Heleny Kočvarové was built in 2019.
Helena Lohrová was born in Prague in 1942, the daughter of a lawyer, Karel Lohr.
Her godmother, Zdeňka Havránková, was the widow of a director of the Škoda Works, and owned a Neo-Gothic mansion, Hadovka, in Prague 6, which she rented out to the Canadian Embassy.
Helena inherited the building when her godmother died, but it was nationalised in the 1950s (the Canadians stayed in it, though).
Her father’s attempts to overturn this decision were not just unsuccessful, but really unsuccessful – he was imprisoned, and Helena was barred from going to university.
After the Velvet Revolution, Helena – now married to one Josef Kočvara and called Helena Kočvarová – regained ownership of Hadovka, and decided to renovate it.
The plan was that they would then sell the property, and use the proceeds to set up a foundation that would support those most in need.
Sadly, Helena became seriously ill and died in 2006 before her plans could come to fruition. Josef suffered a similar fate, passing away in 2007.
During his final months, Josef received professional care from Cesta domů (Journey Home), a hospice founded in 2001. This led their heir, Lubomír Kočvara, to decide that the proceeds from Hadovka should be used to construct a new headquarters for Cesta domů, here in Michle.
In the last 25 years, Cesta domů has managed to make the closing stages of life easier for over 7,000 people.
Its YouTube page also includes excellent tutorial videos on how to care for people in the most appropriate way, and their website includes a page where you can support them: https://www.cestadomu.cz/podporte-nas.
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