The Pawlu Family Apartment

An exceptionally well-preserved apartment with historic furnishings is located on the first floor of a monumental rental building on the corner of Úvoz and Žižkova streets. It is a uniquely preserved upper-middle-class urban interior in a prestigious location, combining representative functions with the high aesthetics of floral Art Nouveau and later Modernism.

The rental building was constructed between 1914 and 1915 by Franz Pawlu, one of the most prolific builders in Brno at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The apartment, emphasised on the façade through the piano nobile (representative first floor), was originally intended for the builder’s own family. While the exterior of the building has fully retained its Art Nouveau character according to Pawlu’s design, the interior was altered between 1927 and 1929 for the needs of the builder’s daughter Marie and her husband, the lawyer Jaroslav Lorka. This sensitive interwar modernisation was carried out by the architect of Jewish origin Norbert Troller, who introduced comfort and the style of late Art Deco into the original Art Nouveau spaces.

Despite the turbulent history of the 20th century, the apartment has remained in the hands of Franz Pawlu’s descendants. After the Second World War, some members of the family faced the threat of expulsion due to their German nationality, though not Marie and her husband, who were Czechoslovak citizens. The apartment, originally with a generous area of approximately 550 m², was reduced after 1948. A 150 m² section was separated to form an independent housing unit, leaving today’s apartment of around 400 m².

The interior is a testament to remarkable continuity; not only the original layout has been preserved, but also the authentic furnishings. The apartment included representative salons, bedrooms, a library, a music salon, a gentleman’s room, and service facilities. Troller designed specific pieces of furniture for the apartment, such as the complete bedroom for the daughter Miroslava, and visually connected the space with the winter garden. Among the preserved highlights are stained glass windows and ornate stucco ceilings.

Today, the apartment represents an exceptional architectural monument that has been only minimally accessible to the public. A major milestone came in 2025, when, as part of the European Heritage Days, the apartment was opened to visitors for the first time.