Program

Route length: approx. 3–3.5 km, 120–150 minutes. Moderate difficulty, mostly flat terrain.

Storyline: The circuit traces the development of family housing from early modernism (Kotěra), through cooperative housing, to the individualised villas of high functionalism. During this period Strašnice turns from a peripheral village into a progressive residential area where the avant-garde, middle-class cooperative building, and distinctive architect-designed houses all meet.

1. Jan Kotěra – Villa of František Trmal (1902–1903)

Vilová 11, no. 91

• Kotěra as the founder of modern Czech architecture.
• The villa as a manifesto of early modernism: English influences, work with mass, wood, ceramic details.
• The significance of the Trmal villa for the development of the surrounding villa district.

2. Karel Koníček – Cooperative semi-detached houses (1920)

Bylanská 7–9, no. 325–326; Molitorovská 6–8, 7–9, no. 321–324

• Post-war cooperative building as a social phenomenon.
• Simple, economical houses with an emphasis on functionality.
• Urban composition — a regular street grid, gardens, a communal character.

3. Pavel Janák, Josef Gočár, Josef Zavadil – Cooperative family houses (1919–1920)

Bylanská 17–45, no. 305–320; U Hráze 5–11, no. 301–304

• Collaboration between three key figures of Czech modernism.
• The houses as an example of early modernism with traditional elements.
• The urbanism of the colony — rhythm, scale, treatment of street space.
• Comparison with Koníček’s semi-detached houses.

4. Josef F. Regenerml – Villa of Rudolf Sommer (1923)

Na Třebešíně 38, no. 487

• Transition from a traditional conception toward more modern forms.
• The villa as a representative middle-class house.
• Material treatment, decorative elements, work with mass.

5. Jaromír Krejcar – Villa of Karel and Grete Reiner (1926–1927)

Nad Olšinami 4, no. 672

• Krejcar as a representative of the avant-garde and the Devětsil group.
• The villa as a manifesto of functionalism: ribbon windows, flat roof, lightness.
• The figure of Karel Reiner and the cultural context.

6. Viktor Lampl & Otto Fuchs – Villa for two families (1927–1928)

Na Výsluní 8 and 10, no. 742 and 768

• The double villa as a typological experiment.
• Combination of functionalist elements and traditional articulation.
• Work with terrain and orientation.

7. Eduard Hnilička – Villa of Olga Weignerová (1927–1928)

Počernická 5, no. 723

• Hnilička as an author of refined family houses.
• The villa with an emphasis on intimacy and living comfort.
• Detail, materials, garden.

8. Otto Klein – Villa of Bedřich Dengler (1931–1932)

U Krbu 4, no. 1101

• High functionalism of the early 1930s.
• Smooth façades, horizontal articulation, elegant proportions.
• The house as representative, yet restrained.

9. Jaroslav and Vratislav Mayer – Villa of Věra Číháková (1932)

Počernická 9, no. 1106

• The Mayer brothers and their signature style.
• The villa with an emphasis on light, living terraces, elegant details.
• Neighbourhood context — a dialogue with the Dengler villa.

10. František Souček – Villa of Antonín and Věra Vichr (1932)

Černokostelecká 88, no. 1504

• Functionalism in an exposed street position.
• Dealing with noise, orientation, and privacy.
• Characteristic elements: ribbon windows, rounded corners, balconies.

11. Antonín Průšek, Jan Žák (alterations 1937–1938), Jiří Svoboda (extension after 1981) – Villa of Valerie Kryšpinová

Pod Strašnickou vinicí 35, no. 1010

• The house as a living organism — multiple construction phases.
• The original functionalist villa and its later adaptation.
• Questions of authenticity, heritage value, and rebuilding.

12. Bruno Rücker – Villa of Robert Fraenkel (1937–1938)

U Krbu 16, no. 1517

• Late functionalism with elements of luxury.
• A representative entrance, generous glazing, elegant proportions.
• The client’s personality and the cultural context of the late 1930s.

13. František and Václav Beneš – Villa of Josef Bohumil Foerster (1938)

Foersterova 9, no. 1051

• The villa of a significant composer — a link between architecture and culture.
• Late functionalism with subtle decorative touches.
• The house as a personal refuge in a dramatic time.