City Baths

By incorporating suburban municipalities into the inner city, a large Brno was created after the upheaval, which has gradually evolved into a city with 280,000 inhabitants.
The needs of such a city due to today's developments are naturally quite different from the earlier needs of small suburbs, or perhaps even the former inner city of Brno.

According to the census, in the city of Brno, the following number of apartments was recorded in the year
1928 61,000 apartments, 14,100 bathrooms,
1931 63,000 apartments, 17,549 bathrooms,
that is, about 28%.

If we realize that, out of an approximate number of 63,000 apartments, only 17,549 apartments were equipped with bathrooms in 1931, which is not even a third of the apartments, we clarify the need for cleansing baths.
This need, along with the intention to provide opportunities for bathing and sunbathing in open spaces during the summer, led the city council to a fundamental resolution, which mandated the Brno municipal waterworks to gradually build — alongside the central baths — four district baths and two river baths. One of the district baths was designated for the eastern part of the city, and a construction site was selected at the site of the old baths in Zábrdovice and on the former field of S. K. Židenice in Brno-Zábrdovice.
To obtain valuable proposals for the development of detailed plans, a public competition was announced for the procurement of building sketches and organization of operations, in which the first prize was awarded to a proposal with the slogan: “LZ”, authored by architect Bohuslav Fuchs in Brno. Based on these sketches, construction plans were developed by the Brno municipal waterworks in collaboration with architect Bohuslav Fuchs, according to which the construction was executed. The construction began on May 19, 1931, and was completed in June 1932.
With the establishment of the municipal baths in Brno-Zábrdovice, in addition to the existing one river bath in Písárky and another district bath on Kopečná Street and Výstavní Avenue, another district bath was added, both winter and summer.
The nature of the winter (cleansing) and summer baths essentially forms two separate entities, which only connect at certain points. Architecturally, this separation is expressed by the arrangement of two different buildings that connect at the entrance, where all the common facilities are located.
The winter bath building consists of a two-story wing, 54 m long and about 9 m wide, facing its front to Svatopluka Čecha Street. It is a frame concrete structure whose supporting columns stand freely inside the building, and where the outer walls are supported on protruding consoles. The infill walls consist of hollow, thick-walled bricks 15 cm thick, and a 15 cm layer of lightweight concrete made from artificial pumice. This arrangement achieved massive and seamless walls made from relatively lightweight materials, while also creating a striking facade from raw masonry. However, the main emphasis was placed on ensuring that all components of the building were made from inorganic materials, so that the danger of decay was practically eliminated. Therefore, the windows and frames were chosen to be iron.
The individual floors are reserved for different types of baths. The ground floor houses steam, hot, and warm air baths. The changing room is equipped with 14 alternating cabins next to 60 lockers for storing clothes. Next to it is a spacious relaxation room, through which one enters the own bathing section. In a spacious, well-lit room, there are 4 foot washing tubs, 12 cold and warm showers, a shared room for 50° and 70° warm air, a room for wet steam at 45° warm, 4 massage tables, various devices for hydrotherapy, and finally 2 tanks for cold and hot water. The facilities are complemented by a service room and toilets. In our harsh climate, steam baths are indeed necessary, and therefore significant attention has been devoted to their arrangement. With its facilities, it will certainly meet the demands of even the most discerning visitors.
On the first floor is the section for tub baths. The spacious waiting room has large double windows that are designed as small winter gardens; the open stairs add interest to the room. At the entrance to the waiting room, both a men's and women's barber are located in separate sections. The waiting room is also equipped with a radio system alongside signal number displays and clocks.
From the waiting room, one enters a spacious hall 30 m long, in which the tub departments are arranged. It was customary, if tubs were not built in completely separate rooms, to attach tub cabins to the wall. In the construction design of these baths, an attempt was made to set up cabins completely freely in the room. Therefore, the cabins are accessible to guests from a wide central corridor, and to the service from narrow installation corridors behind the cabins. The arrangement of the cabin is very simple; the entire character of the cabin is given by the tub, positioned into the rear wall of the cabin. A total of 24 tubs are arranged.
The walls of the cabins are constructed from thin reinforced concrete walls and are tiled with white tiles. Large windows arranged on both sides of the room enhance the bright and clean impression.
The second floor is reserved for the shower department. The waiting room is accessible by open stairs from the tub waiting room, which is connected by a ceiling. From the waiting room, there is access to the flat roof, from which the waiting room is separated by a glass wall. Two large windows further illuminate the waiting room from the sides. The shower department is arranged in a similar manner as the tub department. The cabins are completely freely set in the large room, allowing for a walkway between the row of cabins and the outer wall.
The arrangement of the cabin, divided into two parts, is standard. The first part is designed as a changing room, the rear with the shower as a washroom. A total of 32 showers are arranged, which will certainly serve a sufficient number of visitors.
In addition to these rooms, freely accessible to visitors, there is a whole series of rooms serving to accommodate technical facilities. The entire wing of the winter baths is situated in the basement, housing a workshop, coal storage, boiler room, machine room, and main laundry storage. The heat source consists of 2 boilers of the Roučka system — each with a heating area of 30 m2 — with a moving grate and automatic regulation. Low-pressure steam is diverted to a distributor, from where it is distributed to individual heating groups.
The preparation of hot water occurs through steam in two counterflow heaters. Supplies of hot and cold water are stored in metal water tanks in a structure above the winter bath building. The distribution of cold and hot water is clearly arranged and stems both from cold water distributors and from supply tanks. The distribution pipes are copper and their length in the winter baths measures about 1,365 m. A small circulation pipe ensures that the water in the pipes remains adequately warm.
