Both brick water towers on Yellow Hill in Brno will open to the public in mid-October.

Brno – Two underground brick water reservoirs on Žlutý kopec in Brno will be opened to the public in mid-October. The first phase of work to make them accessible has been completed, and the enormous spaces with the atmosphere of underground cathedrals have two entrances and lighting. The work on the first phase cost 52 million crowns, said deputy mayor Jiří Oliva to reporters today.

The water reservoirs were full of water until 1997, after which they were not used for a long time. In 2019, the city had a comfortable entrance built to the front of the two underground tanks; until then, access was only possible through a small hatch and up a ladder, which was not safe.

"Tours of the reservoir were only exceptional and took place in emergency mode. Now both reservoirs have a main and a safety entrance, as well as electrical installations that allow for their lighting. I assume that during September, the Tourist Information Center will open a booking system for tours, which should start after occupancy approval in mid-October," stated Oliva.

Until August next year, however, people will only be able to visit the two brick reservoirs and will essentially be moving around a construction site. Concurrently with the completion of the first phase of work, the second phase has begun. It involves the demolition of the former guardhouse, which has compromised structural integrity, and the construction of a replica. Under the building, which will serve as a ticket office upon completion, there will be two basement levels with an elevator leading to two underground corridors. One will lead to the front brick reservoir and the other to the currently inaccessible concrete reservoir. The second phase of work will cost 98 million crowns and is expected to be completed by the end of summer next year. It also includes park landscaping of the area above the reservoirs, which should be publicly accessible after the renovation.

The three reservoirs under Žlutý kopec between Tvrdého and Tomešová streets were built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Two of them are constructed from red burnt bricks without the use of steel, wood, or reinforced concrete; the third, the youngest reservoir from 1910, consists of two concrete tanks.

In total, these waterworks had a volume of more than 20,000 m³, and water was pumped into them from the treatment plant in Pisárky. They were decommissioned in 1997 and have been empty and sealed ever since. In 2019, the Ministry of Culture declared the complex of buildings a cultural monument.