Workers today fenced off Zelný trh in Brno and began reconstruction

Brno - Workers today fenced off Zelný trh in the historic center of Brno, and this week they will gradually begin to renovate the square. Fruit and vegetable sellers have already moved to Moravské náměstí in mid-March. The construction, costing 60 million crowns, is expected to take 300 days; however, the city would like to hold traditional Christmas markets here. The vendors will return to the square next spring, said Libor Šťástka, the mayor of the Brno-střed district, during the symbolic locking of the square today.
    The new design of the square was proposed by architect Tomáš Rusín. There will be 50 parking spaces created, and the square will be adorned with 19 trees under which benches will be placed. Newly, people will find drinking fountains in the square. "They will be able to sit here and wash the fruit or vegetables they have bought," Rusín justified the proposed transformation. The stalls will have a uniform appearance.
    The square is intended to have a historic appearance after the transformation, with construction workers using worn cobblestones. Whether and how quickly the renovation of the square proceeds depends also on the speed of archaeological investigations.
    Vendors have temporarily found refuge at Moravské náměstí. They drew lots in advance for the location of their stalls, which can be nearly 120. So far, they have complained about the inability to park and the difficulty of unloading and loading goods into cars. "It's not possible to resolve parking spaces for the entire day directly in the square, but in the coming days, ten parking spaces should already be designated for vendors to load and unload their goods. It's important to consider that this is an emergency solution," said Roman Burian, spokesman for the Brno-střed city hall, to ČTK.