To the death of Ivan Ruller
At the age of 91, the Brno architect Ivan Ruller (*17.11.1926 Brno – †25.3.2018 Brno) passed away, rightly ranking among the most significant personalities of the second half of the 20th century. Throughout his seventy-year professional career, he created more than five hundred projects, of which about one hundred eighty were realized and twenty-seven awarded. His buildings significantly transformed the post-war face of Brno. His handwriting can be seen, for example, in the Ingstav administrative building on Vienna Street, the Rondo sports hall on the banks of the Svratka River, or the Janáček Theatre in the city park on Koliště.
Ivan Ruller’s life story fully reflects the ups and downs of the Czechoslovak Republic in the past century. Coincidentally, he was born on November 17, a date that dramatically marked his life twice: first negatively with the arrival of the Nazis in 1939 and subsequently much more favorably in 1989 with the fall of the communist regime. While the first date ended his carefree childhood, the arrival of the Velvet Revolution not only brought a revival of the Brno architectural scene but also of the Faculty of Architecture at VUT, where Ivan Ruller was elected the first post-November dean after three decades of separation, helping architects restore their professional prestige.
Ivan Ruller was born into the family of builder Čeňek Ruller, who, together with František Uherka, initiated the construction of the famous New House colony organized on the occasion of the Exhibition of Contemporary Culture 1928 in Brno. He grew up on Kalvodova Street in the Masaryk district and from an early age was surrounded by personalities and buildings that clearly led him to his dream profession. He studied under Bohuslav Fuchs, subsequently worked with Bedřich Rozehnal, and was also an assistant to Miloslav Kopřiva. His upbringing was based on the principles of Brno functionalism and respect for its creators. Ivan Ruller built upon this tradition and sought to bring it into general awareness. He always said what he thought openly. In the turbulent times of the Prague Spring in 1968, he was a spokesperson for his generation, for which he was prevented from practicing design work during the normalization period from 1970 to 1989, during which he was not allowed to publish or teach. Despite all the life challenges, he did not let optimism be taken from him and always led by example. The perseverance he learned through sports benefited him many times in his profession and helped him drive complicated projects to a successful conclusion. Throughout this time, he did not succumb to political pressure. A large part of his professional life is associated with the Brno Faculty of Architecture, where he initially worked as an assistant in the early 1950s and later headed the school as dean in the 1990s. Since 1990, he has also led his own architectural office, allowing him to create freely once more. In 1992, together with Vladimír Preclík, he was involved in founding the Faculty of Fine Arts, which became the first fine arts university in Moravia. In 1995, he received the City of Brno Award for lifetime architectural work. In 2003, President Václav Klaus awarded him the II. Class Medal of Merit for Services to the State in the field of art and a year later he received the Architects' Association award for lifetime work. Until his nineties, he actively participated in educating future architects, and last spring his team won an international competition for the design of the Svratka River waterfront.
Ivan Ruller was a proud Brno resident who deeply cared about the fate of the metropolis. He actively contributed to debates on urbanism and the future direction of the city, which was a lifelong love for him.
In conclusion, I would like to share my own small memory of Professor Ruller, as I would meet him every Friday in the faculty library, where even at an advanced age he would borrow a full bag of professional publications to take home for the weekend, so he could continue studying and gaining a better understanding of current architectural developments. His insatiable thirst for knowledge and lifelong passion for architecture remains an inspiration for many.
Ivan Ruller’s life story fully reflects the ups and downs of the Czechoslovak Republic in the past century. Coincidentally, he was born on November 17, a date that dramatically marked his life twice: first negatively with the arrival of the Nazis in 1939 and subsequently much more favorably in 1989 with the fall of the communist regime. While the first date ended his carefree childhood, the arrival of the Velvet Revolution not only brought a revival of the Brno architectural scene but also of the Faculty of Architecture at VUT, where Ivan Ruller was elected the first post-November dean after three decades of separation, helping architects restore their professional prestige.
Ivan Ruller was born into the family of builder Čeňek Ruller, who, together with František Uherka, initiated the construction of the famous New House colony organized on the occasion of the Exhibition of Contemporary Culture 1928 in Brno. He grew up on Kalvodova Street in the Masaryk district and from an early age was surrounded by personalities and buildings that clearly led him to his dream profession. He studied under Bohuslav Fuchs, subsequently worked with Bedřich Rozehnal, and was also an assistant to Miloslav Kopřiva. His upbringing was based on the principles of Brno functionalism and respect for its creators. Ivan Ruller built upon this tradition and sought to bring it into general awareness. He always said what he thought openly. In the turbulent times of the Prague Spring in 1968, he was a spokesperson for his generation, for which he was prevented from practicing design work during the normalization period from 1970 to 1989, during which he was not allowed to publish or teach. Despite all the life challenges, he did not let optimism be taken from him and always led by example. The perseverance he learned through sports benefited him many times in his profession and helped him drive complicated projects to a successful conclusion. Throughout this time, he did not succumb to political pressure. A large part of his professional life is associated with the Brno Faculty of Architecture, where he initially worked as an assistant in the early 1950s and later headed the school as dean in the 1990s. Since 1990, he has also led his own architectural office, allowing him to create freely once more. In 1992, together with Vladimír Preclík, he was involved in founding the Faculty of Fine Arts, which became the first fine arts university in Moravia. In 1995, he received the City of Brno Award for lifetime architectural work. In 2003, President Václav Klaus awarded him the II. Class Medal of Merit for Services to the State in the field of art and a year later he received the Architects' Association award for lifetime work. Until his nineties, he actively participated in educating future architects, and last spring his team won an international competition for the design of the Svratka River waterfront.
Ivan Ruller was a proud Brno resident who deeply cared about the fate of the metropolis. He actively contributed to debates on urbanism and the future direction of the city, which was a lifelong love for him.
In conclusion, I would like to share my own small memory of Professor Ruller, as I would meet him every Friday in the faculty library, where even at an advanced age he would borrow a full bag of professional publications to take home for the weekend, so he could continue studying and gaining a better understanding of current architectural developments. His insatiable thirst for knowledge and lifelong passion for architecture remains an inspiration for many.
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