Brno expects a decision from the government on support for the hall by the end of May

Brno - The Brno city hall, despite the ongoing political crisis, expects that the government will make a definitive decision regarding financial support for the new concert hall in Brno by the end of May. If the state does not provide funding, the city is also considering taking out a loan. According to the signed memorandum, the state is to spend 600 million crowns, with Brno covering the total costs of 1.256 billion crowns with the help of the region.

"We mainly need to know whether the state will support us or not. Of course, today is a turbulent time, so we will see how things develop, so we can prepare financing, because this is a construction we consider one of the absolute priorities," said Mayor Petr Vokřál (ANO) to reporters today.

The mayor expects that the government will support the project. As a last resort, should the state adopt a hesitant position, a loan from, for example, the European Investment Bank is being considered. According to director Marie Kučerová, the Brno Philharmonic intends to start the 2020/2021 season in the new concert hall.

Construction workers are currently building underground garages between Veselá and Besední streets. Today, invited guests placed a tube containing historical documents, current newspapers, or a photograph of the construction site into the concrete wall at the bottom of the construction pit.

The tube also contains a piece by Brno conservatory student Jiří Dvořák dedicated to Leoš Janáček. It is written for solo bassoon. Alena Štěpánková Veselá, chairwoman of the Society for the Construction of a Concert Hall in Brno, placed a copy of the minutes from the founding meeting of the society in 1992 into the capsule.

The construction of the garages is proceeding according to plan. "The foundation slab has been poured, and workers have already constructed part of the ceiling above the third underground level. They will now work on its vertical and horizontal structures," said Leoš Chasák, director of Brno Communications.

At the same time, the city continues to search for a design team for the above-ground part of the construction, including the hall and its acoustics. Two international teams have qualified for the competition stage.