The publication Famous Prague Villas presents the work of important architects who worked in Prague from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 21st century. The book presents important family houses and villas designed by architects such as Jan Kotěra, Adolf Loos, Josef Gočár, Pavel Janák, Otakar Novotný, Josef Chochol, Adolf Benš, Bohumil Hűbschmann, Ladislav Machoň, Hana Kučerová, Jan Kaplický, Stanislav Fiala and many others. The builders and users of the houses were equally famous and important personalities such as the Čapek brothers, Vladislav Vančura, Stanislav Sucharda, František Langer, Dr. Karel Kramář, Mac Frič, Václav Špála and others. The publication is designed chronologically and presents 63 villas as they were built in their historical development, not only in terms of architectural history but also in terms of the socio-historical situation. An overview of the historical stages - the end of the 19th century, the turn of the 20th century, together with the individual decades up to the present day - form the chapters of the publication. Each chapter contains an introduction, followed by texts on specific villas, including visual material - photographs or architectural designs. The introductions deal with the contemporary situation, architectural styles of the period, theoretical efforts, personalities of selected architects, conflicts of opinion, interesting facts about the activities of artistic societies, associations, etc. The texts are written in a lively, readable, popular journalistic language. The final chapter is a kind of mini-guide. A map shows 50 villas and a list of them, arranged according to the parts of Prague in which the houses are located, including links to the relevant pages in the book. This is a service to the owner of the publication during his walks through Prague in search of the beauty of the legacy of Czech modern architecture.
English edition