Brno will demolish one of the buildings in the center of Mendel Square

Brno - The Brno city hall will take the first step towards the revitalization of Mendlovo náměstí. It will demolish one of the buildings that was erected during the totalitarian era in the middle of the square and which obstructs the view of the local Augustinian monastery and the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. This will be the first step towards the planned transformation of the square. In the future, the organization of public transport will be changed so that individual lines will cross less with vehicular traffic. There will also be more greenery added.
    The mayor's deputy Oliver Pospíšil (ČSSD) told reporters today that the building at Mendlovo náměstí number 16 will be demolished. It is a structure surrounded by kiosks, located closest to the tram stop. The city hall acquired it from the state and according to Pospíšil, they had several options to choose from. They could either leave the building with compromised structural integrity temporarily secured for about five million crowns, knowing that after two years, interventions would need to be repeated. Or opt for a more thorough structural securing for 15 million crowns and plan a total renovation for an additional 30 million crowns. Or demolish the building for 17 million crowns.
    "The council leaned towards this option. Documentation will be prepared and demolition is planned for next year," added Pospíšil. According to him, considerations of urban planners also played a role in the decision. They suggest that there should be no buildings in the middle of the square in the future.
    Proponents of this solution argue that the space has its own genius loci, and that the multi-storey buildings standing in the middle disrupt the square. The Augustinian monastery in the square is one of the centers of spiritual life in Brno. The Mendel Museum located on its premises reminds visitors that Johann Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics, lived and worked in the monastery. He conducted experiments on pea hybridization right in the monastery garden.
    Mendlovo náměstí is one of the earliest settled parts of present-day Brno. According to the first written mention, a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary stood there as early as 1210. In the 14th century, it passed into the ownership of Queen Elizabeth of Rejčka, who established a Cistercian convent there. In the 18th century, the Augustinians took over the monastery, and the church was replaced by the construction of other monastic buildings.