Loos Interiors in Plzeň

Adolf Loos (1870-1933) is considered the most significant Central European architect of the first third of the 20th century. At the turn of the 20s and 30s, Loos often stayed in West Bohemian Plzeň, and in this period he realised the reconstruction of the so-called Brummel House (currently located at street Husova 58) and 13 apartment interiors, which are considered by experts as one of the greatest jewels of not only Plzeň, but also all-European architecture of the 20th century. And you can see several of them during three commented tours.

1. Apartments of the Kraus and Vogl families

Address: Bendova 10 and Klatovská 12
The first tour immediately takes you to two of the Loos interiors. The architectural journey begins in the former apartment of the Kraus family in the house at Bendova 10, where you will see a magnificent parlour with a ceiling made of mahogany cassettes and a dining room with opposing mirrored walls, which creates the impression of infinite space. The rooms lined with green-veined marble impart a magical impression. Visitors will also see the practically equipped bedroom with the original inbuilt wardrobes and dressing table. After this, you only travel approximately 400 metres with the guide to Klatovská třída 12, where you will see two surviving rooms of the initial flat of Doctor Josef Vogl. Here, you will see a parlour with a dining room with inbuilt furniture, wooden and travertine wall linings.

2. Brummel House

Address: Husova 58
The second tour route introduces the spacious two generation apartment of Brummel House. The house, with part of the initial furnishings, ranks among the most beautiful of Loos’s realisations in Plzeň. Loos designed the extension and adapted the entire object into modern efficient housing. The tour, which takes approximately one hour, starts in the stairway hall in the pattern of Goethe House in Weimar. This is then followed by the hall with the food preparation room, bedroom with inbuilt furniture and wardrobe made of cherry wood with a spacious bathroom hidden behind it. Your return through a small corridor reveals the living room with a monumental fireplace and terrace.

3. Semler Residence

Address: Klatovská 110
In the last of the inspection circuits, you can see part of the Semler Residence. Although the most famous Loos principle applied in some of his houses is the so-called raumplan, in Plzeň you will only find it in this villa house. The interiors here were designed by Loos’s student and colleague Heinrich Kulka, probably based on the Loos concept. You can tour the representative part of the flat, which includes the spacious living room, dressing room, dining room and kitchen. Many interior elements survive in their initial condition, while others have been refurbished.

Tour times:
April to October: Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays at pre-agreed times
November to March: Thursdays, Saturdays at pre-agreed times