Italská 438/36

Villa n. 438 which stands at the corner of Italská and Vozová Street was originally a suburban summer house. It was built in the Garden of Eden by the surveyor Jan Holejšovský in the year 1870. It is the work of the builder Josef Vevera.
The villa’s facade was reconstructed in the year 1885. At that time Daniel Märky – co-owner of engineering factory Märky, Bromovský & Schulz in Adamov – was the owner. The villa was named Tereza after his wife Therese Appolonia.
The villa was given a Neo-renaissance look, the porter house was added, the outbuilding was expanded to include a greenhouse, laundry and a garden cabin. The metal sculpture of the Tyche goddess was placed in the garden and a fountain founded.
The villa Teresa has a square floor plan. It is located in a garden, is a two storey Italian-style with stucco decoration featuring a corner tower. It has a basement and two floors. The basement part is a technical facility and was also intended for the accommodation of service staff. The ground floor has a representative function. On the first floor there are offices and a four-room apartment.

Decorative cast iron railings are attached to the roof ridge of the main truss and the tower. The garden was designed at the same time as rebuilding. The ground is supported by high stone walls on the west and north sides. The rest of the garden was surrounded by a plastered brick wall. The entrance to the property is via a gate on the west side, where the porter house is at the corner. The entrances to the building are facing the south and east sides. The most stunning feature is a balcony on the western façade. There was a panoramic view of Prague, until the apartment buildings across the street were built.
When Switzerland established a consulate in Prague in 1897, Märky was appointed the first consul and remained in the villa until his death.
During the period of the first Czech Republic the villa became the facility of the Soviet Prosecutor’s Office. Frequent visitors here were left-leaning intellectuals, avantgarde artists and other sympathizers of the Soviet regime. We can find references to Villa Tereza in their work.
After the war, the building was confiscated and the Czechoslovak state acquired ownership. Now it is owned by the Czech Republic and the Diplomatic Service is responsible for managing it. The building is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.