The Muzejka café in Brno remains closed; it cannot be approved

Brno - The Brno café Muzejka in the Bergl Palace on Moravian Square remains closed even three years after the change of tenant. Due to the manner of painting in the culturally protected space, the heritage conservationists did not grant approval for occupancy. The firefighters were also dissatisfied with the fire safety measures. The tenant has now requested the city of Brno to waive the rent for the past months, which the city council rejected. The city council stated this in a press release today.

The historic premises were last open in the spring of 2012 when the Muzejka restaurant, connected with the music club Mju:z, ended its operation. The then-tenant refused to vacate the space for a long time, so the city did not rent Muzejka again until May 2016.

The new owner began renovations, but was unable to obtain occupancy approval. One of the reasons was, for example, the insufficient fire safety measures around the built ovens, in which pizza was to be baked on wood. "There are so many deficiencies regarding fire safety measures around the built ovens that the request for the opinion of the Fire Rescue Service of JMK had to be withdrawn immediately on-site during the inspection," the council members stated in the press release.

In addition, the company Gattamelata had the walls in the mezzanine painted in the form of a dragon's lair with oil paints, without having the permission from the conservators. Therefore, they did not grant occupancy approval. "The Heritage Protection Department called for the removal of the paintings as early as January 31, but it only happened in recent days. Now it will be checked whether this was done according to regulations with the participation of the National Heritage Institute and whether this restores the monument to its original state. Based on further developments, we as the landlord will consider further steps, which may include demanding compensation for damages or even terminating the contract," said Deputy Mayor Oliver Pospíšil (ČSSD).

The tenant has requested the city to waive the rent for several months. "Given that the tenant made many modifications to the property in violation of the project documentation and the issued building permit, thereby preventing the occupancy of the premises within the expected timeframe, we had no reason to comply with his request," added Pospíšil.

Bergl Palace, also known as Bergler Palace or Bergl Villa or Muzejka, was built in the 1860s as a Neo-Renaissance house with a Neo-Gothic facade. The building was designed by the Vienna architect Heinrich Ferstel, the author of the nearby Red Church and several other buildings in Brno. The name Muzejka was given to the house in the 1920s when it belonged to the Agricultural Museum, and there was a Café Museum on the ground floor. The museum was abolished in 1943, but the name remained with the building. It has been protected as a cultural monument since 1964.