In Znojmo today, people discussed the use of the Hostan brewery area

Znojmo - The Znojmo City Hall today presented to the public a study on the possible use of the former Hostan brewery, which is located in the city center. The topic attracted several dozen people. However, only individuals engaged in discussion. The debate lasted only a few minutes. Mayor Vlastimil Gabrhel (ČSSD) stated that the city hall will discuss the use of the site with Heineken, from which it purchased the site.
    City hall representatives previously stated that a smaller hotel or microbrewery could be created on the site. They are considering selling some parts of the site or possibly leasing them. "We want to preserve the character of the place and will strive to ensure that this place is not historically disrupted," Gabrhel said today.
    Znojmo historian Jiří Kacetl advised in the discussion that the city should remind visitors of the fact that the brewery is located in the area of the former Znojmo castle. He recommended demolishing parts of the brewery that are not protected as historical monuments. "We should approach this space as the city's gold. Economic interests should not outweigh public interests," Kacetl stated. He also recalled the former brigands' tower, which was absorbed by the brewery complex in the 19th century.
    According to architect Jaroslav Poláček, the area should be connected as much as possible with the city. He proposed, for example, expanding the spaces around the Romanesque rotunda of Saint Catherine, which stands right next to the complex. However, he noted that it will be necessary to demolish a part of the lager cellars. He also suggested reducing buildings in other areas. In one of the buildings, he proposes to create an exhibition about the rotunda, and in another place, the construction of a viewing terrace.
    The attractiveness of the area could also benefit from a cable car over Gránické Valley, according to Poláček. "For Znojmo, this would be a very attractive and interesting thing," stated Poláček. Demolishing some outbuildings would also widen Hradní Street, which people use to walk from the brewery to the rotunda. Poláček showcased photos of the brewery's interiors to the audience today. He mentioned, for example, that a planetarium could be established in the peak of the original malting house.
    The brewery area is now empty after Heineken's departure. Technology remains only in the brewing hall. Otherwise, the site contains dozens of meters of cellars and above-ground buildings, some of which are of Baroque origin.
    The city purchased the Hostan area two years ago. The city hall paid the Heineken brewery group 26 million crowns for it. The Ministry of Culture declared a larger part of the area a cultural monument last year. Beer was brewed at the Hostan facility since 1720. Production ceased in 2009 when Heineken moved it definitively to Brno.
    Transformations of brewery sites are also planned in Kutná Hora. There, production also ended after the Heineken group left the brewery. The brewery is to be transformed into a social and cultural center. Its spaces will be available for use by, for example, mothers with children or entrepreneurs, and several apartments will also be created in it. The redevelopment study was created by actor and architecture promoter David Vávra.