The Prague City Museum has completed the repair of Villa Müller in Střešovice in Prague 6 and reopened it on 30 September 2026 at a ceremony for journalists. Tours for the public are to begin on Thursday.[1] Villa Müller is a national cultural monument. It was built in the 1920s in the functionalist style to a design by the architects Adolf Loos and Karel Lhota, and the investor was František Müller, co-owner of one of the largest construction companies.[2]
Reason for and scope of the renovation
The museum closed the villa in February 2025 for the renovation of the roof terraces and interiors. Ivo Macek, director of the Prague City Museum, said that the villa had been closed because water was leaking in and the terrace waterproofing was not functional; the terrace reconstruction was then also used to renovate the interiors.[1] During the repair the wooden floors and wall paintings were restored, the textile furnishings were cleaned and the security system of the villa, which stands on sloping terrain, was modernised.[1] According to Macek, it is the largest intervention since the villa's reconstruction more than twenty years ago, thanks to which the museum has opened a further six rooms.[1]
New tour route
The tour route now leads through almost the entire house, with the exception of the facilities for security staff and guides. Newly accessible are the so-called parlour, where the Müllers received visitors whom they did not wish to admit to the private parts of the house, as well as the guest room, bathrooms and an apartment for servants, a garage with a period car, a vegetable cellar and a wine cellar.[1] Eliška Zlatohlávková, curator of the villa, said that the villa was first opened to the public in 2000 and that the present opening marks another chapter in greater openness towards visitors; the museum, she said, drew on period descriptions of the original spaces, which at the time of the first opening served as administrative facilities.[1] The new route is meant to help visitors understand the principle of Loos's architecture called Raumplan, in which rooms are not arranged by individual floors but have a height according to their importance and are interconnected, which may recall a labyrinth.[1]
Operation and accompanying programme
For now the museum plans six tours a day, two of them in English, with a maximum capacity of eight visitors per tour.[1] Curatorial tours focused on specific themes are also being prepared for visitors with a deeper interest in architecture, as well as a special programme for families with children.[1] At the reopening the bilingual publication (T)Raumplan was launched, which the Prague City Museum publishes in cooperation with the research institute The Why Factory, led by the Dutch architect Winy Maas; in Czech and English it will be available from October in the Prague City Museum's e-shop.[1]
Related articles: Prague City Museum, Villa Müller
Chronology
- — The Prague City Museum completed the restoration of the Müller Villa in Střešovice; tours resume on Thursday. ČTK / České noviny iDNES.cz, Praha
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Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 30 September 2026
- iDNES.cz — 30 September 2026