Reconstruction of the Semilasso Cultural Center

The Semilasso building is a Brno phenomenon. A place of wild rock parties and delicate first dances, lively folk music soirées, and touching recitation academies. A term deeply rooted in the cultural consciousness of most Brno residents. Many of us experienced our first cigarette in the restroom, our first quick kiss in the park, our first return home in a slightly tipsy state here. It stands in an difficult-to-define location with a contradictory character of both center and periphery, facing a very busy intersection and an important transfer hub, with its back to the silent baroque façade of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity and the adjacent monastery complex.
The existing historic building was originally a quality historicizing eclectic architecture from the end of the 19th century. It was an inn with a richly decorated hall, intended for hosting social events. The property also included a garden with a dance floor and mature trees. A magical place full of brilliant waiters in white aprons, elegantly flexible imperial officers, and shy young ladies with lace parasols. A place where one could go on Sundays via city tram, eat,
drink, play bowling, and listen to promenade music.
In the first half of the 19th century, a demon—Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau (1785 - 1871), a Prussian nobleman, traveler, and writer, author of travelogues—stayed at the nearby inn for an extended time after arriving in Brno, using the pseudonym Tulolasso (completely exhausted) and later Semilasso (half-rested). Today's cocktail of James Bond and Indiana Jones. In 1836, he completed his travelogue Semilasso in Africa here, which became a tremendous success. The inn was named after the fictional traveler Semilasso, and later, the name transitioned to the cultural house in its vicinity. During the second half of the 20th century, the building was gradually remodeled and primarily devastated. The renovation in the mid-80s had the most significant impact on its decline, including an extension to the courtyard. Thus, only the perimeter facades facing the street remained from the original building. The surroundings were completely devastated and "overrun" by sales stalls and very low-quality dining establishments. The garden was destroyed.
The concept of the reconstruction was based on the demand to create a multifunctional space allowing for a wide variety of cultural events. The newly reconstructed hall offers venues for classical concert performances, conferences, balls, theatrical productions ranging from classic proscenium theatre to experimental spatial scenes, dance parties, film screenings, corporate presentation events, and festival-type events. Due to the newly designed barrier-free connection to the adjoining room, this space can be used in conjunction with the hall as well as a separate respireum with options for concerts and theatrical performances. An important element for the variability of the halls is the connection to the restaurant, thus offering the opportunity to supplement organized events with catering support. The adjoining room with a spacious gallery is connected to a balcony that leads directly to the garden in summer. It is therefore possible to contemplate a third "hall" in the open air, with a dance floor, a music pavilion, and an adjacent restaurant garden. The access and parameters also suit the potential use of the hall for filming television programs. In addition to the essential technical and social facilities, the new building includes three rehearsal rooms, one of which can be supplemented with recording technology in the future, offering the possibility of creating a rentable recording studio connected to a music and theatre workshop.
The newly designed restaurant provides 56 seats across two floors. The interior is designed in ochre tones of maple veneers, natural stone - travertine, and flowing curtains on the walls. On the ground floor is "Semilasso's hunting lounge," where a hundred rare trophies of the "Mongolian fawn table" are displayed against a red background, and where there is also an entrance to the summer garden with another 40 seats. The corner two-story café offers bars on each floor and a total of 72 seats. The café is conceived as a place to enjoy morning coffees, afternoon delicacies, and evening literary readings, chamber concerts, and exhibition openings.
The goal of the project was to create a modern cultural complex that meets high demands for variability: a center offering cultural programs, spaces for community activities, social events with the possibility of utilizing restaurant and café facilities. We hope that in this post-matrix time, the flight of men's loafers during men’s voting will return here, the glowing "red eyes of Marshalls" in the dark, and the hysterical laughter of made-up subrets from theatre dressing rooms. The phenomenon of Semilasso in a new, contemporary context.