The Brno crematorium and its surroundings will be renovated for 35 million

Brno - Brno Crematorium and its surroundings will be renovated for approximately 35 million crowns. The City of Brno's Funeral and Cemetery Services commissioned a study in cooperation with heritage conservationists and is now awaiting building permits. According to plans, facilities will be created near the crematorium parking lot, including a room where people waiting for the ceremony can sit and have light refreshments. Until now, some of them had to wait outside the building, which was uncomfortable in adverse weather. Jiří Novotný, the chairman of the board of the company, told ČTK.
     The Funeral and Cemetery Services of the City of Brno is a joint-stock company owned by the municipality. The repairs will be funded from their own resources. "The surface of the parking lot will be repaired with space for 50 cars, three buses, and three handicapped spots. Instead of a portable cabin currently at the edge of the parking lot, a building will be created to serve as a shop for flowers and, for example, for a stonemason. There will also be a room that can serve as a waiting area and for refreshments,” Novotný outlined the plans.
     The new facilities will consist of two smaller buildings connected by a roof. A passage between them will lead to the cemetery. Heritage conservationists collaborated on the project preparations because the Brno crematorium was built in 1930 by architect Arnošt Wiesner and is architecturally valuable. The new service building will harmonize with the crematorium. Construction is expected to begin this summer, and the reconstruction should be completed in a year, that is, in the summer of 2014.
     According to plans, the crematorium itself is also expected to undergo repairs. The roof reconstruction will be completed in particular. A new area for urn distribution is also planned. Until now, it was not separate from the ceremonial part, and people who went to pick up an urn could see the coffin of another deceased. This should be prevented after the repairs.
     The Brno crematorium operates continuously from Monday to Sunday all day and night. Since its inception, it has not been significantly reconstructed, although the incineration technology is new. The functionalist building is divided into several parts for different components of the funeral ceremony.
     The Funeral and Cemetery Services of the City of Brno recently opened two new contracting offices in the city. As of February 1, they also offer bereaved individuals the new option of projecting photographs on a large screen during the ceremony.