Brno and the region support the effort to inscribe the Mendel Greenhouse on the UNESCO list

Photo: Radek Miča, News from MUNI

Brno - Brno and the South Moravian Region support the monastery’s effort to register Mendel's greenhouse in the garden of the Augustinian monastery on the UNESCO list. This was stated to journalists today after a joint meeting of the regional and city councils by Governor Jan Grolich (KDU-ČSL) together with Mayor Markéta Vaňková (ODS). According to Jakub Carda from the organization Společně, which takes care of Mendel's legacy, the site is unique in that Mendel discovered the foundations of genetics there.

The region and the city welcome the monastery's effort for registration. "We need to evaluate and find out information about how realistic the chances are, whether it can be attractive from a tourism perspective. We will assess how we are capable and willing to help with this," said Grolich.

According to him, it cannot be said yet when the application might be submitted; in a quick case, it could take three years, and the decision takes five years. "It's not just about time, but also about a large amount of money. It costs three million per year for the whole process. There are many assessments and documents that need to be submitted," said the governor.

Carda stated that genetics was discovered at the site of the greenhouse. "It is a place where science and faith coexisted in the 19th century. Mendel came here and worked. It is thus one of the most important places of science in the world. It is the same as the site where Marie Curie-Sklodowska discovered the theory of radioactivity or Albert Einstein the theory of relativity," said Carda.

The greenhouse, costing 38 million crowns and made mostly of glass and steel, was built on the foundations of the original greenhouse where Mendel worked in the mid-19th century. It has been open since last year. Last year marked 200 years since Mendel's birth.