The Brno Palace Jalta has opened to the public after 19 years

Brno - The Brno functionalist palace Jalta was ceremoniously opened to the public this afternoon after extensive reconstruction. The building on Dominican Square had been closed since 2000 and had long been neglected. The owner, Brno entrepreneur Richard Saliba, invested over 120 million crowns in the renovation.

The long-closed building next to the New Town Hall was purchased by Saliba from the city in 2016 for 110 million crowns. Although the Jalta Palace is not officially a monument, the owner consulted with conservators on all modifications.

"Since the beginning of this year, all spaces have been leased. The Austrian honorary consul, law firms, architects, and an American high school are located here. Tenants had the opportunity to influence the spaces to a certain extent," Saliba previously stated. Among those performing at today's grand opening of the building were singers Michal David and Dara Rolins.

Less than three years passed from the purchase to the opening. The public can mainly access the typical passage, which was featured in the film by Věra Chytilová, "Inheritance or Kurvahošigutntág." It houses shops and restaurants, and in the former cinema hall, there is also a cinema cabaret.

The building was constructed between 1928-1929 according to the design of architect Josef J. Polívka. After its completion, it was purchased by the international movement of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), which originally intended to establish a boarding house for women and girls in the upper floors. The state owned the building from 1934. During communism, it housed the StB and a store with luxury goods, Tuzex.

After 1989, the building changed owners and closed to the public in 2000. In 2006, it was controversially acquired by the city of Brno in exchange for other properties, but it could not afford extensive repairs. Jalta was sold only in 2016.