22. Lubich’s House

22. Lubich’s House

Slovanská 1

The palace-style rental house from 1893 was commissioned by businessman Willibald Lubich, the owner of a linen and damask factory. The Neo-Baroque building was designed by the Viennese architect Heinrich Seif. The space on the opposite side of the intersection has always been called the Royal Gardens, since it originally belonged to the Šumperk Castle. In the 19th century, the area was used as a military training ground with a shooting range for the German Marksmanship Association. The original marksmanship fraternities used to be a type of militia, but gradually, they took on a more representative and sporting character. In 1885, the area was transformed into a public park with a music pavilion.

The park’s landscape design was created by the “Beautification Committee”, led by Engelbert Zdenek. Zdenek trained to be a gardener and botanist in the Castle Gardens in Kroměříž and returned to Šumperk after serving in the Pope’s personal guard in the Vatican. His ideas and designs were also implemented in other parks in the town.