Bílek Villa

Prague

LoginSave

This striking art-nouveau villa, designed by sculptor František Bílek in 1911, houses a museum of his unconventional works - a must for art nouveau fans. Bílek's distinctive sculptures, mostly in wood, take inspiration from his religious beliefs. Dramatic compositions such as The Fall show Adam and Eve cowering in fear of God's wrath, while Wonderment expresses the feeling of awe at God's presence.

Bílek's most famous work is a wooden relief of The Crucifixion, on display in St Vitus Cathedral – you can see a charcoal preliminary sketch of it among the artist's drawings in the 1st-floor gallery. The villa served not only as a studio but also as the artist's home, and there are several rooms with handmade art-nouveau furniture designed by Bílek, all rich in symbolism. Be sure to ask for an English text at the ticket desk – it will provide some much-needed context.

Transportation

  • tram: 1, 2, 12, 18, 20, 25

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Apple Museum

    Apple Museum

    0.75 MILES

    This shrine to all things Apple claims to be the world's biggest private collection of Apple products, with at least one of everything made by the company…

  • Facade of Jewish Ceremonial Hall in Prague, Czech Republic; Shutterstock ID 95823832; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Sights

    Prague Jewish Museum

    0.56 MILES

    This museum consists of six Jewish monuments clustered together in Josefov: the Maisel Synagogue; the Pinkas Synagogue; the Spanish Synagogue; the Klaus…

  • The Gothic towers of Prague's St Vitus's Cathedral. The cathedral is the largest and the most important church in the city.

    St Vitus Cathedral

    0.46 MILES

    Built over a time span of almost 600 years, St Vitus is one of the most richly endowed cathedrals in central Europe. It is pivotal to the religious and…

  • Charles bridge looking towards the Old Town Sq.

    Charles Bridge

    0.58 MILES

    Strolling across Charles Bridge is everybody’s favourite Prague activity. However, by 9am it’s a 500m-long fairground, with an army of tourists squeezing…

  • Globes and bookshelves in Theology Hall, Strahov Monastery.

    Strahov Library

    1.08 MILES

    Strahov Library is the largest monastic library in the country, with two magnificent baroque halls dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. You can peek…

  • Municipal House

    Municipal House

    1.01 MILES

    Prague’s most exuberantly art-nouveau building is a labour of love, with every detail of its design and decoration carefully considered, and every…

  • Natiuonal Vitkov Monument in Prague; Shutterstock ID 594225362; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: POI update for Prague destination page

    National Monument

    1.9 MILES

    While this monument's massive functionalist structure has all the elegance of a nuclear power station, the interior is a spectacular extravaganza of…

  • Baroque building facades, Wenceslas Square.

    Wenceslas Square

    1.25 MILES

    More a broad boulevard than a typical European city square, Wenceslas Square has witnessed a great deal of Czech history – a giant Mass was held here…

View more attractions

Nearby Prague attractions

1. Summer Palace

0.17 MILES

Built between 1538 and 1560, and also known as the Belvedere, this is perhaps the most authentic Italian Renaissance building outside Italy. Find it in…

2. Daliborka

0.25 MILES

Accessed from Zlatá ulička, this tower is named after the knight Dalibor of Kozojedy, incarcerated here in 1498 for supporting a peasant rebellion, and…

4. Lobkowicz Palace

0.29 MILES

This 16th-century palace houses a private museum known as the Princely Collections, which includes priceless paintings, furniture and musical memorabilia…

5. Golden Lane

0.29 MILES

This picturesque alley runs along the northern wall of the castle. Its tiny, colourful cottages were built in the 16th century for the sharpshooters of…

6. Palace Gardens Beneath Prague Castle

0.31 MILES

The beautiful, terraced gardens on the steep southern slopes below the castle date from the 17th and 18th centuries, when they were created for the owners…

7. Rosenberg Palace

0.31 MILES

This Renaissance palace once served as the 'Institute of Noblewomen' – effectively a home for aristocratic ladies fallen on hard times, founded by Empress…

8. Wallenstein Palace

0.36 MILES

Valdštejnské náměstí, a small square northeast of Malostranské náměstí, is dominated by the monumental 1630 palace of Albrecht of Wallenstein, general of…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "czech-republic/prague/prague-castle-and-hradcany/attractions/bilek-villa/a/poi-sig/401692/1323267",
  "destination": "Prague",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Czechia",
  "city": "Prague",
  "position": "superzone"
}