Grossmann's villa in Ostrava is gradually being furnished, and it will be complete by spring

Ostrava - The heritage-protected Grossmann Villa in Ostrava, which opened to the public after a comprehensive renovation last spring, is gradually being furnished with furniture and textiles. The architectural gem of the city has, for example, new rare carpets, as well as curtains and drapes. Paintings and a portion of new furniture have also been added, with more pieces still on the way. Mayor Jan Dohnal (Spolu) informed journalists about this today.

"The process of furnishing the villa with furniture has begun, the first pieces are already in place, and the complete furniture delivery is expected in the spring of next year. The costs are six million Czech crowns excluding VAT. An additional 1.5 million Czech crowns excluding VAT is required for new textile products. There are also rare carpets from the Iranian city of Kashan, a Pakistani Yaldar carpet made from sheep wool interwoven with silk thread, or naturally dyed woolen Mauri carpets, among others," said Deputy Mayor Břetislav Riger (Ostravak).

In addition to carpets, the rooms are now furnished with curtains and drapes on brass rods, with precise replicas of missing wooden rods made based on original pieces for the gentlemen's room. New paintings have also emerged in the public floor as well as in the private floor.

"For some paintings, there were no period photographs available, so the new paintings were based on restoration surveys, which revealed the original appearance only in fragments. The current solution has therefore been created based on a restoration proposal assessed by experts. Furthermore, an artistic brass grille was added in an arch leading to the guest room in the private floor," stated city spokesperson Gabriela Pokorná.

The most interesting piece of newly added furniture is a card table in the gaming corner of the gentlemen's room. In the private bedrooms, there are originals of Thonet tables, and in the winter garden, there is a rattan rocking chair.

"We have included in the project that we can have older pieces of furniture so that it looks truly period, which must be restored. Moreover, there isn't too much furniture that would fit perfectly into the villa's decor," explained Radek Konečný from the Ostrava City Hall. He added that the aim is to bring the villa as close as possible to its original form.

František Grossmann commissioned the construction of the family villa with a representative office for the design office between 1922 and 1924. The building was approved about 100 years ago, on March 28, 1924. The villa is surrounded by a garden, which has also been revitalized. The city originally tried to offer the villa to private investors, but this plan did not succeed, and so it ultimately decided to repair the object itself. The villa is located on Na Zapadlém street near the regional office and is one of the rarest in the city. Grossmann lived there with his family for only ten years. Due to the economic crisis and financial problems, he committed suicide in 1933. In the 1960s, the building also served as a school facility, housing a kindergarten and later a school club. The villa is operated by the city-owned company Černá louka. In addition to tours, it hosts public events or serves representative purposes.