This is Villa Tugendhat, a World Heritage Site in Brno (Czech Republic)

If you like modern architecture, when planning a tourist route through the Czech Republic, the second city in the country, Brno, cannot be missing from it.

Of course, don't expect to find large skyscrapers...but something much more interesting. I mean the Villa Tugendhat, a private house that was built in 1930, which is, for its time, a striking example of the functionalist architecture.

A good example of her interest is that she has recently earned the award of being considered Heritage awarded by the Unesco.

La Villa Tugendhat It was built by the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who was the first director of the prestigious design school Bauhaus.

This house of modern architecture survived the Second World War, and that despite the fact that during it it was occupied by the Nazis.

The aeronautical designer even resided there. Willy Messerschmitt, who manufactured the famous fighter plane for the German army.

After the Russian occupation in 1945, almost all of the furniture disappeared to be used as firewood.

Later, it became the headquarters of a dance school, then housed a rehabilitation center, and even in the 80s it was rebuilt to become a diplomatic hotel.

After the last and recent rehabilitation, the Villa Tugendhat It has been reopened in March 2012 for the tourist visit.

La Villa Tugendhat You find it in a residential area near the Brno city center. In fact, a highlight is the excellent panoramic views of the castle hill from the terrace overlooking the garden.

In order to appreciate its true value, you must not forget that this villa with rectangular shapes and white walls was built in 1930.

Thus, for example, from the architectural point of view, the supporting structure of the building, with steel columns, is the first time it was applied to a private house.

Visit of Villa Tugendhat

During your visit of Villa Tugendhat you will see floors with travertine Italian. You will be surprised by the great height of the room and closet doors, three meters, with mechanical stops to hold them when they are open.

As a curiosity, the owner of the house, the textile industrialist Fritz Tugendhat, of Jewish origin, did not want the doors to be so high, but the architect conditioned continuing with the project on accepting this aspect.

It will undoubtedly catch your attention large dimensions of the main room. With 237 square meters, it is not a large room, but rather several spaces separated by curtains or walls, although maintaining a unity.

You will see a large wooden library, or the wall of onyx stone of the office, with its large removable table in three different sizes.

And, of course, you will enjoy the panoramic views of Brno Castle from the two large windows, which open or close thanks to an electrical system that moves the 600 kilos of glass weight.

In the basement of the building, where the technical plant is located, you will see this system for opening the windows, as well as the original hot air heating and ventilation systems with fresh air coming from the north façade.

You can also see a dark room for photography and a ventilated chamber-wardrobe to store mink coats.

Villa Tugendhat schedules

The Visiting hours of Villa Tugendhat in Brno They are, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m., including holidays.

The visit takes place in guided tours, with groups of no more than 15 people, which take place every hour.

There are two types of guided tours: The standard tour (60 minutes), with which you visit the residential areas of the house, as well as the garden, and the technical tour (90 minutes), which also includes a visit to the technical plant.

Now, the most common is the technical tour, and few of them are in English, usually at 11 a.m. and 15 p.m.

The ticket prices for guided tours of Villa Tugendhat They are, the standard one, 300 CZK (12 euros), and the technical tour, 350 CZK (13,90 euros). There are discounts for seniors, students and families.

It's advisable buy tickets in advance for guided tours.