Brno plans to cancel the tender for the company that is to demolish the stadium at Lužánky

Brno - The leadership of Brno intends to cancel the incomplete tender for a company that is supposed to demolish the deteriorating stadium at Lužánky for 165 million crowns excluding VAT. According to the city’s original plans, the demolition work was to begin in October. However, this has changed due to considerations regarding the construction of a new stadium in the same location, which is related to the change of ownership of the Zbrojovka football club. Tadeáš Mima from the press department of the municipality told ČTK this today.

"Given that the city leadership and the football club are now intensively examining the possibility of locating a new stadium at Lužánky, it is not appropriate to make significant decisions regarding the existing stadium. For this reason, material concerning the cancellation of the tender for the demolition contractor is being prepared for some of the upcoming city council meetings. By canceling a contract that has not yet been completed, the city should not incur any major loss," Mima said.

The demolition of the stadium, where Zbrojovka Brno won its only title, has been discussed since the beginning of 2023 due to its poor condition. The necessity to demolish the premises was confirmed by a survey conducted by experts from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Brno University of Technology. Since then, the city has been preparing for the demolition planned for this year. In mid-June, it announced a public contract with a deadline for submitting bids by October 1. The project included the demolition of the stands and other structures while preserving the earthworks and grassing over the damaged area. Due to the presence of common swallows, workers were to operate outside the breeding season from this October to the end of January next year.

Recent plans also included the construction of a new football stadium by the city near the exhibition grounds, which would have required tearing down the velodrome, the long-standing home of track cyclists. However, instead, the new owner of Zbrojovka, Vojtěch Kačena, could become the investor, who stated that he wants to proceed quickly with the construction. He does not plan to draw on city or state subsidies. Thanks to him, the option at Lužánky has also returned to the table, where the city has struggled for years to resolve disputes with entrepreneur Libor Procházka over land. City councilors agree with the proposed location.

The stadium was built between 1949 and 1953. In the 60s and 70s, a new stand was constructed, increasing the capacity to 50,000 spectators. In October 1996, 44,120 spectators attended the match Brno - Slavia. The last league match was played at the stadium in September 2001, and it has been deteriorating ever since. In 2015, it came back to life for the farewell of footballer Petr Švancara from his career, with nearly 35,000 spectators attending the exhibition match. In 2019, a film about the legendary runner Emil Zátopek was shot at the stadium.