the Herain House, original state (north façade facing the street)
The first of three constructions in Baba by Ladislav Žák is a house for the director of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, Karel Herain, and his wife Ludmila. Once again, it shows the very modern and distinctive eye of Ladislav Žák. This time it takes the form of an original half-cylindrical staircase leading from the ground floor to the sundeck with a roof awning on top. The shape of the staircase gives the house an aerodynamic and nautical character. The strips of windows on all floors are consistently oriented towards the view of Prague Castle and the Vltava valley.
Ludmila Herainová a Karel Herain
Karel Vladimír Herain (1890-1953), an outstanding Czech art historian, was a great advocate of modern design and architecture. He was also a member of the exhibition committee of the Baba estate. In 1932, he compiled a representative book entitled On Housing, together with the graphic artist Sutnar and the architect Žák. After 1948, Karel Herain was forced to involuntarily leave his position as the director of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague and he devoted the rest of his life to his private art collection. The current owner is successfully seeking to faithfully preserve the original character of the house.
drawing with caption: Dr. Herain is looking at the panorama...; the author is probably Ladislav Žák
Karel and Ludmila Herain in the garden of their house in Baba, late 1940s
garden design
dům Herain (vlevo) s domem Mojžíš-Lom (vpravo)
the south façade of the house
vizuálně unikátní západní průčelí domu, 30. léta
Ladislav Žák
title page of the construction permit
original documentation and plans from the exhibition catalogue
