The fate of the famous Brno hotel Avion remains uncertain

Brno - The owner of the functionalist Avion Hotel in the center of Brno, Stanislav Berousek, has not applied for a grant from European funds for the renovation of the building, as he stated almost half a year ago. His plans for the national cultural monument have reportedly changed "fundamentally." He informed ČTK without further details. The fate of the famous building is thus uncertain.
    Berousek stated last autumn that if he managed to secure funds for the reconstruction of the famous building, he would start this year. The timelines for the originally planned restoration of the hotel from the 1920s have already been postponed several times, most recently it was supposed to start last spring. However, Berousek did not succeed in his last application for an EU grant last year.
    "We are applying for a grant again, the results should be out in February. I think we might get it this time," Berousek said last November, adding that the total reconstruction would cost 80 million crowns.
    Last February, the government included the Avion in the group of buildings with the highest heritage protection. The declaration of monuments as a national cultural monument (NKP) means their reclassification into a higher category, declaring their exceptional cultural significance.
    Most recently, last spring, the functionalist monument by architect Bohuslav Fuchs did not receive funds from the EU program that distributes finances for South Moravia and Vysočina. The application was unsuccessful also because there are reportedly many hotels in the center of Brno, and tourists would not utilize another one. However, experts noted that comparing the Avion to regular tourist hotels in the center was not correct.
    The hotel from 1928 is also a rarity, among the narrowest hotels in Europe. It has been closed since last January.
    In the original plans for reconstruction, the owner collaborated with architect Eva Jiřičná. According to them, the renovated pearl of Brno was to offer visitors 37 rooms, a glass terrace overlooking the city, and a wine cellar in the basement.