The work on transforming the water reservoir into a lapidarium has finished at Špilberk

Brno – After three years, the reconstruction of the water tanks located in the eastern bastion at Špilberk Castle has been completed, transforming them into a lapidarium. The city handed over the construction to the Museum of the City of Brno on Thursday, which is based at Špilberk, and today the Mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková, visited the premises.

"This is the last part of Špilberk that has not been reconstructed. The water tanks, which previously supplied water to the city, will now serve as a lapidarium, a space where historical stone artifacts are displayed,” Vaňková stated.

The reconstruction of the water tanks was supposed to take only a year and cost nearly 93 million crowns. "Due to unforeseen additional work, the completion deadline was pushed to mid-2019, and at the same time, the cost of the work rose to just under 99 million crowns,” said the spokesman for the municipality, Filip Poňuchálek.

The demolition of the passage to the water tanks through the city wall disrupted the structure’s stability, complicating the work. The city expects to cover all costs with grants from European funds.

In addition to constructing two entrances to the water tank, it was necessary to repair floors and extend electrical installations. At the same time, workers were active on parts of the eastern and northern city walls, the northeastern bastion, and the entrance to the casemates. Restoration workshops were then established in the annex.

During the construction, the access gate and tunnel with stairs near the eastern bastion were closed. This popular access route to the castle is likely to reopen to visitors as soon as next week, while the lapidarium itself will probably open at the start of the tourist season in April.

"We anticipate that it will be possible to purchase a separate ticket for the lapidarium, but we are also considering various combinations, for example, it will be included in the ticket for Discover All of Špilberk. The lapidarium will be open year-round, just like the casemates,” said the spokesman for the Museum of the City of Brno, Michael Kalábek.

The lapidarium showcases stone decorations from vanished Brno buildings as well as medieval tombstones and sculptures. The oldest artifact is a tombstone from 1399 from the former church of St. Nicholas, which stood at today's Freedom Square.