Diary: Italian architects wrote to UNESCO about the Tugendhat villa

Brno - The repeated postponement of the renovation of the Tugendhat villa in Brno has begun to worry experts abroad. An association of Italian architects has already approached UNESCO regarding this issue, which has listed the functionalist villa on its prestigious list of world monuments. The Italian architects requested an explanation for the poor condition of the villa. Their inquiry implies that Brno may expect a question in the coming days as to why the renovation has not yet begun, writes today's Brněnský deník.
    Complaints from foreign experts were confirmed to the newspaper by Michal Beneš, the secretary for UNESCO affairs at the Ministry of Culture. Jaroslav Hamža from the Brno city council added that if UNESCO inspectors found that the owner was neglecting the monument, it could risk losing its entry on the prestigious list. According to experts, this is not currently a concern. However, the delays complicate the listing of other monuments, Beneš told the newspaper.
    The Tugendhat villa has been on the UNESCO cultural heritage list since 2001. The condition of its listing was its preservation, which has been planned and postponed since then. Delays have been caused by disputes among the designers. Although Brno selected a designer long ago, who has drafted and submitted the project, courts recently ruled that the selection of the tender winner was not carried out correctly. A decision is now awaited from the Brno council, which is to say whether it will cancel the competition and announce it again, or choose the rightful winner of the several years old tender.