Why does Villa Thomana stand here? It’s a question worth pondering as we stand before this historic building in Leipzig. Villa Thomana is a protected building on Sebastian-Bach-Strasse. It stands at the corner of Hillerstrasse in Leipzig’s Bach district.
Max Pommer built the historicist villa from 1881 to 1883. He designed it as a home for the Leipzig merchant Friedrich Willibald Ledig. Pommer used Italian designs as inspiration.
Let’s talk about the villa’s layout. The ground floor had a living room, dining room, salon and veranda. It also included a kitchen with pantry and toilet. The upper floor featured another living room, a men’s room, three bedrooms and a guest room. It also had a bathroom and toilet. The attic held a wardrobe and maid’s room. The basement contained a wine cellar and laundry room. A separate servant’s staircase connected the kitchen and cellar.
Inside Villa Thomana’s foyer, you can see hints of old Pompeian wall styles. The walls are divided into zones that look like marble. There are black-framed areas in Pompeian red. The wooden ceiling is decorated with stencils. The former salon and living room have been combined. They now form the Freiherr von Salmuth Chamber Music Hall. These rooms look almost as they did originally. They feature gilded stucco and gold leaf ornaments.
The foyer on the first floor also has a faux wood ceiling. It has stencil paintings and a square skylight. This skylight adds light to the staircase.
During the careful restoration, workers uncovered many design details. They restored them or recreated them in the style of the time. The attic was completely rebuilt. The cellar rooms had been damaged by dry rot. They too were redesigned.
The Thomanerchor needed more space. In 2005, the Chorherren zu St. Thomae Foundation bought Villa Thomana. They used funds from Chorherr Wigand Freiherr von Salmuth. After renovations, it became part of the forum thomanum. This is an international education center for the Thomanerchor and Thomasschule. It was completed in 2012.
The Leipzig architectural firm Weis & Volkmann planned the renovations. Work began in March 2007. The total cost, including the purchase, was about 2 million euros. This included funding from urban monument protection programs. On November 19, 2008, the Kulturstiftung Leipzig awarded the owners second prize. This was part of the Hieronymus Lotter Competition for monument preservation. They recognized the careful restoration of the neglected villa.
The City of Leipzig owns the Thomanerchor. It leases the building. After the opening on May 22, 2008, the city made it available to the choir. It serves as a rehearsal center and office for the Thomaskantor. It is part of the forum thomanum.
Today, Villa Thomana houses the Freiherr von Salmuth Chamber Music Hall. It also has a salon and classrooms on the ground floor. The Thomaskantor and his staff have offices on the first floor. These offices overlook the Thomasschule. There is also a classroom and preparation room for voice training. The attic holds a meeting room, classrooms and a music library. It also houses the office of the Thomanerchor support group. In the basement, Thomaner students can relax in a recreation area. It has a gym and a model railroad room. It also houses technical rooms like the district heating transfer station.
The forum thomanum also runs a daycare center. It is next to Villa Thomana. Architect Anne Träger designed it as a wooden building. The Berufsbildungswerk Leipzig runs the daycare center. Building the daycare cost 1.9 million euros. Villa Thomana stands as a testament to Leipzig’s rich musical heritage. It also exemplifies architectural preservation.