchy dealt with a espionage affair in 1908, in which Krumholz played a major role. According to information on Wikipedia, the French secret police raided the Nice hotel in Paris on February 18, 1908, where they arrested the then sixty-three-year-old Austrian architect Krumholz and his thirty-year-old mistress.

Contemporary newspapers reported that correspondence in German and various aeronautical documentation, including plans for the French dirigible La Patrie, were found with the arrested individuals. The investigation was closed on March 2, 1908, and Krumholz was expelled from France on the grounds that it was proven he had offered dirigible secrets for sale to a foreign power.

The case received attention not only from Austrian but also from Czech periodicals. Their articles revealed some unknown details about Krumholz's life, such as that he was born in Carniola, Slovenia, in 1844 or 1845, or that he was a handsome man popular with women. In the Czech Republic, in addition to the building of the Ústí museum, which was built as a school, he also designed the Komenium school in Olomouc. Both buildings are now protected as cultural monuments. In Austria, he left his mark with a grand villa in Bad Vöslau or a hunting lodge in Liezen. The exhibition "Cizí dům?", whose main exhibit is the museum building, will last until April 16.