The biologist Kříženecký has a new tombstone in Brno, which was designed by architect Fuchs

Brno - Biologist Jaroslav Kříženecký has a new tombstone at the Central Cemetery in Brno designed by the famous architect Bohuslav Fuchs. The design was created in the mid-1960s, shortly after Kříženecký's death. However, the idea was only fulfilled at the end of last year. Hana Janišová told ČTK on behalf of the Kříženecký family.

Fuchs is one of the significant representatives of functionalism. According to his designs, the Avion Hotel, the spa in Zábrdovice, and the former post office at the main train station were built in Brno. The tombstone he designed for his friend Kříženecký, however, could not be constructed in the 1960s due to the lack of funds from the surviving family.

Almost 60 years later, Kříženecký's son sought to have his father's final resting place registered among the honorary graves. He was unsuccessful due to the poor technical condition of the replacement tombstone from the 1970s. When he then considered whether to repair it or choose another solution, he decided to revive the long-lost Fuchs design, which was appreciated by experts as well.

"The design is characterized by how organically and naturally it is connected to the terrain and how it incorporates a work of art – a relief portrait – into the entire composition of the monument,” stated architectural historian Vladimír Šlapeta. "Fuchs's architectural-artistic concept is marked by modest forms and the thoughtfulness of the design," added Jindřich Chatrný, head of the Department of Architectural History at the Museum of the City of Brno.

The new bronze relief for the tombstone was created by sculptor Jiří Sobotka, who is also the author of the commemorative plaque on the house where Kříženecký lived. The originally intended portrait by sculptor Jiří Marek from the 1960s has only survived in an unfinished form.

The scientist Kříženecký lived from 1896 to 1964. He published hundreds of works that covered the entire spectrum of biology, including entomology, physiology, endocrinology, animal breeding, genetics, and eugenics. He also dealt with the history and philosophy of science and the work of Johann Gregor Mendel.

During the Nazi occupation, he became involved in resistance activities and was imprisoned. In the 1950s, he was persecuted again, this time for his expert opinions. He criticized the conclusions of Stalinist biologist Trofim Lysenko and defended scientific genetics. For allegedly subverting the republic, he was sentenced to a year and a half of unconditional imprisonment. Shortly after his release from prison, he began to establish a genetic department in what was then the Moravian Museum, now known as the Mendelianum.