When the conversation turns to famous villas in Brno, everybody somehow thinks of Villa Tugendhat. Villa Tugendhat certainly is the most famous one. After all, it made it to the list of world cultural heritage, but it also has just as remarkable predecessors. One of them is even directly related to its origin – Löw-Beer Villa in Drobného street now getting ready for a major reconstruction. Villa Tugendhat was built on its original land. In the late 1900s, Černá Pole became a popular area for family villas. Several of them arose on the slopes of the original vineyards (between the current streets Drobného and Černopolní), the majority realised by Brno architect Josef Arnold. This entire area was later surrounded by apartment houses in Antonína Slavíka and Hilfertova street from one side and by an extensive building composition in Schodová street from the other.

The villa in current Drobného street which used to be called Sadová (Parkstrasse) at the time of its construction in years 1903–1904, was built upon request of the Brno textile magnate Moritz Fuhrmann. An extensive land situated on a hill ending with Černopolní street used to belong to this stylish Art Nouveau villa. The villa including the land was sold by Fuhrman's descendants to another textile factory owner, Alfred Löw-Beer, and when his daughter Grete married a manufacturer Fritz Tugendhat, her father gave them the upper part of the villa's land, later named Tugendhat.

Reconstruction After 100 Years

Löw-Beer's family enjoyed their villa until the German occupation. In 1940 the villa was confiscated by the Gestapo and after the war, it became a state property used mainly as a Youth home. The villa was deteriorating being used this way but fortunately, most of its interior and the facade have been preserved in its original form.

Long-time efforts for the reconstruction of this remarkable villa were finally successful when 47 million CZK from the Regional Operational Programme South-east using European Union funds were granted for this project. The villa will return to its original form when Löw-Beer family used to live there and it will serve as an exposition of the beginnings of modern architecture. The visitor's tours will be also focused on the history of Löw-Beer and Tugendhat families, work of Tugendhat Villa's architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and on what it used to be like to live in Art Nouveau villas. The visitors will also be able to enjoy villa's library and reading room.

After the recent successful reconstruction of Jurkovičova Villa in Žabovřesky and a finishing reconstruction of Tugendhat Villa, the repair of Löw-Beer Villa will be another great achievement in revitalization of significant architectural monuments in Brno.

Alena Štěpánková