Villa Bílek, Art Nouveau villa in Hradčany, Prague, Czech Republic
Villa Bílek is a two-storey Art Nouveau house in Prague's Hradčany district, built in 1911 from exposed brick on a rough stone base. Its convex facade curves like a scythe stroke through a field, with tall tapered pillars shaped like corn sheaves supporting a covered porch. A rounded corner bay and a flat roof complete the design.
František Bílek built this residence in 1911 as both his home and workshop, where he applied his architectural and artistic ideas to the design. The Gallery of the Capital City of Prague has managed the building since 1963 as an exhibition space.
Since 1963 the villa has been run by the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague, which opened a new permanent exhibition in June 2022 for the 150th anniversary of František Bílek's birth. The former studio holds monumental sculptures and designs, including the proposal for the Prague Hus monument, while the largest first-floor room displays a large model of the Žižek monument (1912–1925).
The villa stands in a garden in Hradčany, a few minutes on foot from Hradčanská metro station and close to Prague Castle and the preserved Písek Gate. The Gallery of the Capital City of Prague runs it as a house museum, and the garden was landscaped during the 2008–2010 reconstruction.
The building incorporates Egyptian architectural elements mixed with religious symbols that reflect Bílek's spiritual beliefs throughout the design. The custom-made interior furnishings demonstrate how his personal philosophy shaped every aspect of the space.
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