Brno will request 600 million from the Ministry of Culture for a concert hall

Brno – Brno will request a grant of 600 million korunas from the Ministry of Culture for the construction of a cultural hall named Janáček Cultural Center. The total costs are nearly two billion, stated Brno's mayor Markéta Vaňková (ODS) in a press release today. The ministry has announced a grant program. The South Moravian Region is expected to contribute another 100 million korunas, the city will provide nearly a billion, and over 300 million has been spent by the municipal company Brněnské komunikace, which built underground garages with nearly 200 spaces in the first phase. The construction of the hall itself is set to begin at the end of the first half of next year.

The deadline for submitting applications expires on April 30. Following today's discussion in the council, the application must be approved by the city councilors next week. The ministry has already promised support of 600 million korunas for the hall in the past. Vaňková mentioned that, most recently, Minister of Culture Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD) assured her of support for the hall at the end of 2019, when he labeled it a priority.

The underground garages created in the first phase are completed. The second phase includes the construction of six above-ground floors of the Janáček Cultural Center building. "The first floor will have lobby areas and changing rooms for the public, operational facilities with personnel access, loading ramps, storage areas, and access to the underground garages. A café is planned along Veselá Street, which will operate independently but will also be accessible from the public changing rooms," said the mayor's deputy Tomáš Koláčný (Pirates). In the eastern part of the building, there will be foyers for the public. The spaces from the second to the fifth floors will be used by the Philharmonic, with tuning rooms, musicians' changing rooms, and rehearsal rooms. Above these will be the necessary technical facilities. "In the middle of the building, spanning all above-ground floors, will be the most important part, the concert hall for 1,200 listeners," added Koláčný.

According to councilor for culture Marek Fišer (Pirates), the air conditioning will be in the newly constructed underground space of the technological center that connects to the underground garages. "At the same time, there will be an underground connection with the Besední house, which is a significantly more suitable solution from the perspective of heritage protection and the operation of both buildings than the originally planned glass walkway," noted Fišer.

The concert hall will be located at the corner of Besední and Veselé Streets. The hall will provide facilities for the Brno Philharmonic, which currently lacks concert spaces.