VILLA STIASSNI

If by any chance the villa Tugendhat is full, you can visit the villa Stiassni, less known and less frequented. Less spectacular also of course, but do not take this visit for a consolation prize. The sumptuous villa answers to the same codes of the functionalism and in certain respects is even in much better state than certain parts of the villa Tugendhat. If this last one knew various vocations having led to many degradations, the villa Stiassni for its part was always occupied for official functions by the Gestapo or the communist power, and in this direction was much more respected. The villa was built by the architect Ernst Wiesner for a wealthy Jewish textile merchant couple in a 3 hectare park with a swimming pool (state of the art for the time). Completed in 1929, it was abandoned in 1938 by its occupants who emigrated to the United States. Its architecture and the layout of the rooms meet the criteria of the time and are in the purest purist style, a movement that preceded functionalism and which wanted to contrast with the "Viennese" style that prevailed in Brno at the time. There are very few ornaments but high quality raw materials: wood, metal, glass... whose colors and shapes are the only decorations. The house is organized on two levels, with the "social life" on the first floor and the rooms dedicated to family life on the first floor, both being connected by a monumental wooden staircase, while the servants had their own access. Note the large volumes, the built-in radiators and the huge bay windows to make the most of the light. The rooms are full of personal and period objects and try to bring to life the daily life of 1930s Brno. Each member of the family had three rooms: bedroom, bathroom and dressing room. The dressing rooms are made of orange wood, to perfume the clothes, and mango wood, to ensure air circulation. Note that Hermine Stiassni's room, which came from a noble family, has more decorations than the others, as the mistress of the house was not entirely won over by the all-out functionalism.

When the Germans arrived, the house became a casino reserved for the SS elite, while the Communist government turned it into an official place for regime celebrations or to welcome distinguished guests. The villa Stiassni has seen Fidel Castro, Edvard Beneš, or Soekarno before being completely renovated in 2014.