ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE

Zagreb Villas: Residence of the Czech Embassy

 

Vila Pfeffermann, in Jurjevska Street 27a, is particularly interesting because of its current function. It is the residence of the Czech Embassy in Zagreb, and serves as the best example of presentation of the Croatian-Czech relations in the field of architectural heritage.

 

Talking with visitors of Zagreb, reading travelogues and memoirs of writers who lived or stayed in Zagreb, gives us an insight into the way they were surprised by the beauty of its parks, green areas and the forests on the hills that surround it. In addition to the Green Horseshoe (Nikola Zrinski Square, Strossmayer Square, Tomislav Square, Starcević Square, Botanical Garden, Marulić Square, Mažuranić Square, Marshal Tito Square), which was formed in Down Town pattern of streets during the great momentum of construction in the so-called Gründerzeit period of architecture, after the devastating earthquake of 1880., Zagreb has a rare natural value - a "green" Medvednica crest on its northern outskirts. As early as the time of Historicism, on its southern slopes mansions and villas were built with lavish gardens and surrounded by woods and fresh air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vila Pfefferman today

 

 

 

 

Beautiful examples of these villas can still be seen today, for example in Bukovačka Street in Šalata, Ivan Goran Kovačić Street, Upper Prekrižje, Tuškanac, Nazorova, Pantovčak, Okrugljak, etc.

 

Pure crystal forms

 

Along with mansions and villas, built in the 19th century, with richly decorated facades, towers, oriels and other decorative elements, during the 1930s villas in pure crystal forms were built by applying the principles of modern architecture, that is the international style. This is confirmed by two examples in Jurjevska Street. At number 27, in 1881st Androwsky-Lubienski villa was built according to the project by Kun Weidmann, and next to it, at number 27a, in 1929th Pfeffermann villa was completed as a project designed by Marko Vidaković. Tilla Dirieux, the famous German actress who found her hideout before Nazism and sanctuary in the first post-war years in the home of her friend and distant relative countess Zlata Lubienski, will write about the first one. The rich social and cultural life of Mrs. Durieux, which took place in this villa in the period from 1934 to 1952, can be seen in the art collection that her heirs donated to the Museum of Zagreb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vila Pfefferman 1930s

 

 

 

 

 

 

House linked with the Czech

 

Vila Pfeffermann is particularly interesting because of its current functions. It is the residence of the Czech Embassy in Zagreb, and serves as the best example of presentation of the Croatian-Czech relations in the field of architectural heritage. Namely, this house has been repeatedly linked with the Czech. It was designed by architect Marko Vidaković from Zagreb, who graduated at the Prague Polytechnics, and its design and functional dispositions are the first examples of realization of the international style principles in Croatia, that was under a great influence of Czech Republic's Art Nouveau. In the spring of 1928th in Zagreb there was a guest exhibition of contemporary architecture of Czechoslovakia, (the catalog preface was written by Marko Vidaković!) which presented the latest works of famous contemporary architects from Czechoslovakia, such as Jan Koter, Josef Gočár, Jaromír Krejcar, Bohuslav Fuchs, and others. Complete purity and simplicity of functional disposition, flat roofs, spacious terraces, smooth wall surfaces with large glass openings, inclination to nature, are the basic characteristics of that "new construction".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hall in vila at the time when family Pfefferman lived in it

 

 

 

 

The construction of a two-story villa for the Pfefferman family in Jurjevska Street 27a had began in the fall of 1928th, and it was completed in the summer of 1929th. At the architectonic exhibition that presented the engineers and the architects of Zagreb, in the Art Pavilion in 1932nd, this villa has been noted, and the critics had written that the "outstanding work is worthy to be included in any European manual on modern architecture". The contemporary architects of that time designed led by the motto of functionalism, where the function had precedence over form that is it had determined the form. Each area had to be in the function with which it completely met the needs of quality and comfortable living with the absence of superfluous decorative elements. Since Pfeffermann villa is located in mansion area with rich vegetation behind it, the openings and the terrace that are facing the nature are of large dimensions, while the ones facing the street are smaller. The simplicity of the organization of space is reflected in the interior and exterior that is formed by agreement of crystal volumes.

 

On several occasions, the house had been renovated so it changed its original appearance but it can still serve as the evidence of the qualities that we have inherited from the interwar modern architecture.

 

Ambassador enjoys terrace gardening

 

The Czech Ambassador Karel Kühnl has been living in residence in Jurjevska since he arrived to Zagreb in 2007. Although he has travelled through Croatia hundreds of times before his arrival, even since 1972, he had travelled by highways and only three times had he been in the city itself. Therefore, he was pleasantly surprised when he finally moved to Zagreb.

 

- Although the architecture resembles that of the Czech cities, Zagreb is much greener. Not only because of the great parks at the foot of Medvednica mountain, but also because many small parks, and Zagreb certainly has more of them than Prague or any other city I lived in, such as London or Munich. I am glad that our residence is located in these green surroundings, so that the park, which slopes steeply towards the Dubravka's Road is a great protection from the city noise, and it takes us only a 10 minute's walk to come down to the very center of the city, on the Ban Josip Jelačić Square - says the Ambassador.

 

The building itself is owned by the Czech Republic, and it was bought by Czechoslovakia from the former Yugoslavia, when its Consulate General was in Zagreb. Consul General had lived in villa Pfefferman and the Consulate was in Prilaz Gjure Deželića. When new states were formed the property was administered and the villa in Jurjevska Street became the asset of the Czech Republic.

 

- Both my wife Daniela and I are very satisfied with the organization of living space in the villa Pfefferman. It is very convenient to live and work in, except that there is no space for the garden which is my hobby. That is why a sunny terrace of our apartment is particularly important to me, and I grow flowers in jars and tomatoes there. Although this year there were only 15 seedlings of tomatoes, we dried and stored in oil a few pounds of them, by the recipe that our Croatian friends gave us - the Czech Ambassador revealed one of the pleasures of living in the old Pfefferman's villa.

 

Photo gallery:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

 

State Archives in Zagreb - The collection of construction documentation

Slavko Šterk: Tilla Durieux and her art collection in Zagreb. Zagreb: Zagreb City Museum, 1986.

Tilla Durieux: My first ninety years, Zagreb 2001.

Darja Radović Mahečić: Modern architecture in Croatia in 1930s, Zagreb, 2007.