Šalounova vila, Art Nouveau villa in Vinohrady, Czech Republic
Šalounova vila is an Art Nouveau studio building with Symbolist elements at Slovenská Street in Vinohrady, designed by sculptor Ladislav Šaloun and built 1908–1910, approved in February 1911. The main building held a vestibule and large and small studios; the south side facing the sloping garden had a salon, a Slovácko room, service areas and a caretaker's flat. Inscriptions include "The Sea! the Sea!" and a verse by Otokar Březina, with a wall relief "Greeting to the Sun" and zodiac signs.
The house was built after sculptor Ladislav Šaloun won a competition to create the Jan Hus monument, which enabled him to establish this villa as his personal studio. Its creation coincided with a period of major artistic activity and modernization in Prague.
Šaloun's studio hosted figures such as painter Alphonse Mucha, soprano Emmy Destinn, violinist Jan Kubelík and poets Otokar Březina and Jaroslav Vrchlický. The interior holds a room inspired by Moravian folklore, and the wall relief "Greeting to the Sun" was suggested by Březina, who also wrote a verse inscribed on the villa.
The villa has been managed by the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague since 2001 and serves as a teaching space for visiting international faculty. Access may be limited depending on academic activities and events scheduled at the location.
Josef Váchal, who visited the villa, wrote in his memoirs of an "occult cellar" where "large séances were held, bordering on magical rites". The basement thus hosted gatherings that went beyond sculpture, a detail easily missed by visitors touring the studios above.
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