Beneš’s Villa to be Accessible Six Days a Week This Season
The visitor season at the villa of Hana and Edvard Beneš begins on 1 May. Thanks to successful cooperation between the Government Office, the Hussite Museum in Tábor, and the National Museum in Prague, the individual tour route will be expanded to include Hana Benešová’s private quarters and will offer visitors, through a new exhibition, further insight into the private life of the Beneš couple.
“Last year’s season and thousands of satisfied visitors confirmed that Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s decision to open the complex and Beneš’s Villa to the public was the right step. This year we shall again provide those interested in tours with extended opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and we shall continue our previous cooperation with the National Museum, which will lend unique collection items belonging to Mrs Hana Benešová for the new exhibition,” stated Jana Kotalíková, Head of the Government Office.
A visitor route has been prepared which begins at the Memorial and continues with a walk through the adjacent park to the Beneš’s Villa, with the next part of the tour taking place in the villa itself. Visitors will again be able to use an audio guide and listen to information about the Beneš couple and their life in Sezimovo Ústí, the history and furnishing of the villa.
The expansion of the tour route to include Hana Benešová’s study and bedroom in the new season shows the original period interior supplemented with items that Mrs Hana used there. Visitors can now admire her quilted bedspread in a beautiful mint colour, which has returned to the villa after restoration in the workshops of the National Museum, as well as, for example, a dressing gown in the oriental kimono style. The second room is dedicated to how the Beneš couple spent their leisure time at the villa. Mrs Hana was a lover of flowers, whether as a passionate gardener, as evidenced by the displayed apron with a number of practical features, or as an elegant lady who liked to pin floral brooches to the lapel of her suit. From the dozens of these flowers that have been preserved, only a selection is displayed, but it shows the colourful and varied nature of these extraordinary accessories. The Beneš couple spent their time in Sezimovo Ústí actively. Edvard Beneš played tennis, and the couple also skied and enjoyed swimming. The displayed motoring helmet was reportedly given to Mrs Hana by racing driver Eliška Junková.
The memorial commemorating the second Czechoslovak President and one of the most significant politicians of the First Republic will be accessible from 1 May to 30 September, Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In October, it will be exceptionally open at the same time on the public holiday of 28 October.
Opening Hours of the Villa of Hana and Edvard Beneš:
May to September:
Monday: closed
Tuesday to Sunday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
October:
28 October: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The last entry to the exhibitions is at 3 p.m. Last tickets may be purchased no later than 60 minutes before the closing time. Access to Edvard Beneš's tomb (in the lower garden) will be open only on days when the visitor route is accessible. The tour does not require advance booking. For larger groups of more than 15 people, advance booking at the Memorial ticket office is recommended.
Contact for group bookings at the Memorial: +420 381 261 674, e-mail: objednavky@husitskemuzeum.cz
