The Měnínská Gate in Brno, after its renovation, will showcase the history of the city fortifications

Brno - The history and development of the Brno city fortifications will be presented in a new exhibition at the renovated Měnínská brána on Orlí Street in Brno in a year and a half. The reconstruction of the three-story building, costing 27 million crowns, began today. Upon completion, the building will have barrier-free access, and the modifications will restore the gate's historical appearance, said Deputy Mayor Karin Podivínská (ANO) at the construction launch.

The three floors of the historic building will focus on the development of the Brno city walls. "First, we will build the fortifications, and in the first floor, we will present how and why Brno was enclosed by walls and how the system of five gates was created. In the second floor, we will follow up with a test of the fortifications, recalling the biggest test, namely the year 1645. What the Swedes failed to accomplish back then had to be done in the mid-19th century, when it was necessary to open the city and get rid of the walls. This will be addressed in the last floor," described the future exhibition its curator Tomáš Koch from the Museum of the City of Brno.

Měnínská brána played an important role in the city's defense. For centuries, Brno was one of the best-protected cities in Europe due to its city fortifications. This is evidenced by a series of failed attempts to conquer the city. The historically most famous was the Swedish siege of 1645, but there was also, for example, the siege of Brno by the Turks in 1663.

The reconstruction will restore the building's historical appearance. "The original idea was to raise the gate by two or three floors, because it was originally the tallest of all. We had to step back from this, but we want visitors to enjoy the ascent from the ground floor to the third floor as much as possible. The gate will represent itself and the courage of the city to defend itself," said the author of the architectural design, Petr Hrůša.

The current form of Měnínská brána dates back to around 1500 and is the only preserved gate from the original five. It underwent its last reconstruction in the 1970s when it came under the management of the Museum of the City of Brno. It hosted both short-term and long-term exhibitions, such as Brno and the Weapons of Centuries from 1983 to 1990, The Gate of Time from 2002 to 2010, and The Toy Museum from 2010 to 2020. After that, it was closed due to poor condition.