Politicians signed a memorandum, it aims to ensure the construction of a hall in Brno

visualization: Atelier M1 architects LLC

Brno - The Mayor of Brno, Petr Vokřál, the South Moravian governor, Michal Hašek (ČSSD), and the Minister of Culture, Daniel Herman (KDU-ČSL), today signed a memorandum in Brno, aiming to ensure the construction of a concert hall for Brno in the future for more than 1.2 billion crowns. Vokřál (ANO) told ČTK that the signing is another step towards the construction of the Janáček Cultural Centre, but it is not yet a definitive guarantee of funding.

The memorandum includes a financial contribution from the government of 600 million, from the city of 547 million, and from the South Moravian Region of 100 million crowns. The concert hall with a capacity of 1250 seats is to be built by 2020. In the first phase, underground garages will be constructed, with the concert hall above them. The government must still approve the financial resources. "This is the first time a contract is being concluded at the level of the city and the state. It is a big step forward, it's again a step towards securing funding. I hope the government approves these financial resources,” Vokřál stated.

The concert hall could be completed in 2020. Currently, construction of underground garages is being prepared at the site at the corner of Besední and Veselá streets, which is the initial phase of the Janáček Cultural Centre. Minister Herman also visited the site today, where there is still just a big hole.

According to Herman, the signing of the memorandum clearly declares the will of all three signatories to realize the project. "Brno deserves a cultural hall; the place for it is very dignified,” Herman (KDU-ČSL) noted. According to him, this is such a large project that exceeds the financing possibilities solely from the city or independently from the ministry.

There has long been talk of a concert hall in Brno, but there has never been money for it. The first projects were initiated during the previous regime. The emeritus rector of JAMU and chairwoman of the Society for the construction of a concert hall in Brno, Alena Štěpánková Veselá, told ČTK today that there was no political will for the concert hall project in the past. The lack of a modern hall is a disgrace for Brno, she believes. Artists thus still cannot perform Janáček's music as it deserves. The Brno Philharmonic rehearses in the Besední dům, which is small. For example, peak works by Janáček like Taras Bulba or the Glagolitic Mass require large organs. "They had to use a substitute for the organ, a digital one, and the entire performance of the composition fell short. Brno proudly claims to be Janáček's city, but it has a considerable debt in this respect,” Veselá stated.

The Janáček Cultural Centre will be the first building of its kind in the Czech Republic in several decades. Since November 1989, only a few similarly scaled projects have emerged in the country, but none has been primarily designed for music. For example, in September two years ago, the New Theatre was opened in Plzeň, a building with a distinctive facade that cost around one billion crowns. In September 2009, a new headquarters for the National Technical Library was opened in Prague's Dejvice; this building, acclaimed by architecture experts, cost 2.25 billion crowns.