A rare and impeccably restored 19th century-villa in the Czech Republic is available for sale outside Děčín, after its owner spent 15 years and £12 million (US$15.03 million) to revive the ornate structure’s former glory, asking €10 million.
The Villa Hielle, located on 5.8 acres in the town of Krásná Lípa near the border with Germany, was completed in 1887 at the behest of the newlywed heirs of the Hielle & Dittrich textile dynasty, founded by two friends who became brothers-in-law by marrying two sisters and who remained a prominent family the area for close to a century, according to a biography of Karl Theodor Hielle cited by Wikipedia.
The couple, Alžběta Dittrich and Eduard Hielle, were first cousins and the children of the two founders of the company. They commissioned architects William Lossow and Hermann Viehweger, from a prestigious studio in nearby Dresden, to complete the villa in Neo-Renaissance style, according to the Czech Republic’s National Monument Institute. (The pair are best known for their work in Dresden, including its central theater built in 1889, though the majority of their work was lost during the allied bombings in 1945.)
Over the next century, the villa was co-opted by both the German Wehrmacht and the Red Army, transformed into a retirement home and later abandoned. A private buyer purchased the home in 2005 and set about reconstructing it while updating it for modern use, according to information provided by the listing agency, Czech Republic Sotheby’s International Realty.
The villa, which spans approximately 6,500 square feet and includes 30 rooms across three stories, is replete with original painted ceilings, preserved artwork and antique chandeliers. Its imposing entrance leads to five rooms with different uses, with a wide Neo-Renaissance-style staircase at its center rising to the second floor. The first two floors have been filled with period furnishings where appropriate, while the third floor remains untouched.
“The third floor is now in shell and core condition and available for completion to the new owner’s requirements,” said listing agent Zuzana Veselá, via email. “There is an attic space on the top floor which can also be further renovated in the future and transformed into private apartments or [more] bedrooms.”
The seller declined to comment through the listing agent.
Modern touches include an elevator from the basement to the attic, under-floor heating, a screening room, and a fully-equipped modern kitchen, in addition to a restored 19th-century one.
Both the home and the surrounding gardens were placed on the Czech Republic’s list of protected national monuments in 2008.
Over the years, the Hielle & Dittrich fortune grew, and Krásná Lípa became a center of the textile industry. The families served as employers and benefactors for the surrounding community, building a children’s home, a public park and a non-denominational cemetery not far from the villa, among other contributions to the town. The cemetery is home to the Dittrich family mausoleum—an architectural landmark commissioned by Alžběta’s brother Carl August Dittrich Jr.—which remains a tourist destination today.
