Students of restoration are saving First Republic furniture from an apartment on Hlinky

Brno – A twenty-member team of students from the Brno Higher Professional School of Restoration is restoring furniture from the first republic that has been preserved in the former apartment of the Herdan couple on Hlinky. Under the guidance of experts, they are returning functionalist furnishings from five rooms, such as the living room, bedroom, and study, to technical condition. It will be completed approximately in the second half of next year. Michal Šťastný, spokesperson for the Brno-Central district, in whose administration the apartment is, informed about this in a press release.

The school has been working on the restoration of furniture from the 1930s since 2022. "The key to success is a thorough understanding of the material. Therefore, we have analyzed the furniture in detail for almost a year in collaboration with experts. We know, for example, the degree of wear, the precise composition of the wood, paints, or adhesives used. Thanks to this, we can achieve the highest level of authenticity," said Jan Hrdina, head of the furniture conservation and restoration department.

The restoration of valuable interior decorations, of which almost no one had any idea until 2020, has been overseen since the beginning by restorer and art historian Radek Ryšánek. "What is unique about the furniture is primarily its preservation. It is almost unbelievable that it was discovered in such a state. Moreover, it has been owned by the city the whole time. The furnishings serve as a testament to the golden age of Brno. At that time, the city was experiencing rapid growth, it had a highly developed textile industry, and trade was thriving," he stated.

The investor is the municipal district, which is also preparing a tender for the construction part of the apartment's reconstruction. "If everything goes according to plan, construction modifications will begin in the autumn. This will include new electrical installations, water and heating distributions, and the restoration of plaster. The reconstruction will also affect floors and doors. A condition of the investment is that the result closely matches the historical appearance," added Martin Drdla (ANO), councilor for the areas of investments and housing management. After the repairs are completed, the city hall plans to return the furniture to its original space and make the apartment accessible to the public. It will serve for various cultural or ceremonial events, significant meetings, or guided tours.

The house on Hlinkách was owned during the first republic by Jewish merchant Eugen Teltscher and his wife Elsa. Their daughter Johanna married Richard Herdan in 1933, an engineer and head of the export department of Škodovy závody for South America. The father of the bride apparently had the apartment newly furnished and gifted it to the newlyweds. The Herdans moved abroad for work in 1938, thus escaping the Holocaust. Teltscher then briefly rented the apartment, after which the Nazis confiscated the house, and the owners perished in concentration camps. After the war, tenants lived in the apartment, leaving the built-in furniture and overall layout of the apartment almost unchanged. Only the kitchen and bathroom underwent a complete reconstruction.