4. June 2012 at 00:00

Harmónia’s Villa Imre

AT THE beginning of the 1880s, the town of Modra decided to build a summer resort in its forests as local hikers called “lufťáci” had been visiting the forests above the town for some time but could sleep only in loggers’ bungalows, together with loggers’ families.

author
Branislav Chovan

Editorial

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AT THE beginning of the 1880s, the town of Modra decided to build a summer resort in its forests as local hikers called “lufťáci” had been visiting the forests above the town for some time but could sleep only in loggers’ bungalows, together with loggers’ families.

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The town council chose an area between two brooks called Mačací priesmyk (Cat Pass) where the first villa, called Harmónia, was built in 1888. Fridolín Blaškovič had an important role in what would become a complete resort and selected the most beautiful parts of the forest, surveyed paths, and marked them with colour signs for hikers.

This postcard dates from the times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and shows Villa Imre, with its beautifully-carved façade. It was constructed by Imre Navrátil between 1899 and 1901 and was originally made by merging two originally independent villas.

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At first it was rented to summer guests but after the death of Navrátil, his widow spent her summers here (the lady in the red dress is most probably her).

Villa Imre later changed its name to Villa Dominika and stands in Harmónia to this day but as a family house.

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