A panel of experts will advise on the restoration of Villa Tugendhat

Brno - A fifteen-member group of architects, heritage experts, and restorers from the Czech Republic and Europe will oversee the restoration of the Tugendhat villa in Brno. The establishment of the advisory board was approved today by city councilors. The board will have an advisory and consultative role and will cooperate with the company that will be repairing the monument, said city spokesperson Pavel Žára today. The city is currently selecting the company.
    The appointment of the expert team follows a conference on the heritage restoration of the villa that took place in June in Brno. The board is chaired by Ivo Hammer, a world expert in restoration and the husband of Daniela Hammer-Tugendhat, the heir to the original owners of the villa. "Ms. Tugendhat is also a member of the commission, although not as a regular member, she holds an honorary position," Žára said.
    Czech experts in the commission include, for example, the director of the South Moravian Heritage Office Petr Kroupa, the head of the city's heritage department Martin Zedníček, and architect Iveta Černá from the Museum of the City of Brno.
    The Tugendhat villa is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as the only Czech building of modern art. The city has been planning its restoration for years, but the starting dates have continually been postponed. Councilors promise that the tender for the restoration of the villa, announced a few weeks ago, will be the last and that the winner will restore the monument.
    It is high time for repairs; conservationists have given the city deadlines by which it must repair individual parts of the villa that are in a state of emergency. The first of these should be in order next year. The villa has been on the UNESCO cultural heritage list since 2001, and discussions about its necessary restoration have been ongoing since then.