Brno wants to address the declaration of the former prison as a cultural monument

Brno - Brno has filed an appeal against the decision of the Ministry of Culture to declare the former prison on Cejl Street in Brno a cultural monument. Mayor Petr Vokřál (ANO) told ČTK today that the city does not want to overturn the decision but wants to address the extent of the monument's protection to ensure that the use of the building for the creation of a Creative Center is not restricted. This will affect, for example, the attic with the original trusses. The center for artists' meetings is expected to cost hundreds of millions of koruna, and the city wants to draw on subsidies from the European Union for this. Due to the status of a cultural monument, the project may become more expensive as the renovation of monuments is subject to strict rules.

The declaration of the object as a monument was requested by the National Heritage Institute. The ministry decided on this in the first half of July, and the city had 15 days to file an appeal, just like the private owner who owns part of the building. Only the city filed an appeal. "We do not dispute that we should treat the building as a monument, which we also want. However, we will look for the most feasible way to realize our intention," Vokřál stated.

According to him, issues such as the trusses and access from Bratislavská Street will also be addressed. The mayor's deputy Matěj Hollan (Žít Brno), who is responsible for culture, had previously told ČTK that after the building is declared a monument, it would be necessary to preserve the original trusses. "We would have to leave the entire attic closed, which we wanted to use. We also want to address the construction of access for cars from Bratislavská Street," Hollan had said earlier.

The city is addressing the matter in cooperation with the National Heritage Institute. "This year we would like to know which parts of the building and how we will be able to reconstruct to meet the monument care requirements, but so that we can realize our project," added Vokřál.

The ministry declared the object a monument for several reasons. "It is an old classical building, it is a unique example in terms of imprisonment, as there is no other such building in our country, and the most important part is the history that is associated with the prison," Hollan stated. The prison was established in the 18th century. It served its purpose from 1784 to 1956, after which it was replaced by the prison in Bohunice.

The director of the Brno branch of the National Heritage Institute, Zdeněk Vácha, told ČTK that he welcomes projects for the use of the building. "An unused building is doomed to decay and destruction. If we succeed in ensuring social activities for the property, it will help the socially and demographically marginalized part of Brno," Vácha added. The prison is located in a socially excluded area.

Recently, remediation work costing five million koruna was completed at the former prison, which aimed to save the roughly ten-year-empty building from further decay. The work lasted about six months and focused primarily on repairing the trusses and the roof, which had leaks.