Restored Grossmann Villa in Ostrava Enters Its Third Year of Operation with New Furnishings

Grossmann Villa has joined the ranks of Ostrava’s most sought-after landmarks, attracting both local residents and international visitors. The exceptional setting of this First Republic villa was even chosen by the first newlyweds to begin their life journey together, with the villa hosting its first wedding in 2025. Grossmann Villa has become a center of community, cultural, and social life.

Last year, the process of furnishing the villa began. Visitors can now admire rare carpets from the Iranian city of Kashan, the Pakistani Jaldar carpet made of sheep’s wool interwoven with silk thread, and the naturally dyed wool Mauri carpet. New paintings, stained glass, a replica grille, and new furniture have also been added. These were supplied by the company L.E.V., textile products were delivered by HLAV-ING GROUP, and the highly successful textile work including curtains and drapes was completed by the team of Mrs. Taťána Terezie Gärtnerová.

“In addition to the already mentioned new curtains and drapes on brass curtain rods in individual rooms, replicas of the missing wooden curtain rods were produced for the gentlemen’s room. New paintings were added on the social floor in the gentlemen’s room, music salon, dining room, and winter garden, as well as on the private floor in the alcove, toilet, and niche of the ladies’ bedroom. Also on the private floor, the artistic brass grille in the arch leading to the guest room was completed. The total cost of the interior furnishings exceeded CZK 10 million including VAT,” said Deputy Mayor for Investments Břetislav Riger.

The reconstruction project of Grossmann Villa is unique not only because of the preserved original interior elements, but also due to the large amount of surviving documentation—from plans and period photographs of the furnished interiors to inheritance records containing inventories of furniture, objects, carpets, and other equipment dating back to 1933. Such rich documentation is rather exceptional for cultural monuments and made it possible to closely recreate the original appearance of the rooms from the period between 1924 and 1933.

“When furnishing the rooms, we therefore relied on available historical sources, which specified, for example, the color schemes, types, and sizes of carpets or inventories of furniture including materials. We approached the selection individually—some pieces are restored period furniture matching the original style, while in some cases we chose newly made replicas based on photographic documentation. This applies, for example, to the semicircular bench in the alcove of the music salon, the beds in the private floor of the villa, or the dressing table in the boudoir of the ladies’ bedroom, because these elements had to fit dimensionally and stylistically into the existing alcoves. The most remarkable room in this respect will be Mrs. Grossmann’s bedroom, where the main attraction is the bed with carved elements and bedside tables placed in the newly painted niche with a canopy exactly as shown in a photograph from the 1920s,” explained villa curator Tomáš Rusek.

Thanks to the additional furnishings, visitors can now also see a historic-style folding card table in the gaming corner of the gentlemen’s room. Original Thonet tables have been installed in the private bedrooms, and a comfortable rattan rocking chair has been placed in the winter garden. There are also now 45 wooden chairs No. 18 from the bentwood furniture factory TON, the successor to Michael Thonet’s original company. The design of this iconic chair dates back to 1876, and this very type of chair was originally found in the architectural office of František Grossmann’s construction company.

Most of the supplied furniture was restored to match the appearance of the original furnishings, while new beds were specially made for both bedrooms of the Grossmann couple. Newly acquired furniture also includes chairs, armchairs, a sofa, benches, tables, wardrobes, and dressers.

František Grossmann had the family villa with its representative construction office built between 1922 and 1924. The building attracted attention for its luxurious execution and unusual architectural solutions. The house was surrounded by a garden with exotic trees, sculptures, a gazebo, a swimming pool, and a fountain.

Over the past century, the building suffered from various interventions and wood-decaying fungus, and before reconstruction it was in poor technical condition. Its extensive restoration was completed in spring 2024. Grossmann Villa now captivates visitors thanks to the craftsmanship of many specialists who contributed to its rescue. The City of Ostrava financed the restoration of this monument, with costs exceeding CZK 132 million including VAT.

“The story of Grossmann Villa began in 1921, and the building has gone through many ups and downs. Its rescue came literally at the last minute, and experts who had dedicated many years to their craft played a significant role in it. Over the past 24 months, Grossmann Villa has become one of Ostrava’s sought-after tourist destinations. Its interiors have been visited by nearly 19,000 visitors from the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Turkey, Germany, and even Japan. Thousands more visitors have taken advantage of the opportunity to visit its garden free of charge. The villa itself has witnessed many important moments—significant contracts and memorandums were signed here, awards were presented, and a wide range of social and cultural events have taken place within its walls and gardens. This building, which rose from the ashes, is full of life and offers a diverse program. People can see for themselves during one of the prepared events,” concluded Ostrava Mayor Jan Dohnal, inviting the public to visit the villa.

A detailed program can be found on the Grossmann Villa website.