The Ministry of Culture declared the area of the Brno slaughterhouse a monument

Brno - The Ministry of Culture has declared the majority of the former Brno slaughterhouse area as a cultural monument. The complex of industrial buildings along the Svitava River has been under consideration for several years since the first proposal in 2009. This comes from the ministry's decision, which the Czech News Agency has received from Brno heritage officials.

Some of the slaughterhouse buildings were declared cultural monuments as far back as 1988. This primarily concerned smaller structures along Porážka Street, as well as the meat exchange and cattle market. However, this protection only applied to the exterior of the buildings. Now, practically the entire complex has been memorialized, which has a different use today than in the past.

The slaughterhouse has not been in operation for over 20 years. Part of the halls are used by Brno Communications as a salt dump, which is used to protect roads during freezing conditions. The machinery that was present in the past is no longer found in the buildings. For this reason, some institutions opposed the memorialization. For example, the South Moravian Regional Office was against it. "The values of the area as a whole have disappeared," the region stated in its response. The Brno City Hall also did not insist on expanding the number of buildings that are heritage-protected.

According to experts from the Ministry of Culture, the area is a valuable reminder of the urban development of Brno at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries from a historical perspective. Before World War I, over 100,000 animals were slaughtered and processed at the Brno slaughterhouse. The complex took on a tragic dimension during World War II, when it served as a gathering place from which transports of Romani families were sent to extermination camps.

According to the ministry, the group of buildings is expected to become an important center of a newly developing district in the future. For this reason, it is said to be worth heritage protection. Today, more companies operate in the area. One of the buildings is currently rented by the Hauskrecht Brewery.