Festival Open House Brno will offer tours of dozens of otherwise closed buildings and places

Brno – This year's edition of the Open House Brno festival will offer free tours of more than 80 buildings and locations that are otherwise either restricted or closed to the public. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore, for example, five hotels, a steam brewery, a synagogue, an anatomical museum, and a former theater at the exhibition grounds. Registration started this morning, and the tours will take place on May 28 and 29.

"All locations will be completely free to the public; some are freely accessible, while others require a reserved ticket due to capacity and security reasons. Some locations will be open to the public throughout the weekend, while others will only be available on one of the weekend days or during specific hours," said the festival's creative director Lucie Pešl Šilerová from the organizing association Kultura & Management. Interested parties can find all the details on the website www.openhousebrno.cz.

Some of the tours will be guided, with art historians, architects, or enthusiasts who take care of the buildings leading the explanations. "The long-term idea of the festival is to build a sense of belonging among residents with Brno," said Pešl Šilerová.

"A person who knows the history of the place they live in, the ideas related to the creation of buildings, or their neighbors is unlikely to throw a bag of trash or a washing machine in front of their house. By taking walks, we actually improve our own lives," added Martin Maleček (Hnutí SOL), the mayor of Brno-north, who will guide interested individuals through the Lesná housing estate and also introduce them to the history of the former railway line Tišnovka.

The entire festival is non-profit, entry to all events is free, and the organization is run by volunteers. "Every year, we have several dozen experienced volunteers returning, but we would also welcome every new interested party eager to open 'their' building to people," said Pešl Šilerová.