Kraus Apartment
The interior is part of the 1st tour route:
The Vogl and Kraus Apartments
One of the most impressive apartments designed by Adolf Loos hides behind the normal façade of the tenement house at Bendova 10. The interior was designed in 1930 for the young couple William and Gertrude Kraus, in the home that Bohdan Taussig, the owner of a chemical plant, purchased for his daughter. Allegedly it was Gertrude’s friendship with Claire Beck-Loos that led architect Loos to this address as well, where he designed an apartment adaptation for the entire floor. It’s here he created a truly magical space in the connected dining room and lounge; the rooms are clad with dark mahogany and green-veined Cipollino marble. However, the most fascinating element is the enfilade illusion that Loos achieved by building in two, large, opposite-facing mirror walls.
Unfortunately, the magic of this apartment wasn’t strong enough to save its inhabitants. Through his familial ties in Great Britain, William tried to get his wife and children out of Czechoslovakia, where he had travelled to shortly before the start of the war. Gertrude and her two small children, Inge Lore and Jiří Petr, were unable to flee the country. They were first forced to move from their home to Pilsen’s Bolevec neighbourhood. Then, in the January convoys of 1942, they were dragged away to the concentration camps in Terezín and next to Zamość in April, where they were murdered. The same fate also awaited Gertrude’s parents, Bohdan and Marta, both of whom were killed one year later in Auschwitz. When Mr Kraus returned to Pilsen after the war, discovering he had lost his family was devastating. He then returned to Great Britain for good, where he lived the rest of his life, choosing to never marry again. His home in Pilsen was once again confiscated from him by the totalitarian communist regime.
During the days of socialism, the original Kraus family apartment was split into three apartment units, with part of the furnishings suffering irretrievable damage. In the 1960s, the two parts of this spacious apartment were reconnected by a prominent figure of the regime. Thus, the most valuable parts of the apartment – the exclusive lounge and dining room – survive to this day. The almost completely preserved bedroom is also precious with built-in furniture, including interesting and practical design details like a dressing table, hat hooks in the wardrobes, drawers, and other well-thought-out storage areas.
The apartment is currently owned by the City of Pilsen. In 2014, the space was renovated according to the design of architects Ludvík Grym and Jan Sapák. The original surviving furniture was carefully restored, and the missing furniture was not replaced by replicas but rather by elements of contemporary design, which sets it apart from other Loos interior renovations in Pilsen. The result is a variable space suitable for holding intimate cultural events
The slabs lay on long tables but they’re grey and colourless! I’m disappointed, but Loos only smiles. They haven’t been polished yet. Look! He takes a bit of water and pours it on the grey stone. A miracle happens! The wet marble sparkles with a deep green, and there are blue, purple, and red-yellow veins inside it. It looks like the sea.
(Claire Beck-Loos: Adolf Loos – A Private Portrait)