Waste pipes are mainly made of cast iron, freely installed. Great care was taken for ventilation. Experiments and measurements, conducted in effective cooperation and under the supervision of Prof. Dr. J. Roček, head of the hygiene institute of Masaryk University in Brno, investigated climatic conditions in the municipal baths in Brno, Kopečná Street.
The adherence to average values of temperature, humidity, and air speed, which are closely related, was prescribed by the project. The current arrangement was accepted based on many preliminary calculations and proposals. Essentially, the bathing rooms are heated, except for the hot air and steam room, by local devices and warm air. Warm air is also used for ventilation and defogging. Air is extracted via a shaft and led through a long masonry channel, where it is washed and cooled with water, and then filtered through oil filters. Three fans with a capacity of 25,000 m3/h then push air into the distribution system through heating elements, where the air is adequately warmed. The supply and exhaust air system is set up under the ceiling, with a system of sparse slits. The distribution pipes are entirely made of galvanized sheet metal.
The extraction of contaminated air occurs through three fans with a capacity of 19,500 m3/h, located in the structure of the winter baths. The exhaust air pipes are similar to those of the supply pipes. The entire system of heat and cold water heating and ventilation is automatically operated and supplemented with a whole series of control and measuring devices, organized on a common distribution board in the machine room.
For all connecting conduits from the machine room to other bath sections and further to the structure, two spacious shafts have been arranged from the machine room up to the roof. In the design of the entire arrangement, as well as in the structural processing, care was taken to fully achieve the purpose of a popular bathhouse with the building. A small number of lesser rooms have been arranged in a narrow wing, equipped with windows on both sides. The relatively small number of rooms allowed for the use of automatic devices to control the temperature and humidity of the air. In addition, the large room itself acts as a balancing tank for the individual, variably loaded cabins. The arrangement of a few, but expansive rooms made it possible to design individual technical devices simply, clearly, yet purposefully.
Summer baths. The centerpiece of the summer baths is a pool measuring 50 m x 50 m. Its water surface is therefore 2,500 m2. It is divided into two sections, one for swimmers, which is sized for water polo, and one for non-swimmers, measuring 30 x 50 m. The depth of the pool varies; it starts at a depth of 0.60 m, which increases to 3 m at the lowest point for diving in the swimming section.
On the entire one side, 50 m long, there is a comfortable staircase. Around the pool, overflow gutters are arranged for water drainage. The surface of the entire tank is made of artificial stone in a light gray color, which gives it a very pleasant appearance. The pool holds approximately 4,000 m3 of bathing water. Even with this large pool capacity, the water would become contaminated in times of heavy attendance, making it necessary to ensure rapid water exchange.
To fill the pools, water from the municipal water supply is used. However, this water is not sufficient for the water exchange, so a cleaning facility with a capacity of 400 m3/h has been arranged. The facility itself represents a small waterworks that could supply drinking water to 100,000 inhabitants. Water is drawn from the pools at the lowest point by pumps that transfer water to the tanks above the filters, where it is treated with iron or aluminum additives and then filtered. The processed water is sterilized and returned clean back to the tank. The facility is powerful and will be monitored by the hygiene institute of Masaryk University in Brno. The cleaning station itself is situated in a low building in the middle of the stands, which are arranged on one side of the pool. In the deepest part of the pool, a diving tower with heights of 1, 3, and 5 m is established. Two slides complement the pool facilities, which serve to entertain visitors.
For swimming lessons, a small pool measuring 25 x 10 m and shallow depth is reserved. The dimensions are selected so that a whole class of about 40 students can comfortably practice here. For educational purposes, there is also a room arranged as a classroom. The area around the pool is paved dust-free with cement tiles and entirely fenced. Access to the pools is arranged through one entrance, where showers are arranged on both sides.
It is required that each visitor properly cleans themselves before entering the pool. This facility aims to prevent gross contamination around the pools. The changing rooms are arranged as a courtyard wing of the building. It is a one-story, lightweight concrete building with a flat roof designed for sunbathing. The building has wooden cabins built in, behind which is a spacious changing room for storing clothes. The changing rooms are divided into two sections: for men and for women. The total number of cabins is 154, the number of corresponding hooks is 4,004, and common changing rooms with lockers are set up for boys; in the main building, several family changing rooms are arranged. A total of 5,050 hooks are provided for the same number of visitors to store their clothing.
The free spaces outside the pool and around the pool are arranged for sunbathing, as well as for playgrounds and meadows. The division between the playground and the pool is created by a pergola, where tables for refreshments are placed.
Common facilities of both the summer and winter baths are concentrated around the stairs. There are two ticket offices, a small room for the management of the baths, a first aid room, a doctor’s room, service personnel, and a smaller restaurant with a café. The restaurant is primarily designated for the needs of the winter baths. For the summer baths, two buffets are arranged, one by the aforementioned pergola and one directly in the restaurant. The doctor’s room is equipped with measuring instruments for comparative measurements and examinations. It is planned, together with the medical faculty of Masaryk University in Brno, to observe and examine a portion of the bath visitors and keep relevant records. No treatment of diseases will be conducted here; detected cases will be referred for treatment to general practitioners or to hospitals.
The municipal baths in Brno-Zábrdovice were established at a cost of CZK 7,500,000. This amount does not include the cost of the construction land and adjustments necessary on public property, which were executed at the expense of the relevant investments by individual departments of the municipal building authority.