Blue House, Villa and entertainment centre in Holešovice, Prague, Czech Republic
The Blue House (Modrý dům) is an early modernist villa at čp. 291/VII in Prague 7 Holešovice, designed by Josef Zasche for sculptor Karel Wilfert Jr. and built in 1904–1905. Its L-shaped plan with a mansard roof was extended in the 1930s by a lower north wing with a steep gabled roof. The façade has ceramic tiles with ornaments in the gable and a mosaic sundial between the second-floor windows.
Josef Zasche designed the villa for sculptor Karel Wilfert Jr., and it was built in 1904–1905. Wilfert ran a private art school there with graphic artist Richard Teschner in 1908–1909; Teschner later bought the house. After February 1948 it was nationalised and used by the diplomatic service administration, which stripped its original colours and added a box-like northern extension.
The house is named for its original grey-blue plaster and the deep blue elements on its façade; it was also called Wilfert Villa after its first owner. Since 1992 it has belonged to the Christian Community in the Czech Republic, which added a chapel of St John in 1995 in the former ground-floor garage. The Josef Adamec Gallery occupies the second floor.
The Blue House stands at čp. 291/VII in Holešovice, Prague 7, on Letná. It is the seat of the Community of Christians in the Czech Republic, and the Gallery of Josef Adamec occupies the second floor; the MUD Prague route also starts here. The building is not a public residence, so visits depend on the gallery and the community's programme.
The mosaic sundial between the second-floor windows is attributed to the first owner, sculptor Karel Wilfert Jr., not to Richard Teschner, who bought the villa a few years after completion. Wilfert ran a private art school here with graphic artist Teschner in 1908–1909.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,269 contributors worldwide.