Private homes with a soul
GENIUS LOCI
Remarkable architecture. Living stories. Private homes cared for by their owners and opened to the public.
01 / Our houses
Homes with a story
Meet remarkable places and the people who care for them. Choose a house to discover its architecture, history and visiting opportunities.
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- Kristýna Cysařová
- Eliška Kaplická
- Zuzana Kadlečková
- David Cysař
- Štěpán Laichter
- Jan Novák
02 / About us
About the Genius Loci Platform
Genius Loci is a platform connecting architecturally, historically, and culturally significant 20th-century buildings in private ownership. Their owners not only carefully maintain them but also open them to the public and enrich them with high-quality cultural programming, with the goal of preserving their genius loci.
Goals
The mission of the Genius Loci platform is to:
- Share knowledge and contacts
- Organize regular meetings to discuss challenges, restoration, and operations
- Jointly promote the houses and their stories through the website, social media, and events
- Share information about funding, subsidies, and grants
- Collaborate with leading experts, architects, and restorers
- Inspire and support other owners who open their buildings to the public
Membership
The platform is open to additional properties, which may join as regular members or affiliated properties, based on defined conditions.
Regular Members
To qualify for regular membership, properties must:
- Be a historically and architecturally significant building of the 20th century
- Be open to the public
- Be privately owned
- Be committed to preserving the genius loci of the place
Affiliated Properties
Properties that share similar values but do not meet the conditions for regular membership.
Expert Advisors
The platform is supported by the following experts:
- Prof. Christopher Long – Professor of the History of Architecture and Design, University of Texas at Austin
- Dr. Irena Murray Žantovská, HonFRIBA – Architectural historian, former director of the RIBA collections in London
- Mgr. Adam Štěch – Design and architecture theorist, curator, and co-founder of OKOLO
- Mgr. Martina Hrabová, Ph.D. – Architectural historian focused on Le Corbusier and Czech modernism
- Ing. arch. Iveta Černá – Architectural theorist and historian, since 2002 director of the Tugendhat Villa
Expert advisors are available for consultations in areas such as restoration, renovation, and the management of heritage buildings.
Contact
Would you like to join or learn more?
Visit the website at geniusloci.house to see a map of properties, news, and more information.
You can contact us at: vila@loosovavila.cz
03 / Explore
House map
Find the houses on the map and choose a place whose story you would like to explore.
04 / In the media
Featured in the media
Interviews, reports and stories about Genius Loci and the people bringing our houses to life.
MAT House and Volman Villa: bringing historic buildings back to life
Saša Michailidis talks with Zuzana Kadlečková and Jan Mattlach about cultural activities at Volman Villa and MAT House, their restoration and long-term funding.
Read and listenBudil Villa through the eyes of its custodian
Jan Novák on restoring Budil Villa, preserving its atmosphere and sharing experience through Genius Loci.
Read articleCaring for the memory of a house
An interview with Štěpán Lars Laichter about family heritage, welcoming visitors and founding Genius Loci.
Read articleVilla Winternitz: heritage and a living cultural space
David Cysař on Villa Winternitz and cooperation between private heritage owners through Genius Loci.
Read articleGenius Loci: a directory of private heritage sites
A report introducing privately owned heritage sites open to visitors. The segment begins at 19:00.
Watch reportArchitectural heritage open to visitors
A new platform connecting twentieth-century architectural heritage. The segment begins at 08:21.
Watch reportArchitectural gems you can visit
An audio report about the platform’s origins, membership criteria and participating houses.
Read and listenA new platform connects significant privately owned buildings
An introduction to Genius Loci and its founding members’ houses.
Read articlePhenomenon: privately owned historic villas and buildings
Genius Loci presented on ArtZóna in a segment about privately owned historic villas and buildings. The link opens the relevant segment directly.
Watch report