History

Villa Sajovic is one of the most typical examples of Art Nouveau architecture in the Kočevje region and one of the few houses in the town owned by Slovenians. It is also one of the few preserved Art Nouveau buildings in Slovenia in general. The house was built in 1909 in the style of historic 19th century villas. Its architect was inspired by an unknown royal hunting lodge in Sweden. It was set up by Uršula Vitoslava Kajfež (1883-1972), the sister of the famous Slovenian entrepreneur Anton Kajfež from Nova sela. Her first husband, landowner Ludvik Nosan from Gotenica, died of tuberculosis right at the beginning of the First World War.

In September 1915, the rich widow married another lawyer, Dr. Ivan Sajovic (1884-1954), later mayor of the Kočevje municipality (1924-1927). After the death of Uršula Kajfež, her daughter Zlata Nosan (1906-1995) from the first marriage lived in the villa, renting out rooms in the attic.

The original relationship between the architecture and the horticultural design of the garden was significantly affected by construction on the adjacent land. The authentic exterior of the villa, with its original fence, is complemented by the preserved Art Nouveau furniture and most of the contemporary interior design. The latter was bought in 1999 by the Kočevje Regional Museum.

The villa was purchased in 2003 by the Kočevje entrepreneur Janez Artač and, in accordance with the monument protection guidelines of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, regional unit Ljubljana, converted into a restaurant with rooms of a higher category.