Vila Primavesi

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Olomouc

The winding streets of the historic centre of old Olomouc hide many sights and treasures of our ancestors. One of them is the Art Nouveau Villa Primavesi, which has been a national cultural monument for more than 100 years.

The villa was built as a town residence for the banking family of Otto and Eugenie Primavesi. The Art Nouveau Villa Primavesi was built in 1905-1906 according to the project of Franz von Kraus and Josef Tolek. It is a national cultural monument. The Primavesi family moved to Central Moravia at the end of the 18th century from northern Italian Lombardy. In 1905, Otto Primavesi, the most important member of the family, together with his wife Eugenia, decided to establish a mansion that would correspond to the family's prestige.

For the architectural design, the Primavesis invited their long-time friends, the architects Franz Krauss and his companion Josef Tölk. The architects were able to masterfully combine the Art Nouveau style of the time with the modern current and the result was a richly articulated single-storey house with a high mansard roof. The building was not decorated in any way, but abounded with many bay windows and turrets with an adjacent small terraced garden. Otto Primavesi and his wife generously supported the development of the arts. Leading artists of the time contributed to the interior decoration. Among them was family friend Anton Hanak, who designed for them the lining of the dining room with the copper fountain "Living Water", the statue of the nightingale and many other works.

Another important artist involved in the decoration of the villa was the artist and architect Josef Hoffman and the painter Gustav Klimt. The era of the Primavesi family in Moravia ended in 1918. From 1926 the villa was owned by Dr. František Koutný, who converted the villa into a private sanatorium. The mansard roof was most affected by the reconstruction, most of Hanak's works were removed and two operating theatres were added.

In 1939, the sanatorium was sold to Dr. Robert Pospíšil, who continued to run the inpatient facility there. In 1952 the private sanatorium was nationalised and included in the state health care network. After the revolution in 1989, the villa was returned to private ownership and the new owners began to gradually renovate it. After several years of searching, almost all the historical works were found.

You can see the Villa Primavesi during irregular interior tours (more information on the website). The villa also has a stylish café with comfortable seating both inside and in the garden. Villa Primavesi is located in the historical heart of Olomouc on the old walls between Palacký University and St. Michael's Church. It is directly adjacent to St. Michael's Walk, through which you can reach it directly from the park. From Horní náměstí it can be reached via Michalská Street and then Na hradě Street.