Villa Winternitz, Functionalist villa in Smíchov, Czech Republic.
Villa Winternitz is a three-storey functionalist house at Na Cihlářce 10 in Smíchov, built in 1931–1932 to designs by Adolf Loos with Karel Lhota, who authored the interior elements. Its ivory-coloured facade, called the Beige Princess, has a flat roof with a rooftop pergola of horizontal beams on pillars, a tall narrow window and a rounded corner window with a thin balcony rail, and a large multi-paned window on the front. Inside, Loos's Raumplan links the living hall to a raised dining room and small salon.
Villa Winternitz was built in 1931–1932 for the lawyer Josef Winternitz and his family, to a design by Adolf Loos with Karel Lhota; it was Loos's last realized project. The family lived there until 1941, when the villa was seized; in 1943 they were deported to Terezín and in 1944 to Auschwitz, where Josef and his son Petr died. After the war the building served as a kindergarten until 1995, and the family regained it through restitution in 1997.
The villa's nickname, the Beige Princess, comes from its ivory-coloured facade. Since 1999 it has hosted events such as the Díra nedíra happening and the Ve vile open days, and it is listed in the Iconic Houses catalogue of modernist house museums.
The villa can be visited on weekdays and weekends, though you should check opening hours in advance. It is relatively easy to reach on foot and offers guided tours that explain the architectural features.
The villa's exterior ivory facade earned it the nickname "Beige Princess." Its last private owner, lawyer Josef Winternitz, was deported with his family in 1943; he and his son Petr died in Auschwitz in 1944. The family regained the house in 1997 under restitution laws.
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