TOP 09 Brno supports the petition against the demolition of part of the former prison

Brno - The Brno branch of TOP 09 supports the petition against the planned demolition of part of the former prison on Cejl Street. The Brno chairman of TOP 09, Petr Kunc, stated this to reporters today. The demolition is part of a project to build a creative center for artists costing hundreds of millions of crowns. According to Kunc, the building is not suitable for such a redevelopment, and the facility known as the creative hub, which is to be created for 25 million in Údolní street, is sufficient. According to councilman Marek Fišer (Pirates), the creative center on Cejl is meant to help the area. According to former deputy mayor Matěj Hollan (Žít Brno), the hub's capacity will not be sufficient.

Creative spaces will be located on Údolní Street where the Faculty of Fine Arts once had studios. The cost of 25 million covers both the reconstruction and five years of operation. According to Kunc, this is enough, and two creative centers are not needed. "Redeveloping the prison into a creative center makes no sense, and on the contrary, we will be nearly destroying a place where crimes of Nazism and communism occurred, which we need to remember," Kunc stated. He believes the city has many projects, such as the Janáček Cultural Center or a multifunctional hall, into which it can invest money.

Thus, TOP 09 supported the petition of documentary filmmaker Jan Plachý. The petition has already gathered around 300 signatures. TOP 09 was part of a coalition in the previous electoral period, but is not in the council now. Kunc wants to address the issue at the September council meeting, at which the petition should also be submitted. In addition, an open letter was sent to the mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková (ODS).

Councilman responsible for culture in Brno, Marek Fišer (Pirates), told ČTK that the hub is a pilot project for the center in the prison, which is to significantly help the entire location. Cejl Street is in a socially excluded area. Former deputy mayor Matěj Hollan (Žít Brno) stated that the hub is much smaller than the planned creative center and will not cover the demand. According to Zdeňka Kujová from the South Moravian Innovation Center (JIC), which is preparing the hub, demand is enormous, and the facility will not be sufficient. Kujová reminded that the hub is a pilot project specifically for the creative center on Cejl and that the projects are interconnected.

According to a feasibility study from 2014, Kujová noted that companies and organizations from the cultural and creative sectors make up ten percent of all economic entities in the city. "Utilizing their potential depends on the existence of a space where companies can collaborate, share ideas, and inspire each other. This is currently desperately lacking in Brno. The opening of the Creative Center in the prison is realistically at least six years away. The creative hub on Údolní Street is therefore a pilot project that the center will subsequently build upon," Kujová added.

According to Hollan, it is ironic that the creative center project was handled by the strategy department, which was led by TOP 09 in the previous term. "TOP 09 managed that project for two and a half years, was part of the committee for the international competition, and agreed with the outcome, and now they are distancing themselves from it," Hollan added. Kunc stated that he was in the committee but opposed the winning proposal that includes the demolition.

The city has made necessary repairs for several million to prevent the former prison building from further deteriorating. The Ministry declared the building a cultural monument. The site is to have both independent and shared offices and studios for artists, open workshops, editing rooms, a café, a music club, and a hall for 250 people. The prison was established in the 18th century and served its purpose from 1784 to 1956. It was replaced by the prison in Bohunice.