District Legionary House (Župní legionářský dům)

   
Jihlava (Iglau in German) had been a predominantly German town since its foundation. Later, it became the centre of a German language island (Iglauer Sprachinsel), which included many other German-speaking villages around the town. The establishment of the independent Czechoslovak Republic brought a gradual assertion of the powers of the Czech population to the town. The situation in education improved, and Czech institutions and authorities started emerging. At the same time, the new republic had to deal with economic hardship after World War I, which was felt especially by the families of returning legionnaires. Their social and economic demands were more easily asserted and addressed through associations. There were efforts to establish the future political left and right. In 1920, this eventually resulted in the establishment of the Czechoslovak Legionary Community (Československá obec legionářská), which enjoyed great recognition among the public. In the same year, legionnaires from the 31st Infantry Regiment Arco (founded in Italy) returned to Jihlava and began to use the U Urbanů restaurant on Komenského Street for their meetings, lectures, and cultural events. However, the room provided soon became insufficient, so in 1923, it was decided to build a multi-purpose club house in the Špitálské suburb near the town’s train station.

President Masaryk described the construction of the District Legionary House as a "useful endeavour" and donated a financial contribution of CZK 50,000 to the legionary community. The total budget was set at CZK 2.6 million. The government provided 90 per cent of the required amount, and the rest was paid by the legionary community from its own funds. The building contractor was the Generally Beneficial Building Cooperative for Rantířov and its surroundings s.r.o. (Obecně prospěšné stavební družstvo pro Rantířov a okolí s.r.o. ), and together with the newly established Cooperative of the District Legionary House for Jihlava and its surroundings s.r.o. (Družstvo župního legionářského domu pro Jihlavu a okolí s.r.o. ), it was also responsible for the construction supervision. The project was designed by the Jihlava architect Jaroslav Dufka.

The first stage of the construction was completed in December 1924 and the Legionary House (Legiodům) was officially handed over for use. At the same time, work was still underway to complete the offices and accommodation facilities for foreigners, and plans were being drawn up to expand the complex to include a cultural hall, a cold store and granary, stables for eight pairs of horses, a coachman's flat, a waiting room with cloakrooms, its own petrol station for cars, a bowling alley, and later even a chapel, as evidenced by the chalice relief on the façade, which is still preserved today. Everything that was necessary for life was to be available to the tenant on the premises. In June 1926, the building was fully completed and handed over for use. In addition, a cinema screening room was built and modifications to the projection room were made according to the plans of the Jihlava builders Josef Křelina and Karel Rejchrt.

The District Legionary House is a rondocubist palace-type complex. It's bulky appearance is softened by flat and rounded pilasters on the façade, complemented by round and half-round decorative details. Access to the building was through a wide gate flanked by four massive columns consisting of rounded elements. The main corner has a semicircular floor plan. The ground floor on either side of the entrance provided space for smaller establishments; a dairy and a grocery shop. A staircase connected the grocery shop with the first floor, where a café was located. Above the café's row of castellated windows was a terrace, with two more floors above it topped with an attic featuring a distinctive half-arch decoration. A restaurant with a front garden was located on the ground floor of the left part of the complex. The rooms above it served as an orphanage, as recalled by some veterans.

The entrance to the Adria cinema was through the western frontage. It was characterised by two massive columns carrying a concrete porch, which was dominated by a half-arch gable with a relief. In December 1929, the cinema received high-quality projection and sound equipment, and a screening licence was granted to the Czechoslovak Legionary Community (Československá obec legionářská). The auditorium had a capacity of 460 on the ground floor and 172 in the gallery. The building was ventilated and heated by a central heating system.

Jakub Višněpolský's photo studio building was added to the eastern side of the complex. The façade of the three-storey building was visually divided by four pilasters with a half-arch decoration under the roof cornice. The left part was dominated by two large glass areas, and it was entered from the street from the town’s train station. In the 1950s and 1960s, according to witnesses, films were shown there.

The petrol pump in the yard was in operation until the 1970s. After that, it was used as storage for garden furniture in winter. Today there are garages there. A U-shaped staircase provided a rear entrance to the restaurant. There was also a boiler room in the yard, which was used to heat the cinema. The surviving plans show that the completed building was to be enclosed around the perimeter. However, not all of the planned additions were built.

During World War II, the building was called Horakenhaus, and the Adria cinema underwent structural changes in 1944. Over time, its name changed to Praha, Oko, and Vysočina. In 1966–1967, according to the plans by Ing. Milan Kugler and Josef Škach, the screening room was rebuilt, the screen was rotated by 180°, the auditorium acoustics were modified, and the technical equipment was modernised. The operation was taken over by the Central Film Rental Department Prague (Ústřední půjčovna filmů Praha) and 70 mm films with plastic image and state-of-the-art sound were screened under the name Vysočina 70. After the Velvet Revolution, the cinema was fitted with Dolby Stereo technology, but in 1996, it closed down and the auditorium was adapted into a furniture shop. The restaurant with its front garden are still in use today, though the café and photo studio have been converted into flats. It is said that, as a reminder of the bloodshed during the First World War, the original façade bore shades of red, which are still visible in some details today.

The Legionary House (Legiodům) is one of the most distinctive rondocubist buildings in the Jihlava region. It is also a unique example of collective housing with social amenities within a single apartment block and a reminder of the successful efforts of legionary families to provide comfortable and convenient housing within the community.

MP
Literature and other sources 

Next buildings on the trail