Holiday home House Oskar

The South Bohemian high­lands – a land­scape that is never loud. Gentle hills, ponds, scat­tered vil­lages. And right in the middle of it all, a house that doesn’t demand attention but is designed to blend into the sur­roun­dings. House Oskar is located in Kamenná Lhota, on a plot of land that once belonged to the neigh­boring castle. The past is pal­pable: old trees, the ruins of a Baroque barn, a remnant of a stone wall that barely enc­loses the garden.

For­mally, the new building by Prague architect Jan Žaloudek draws on the typology of rural struc­tures – an elon­gated structure with a gabled roof. But there is more to it, for the house incor­po­rates a sacred element into all of this. The back­ground is that the nearby castle never had a chapel. So a dif­ferent sacred space was created here: Inside, a tall, vaulted room opens up, gathering light and orga­nizing daily life. Žaloudek designed the house for himself, his partner, his family, and many friends. It fea­tures many ele­ments that truly evoke a pil­grimage site of joie de vivre – for example, an apse in the kitchen area or a rose window in the gable through which sun­light streams into the house. And just like in a church, con­tem­plation, inspi­ration, and rela­xation come easily here.

From the outside, the archi­tecture remains precise and excep­tio­nally under­stated. Niches create shel­tered tran­si­tions, while ter­races extend the living space into the garden. Depending on the situation, the house can be opened up widely or, thanks to floor-to-ceiling folding shutters with orna­mental cutouts, closed off in such a way that the day­light paints images inside the house that are truly awe-inspiring.

Life in House Oskar follows the cycles of the day. Upon waking, sun­light is served right to the bed; in the evening, the house itself becomes a luminous figure in the land­scape. To top it all off, works of art are placed throughout – not as an aftert­hought, but as part of everyday life – present, yet not on display. The pieces were curated jointly by Žaloudek and his partner, gallery owner Jolanta Trojak.

The result is a place where simple actions take on new signi­fi­cance: reading, cooking, looking, thinking. Not a retreat from the world, but a con­scious turning toward the essential.

What to do

Birdwatching, swimming in the river. Exploring World Heritage sites, castles, and palaces. Enjoying Bohemian cuisine. Visiting glassblowing workshops.

Why we like this house

A radiant, peaceful place

This house is great for

Couples or groups of friends who want to explore an area worth discovering. And perhaps discover themselves as well.

Sustainability

Heating is provided by a heat pump with its own water source and its own wastewater treatment plant.

Details

Availability calendar

The calendar shows the current availability of the accommodation. On days with white background the accommodation is still available. On days with dark gray background the accommodation is not available.

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