The government will discuss the state's contribution to the headquarters of the Brno Philharmonic

Prague - The government should discuss before the end of its term whether it will contribute to the construction of a new concert hall in Brno. The planned Janáček Cultural Center is set to be the home of the Brno Philharmonic, featuring world-class acoustics and also incorporating a top-notch recording studio, according to a report presented by the Ministry of Culture. The funding is expected to come from the city, the region, and the state, and the Ministry of Culture aims to provide 600 million Czech crowns of the required more than 1.2 billion crowns.

Last autumn, the city of Brno, the South Moravian Region, and the Ministry of Culture signed a memorandum on the construction of the Janáček Cultural Center. Two international teams are in the running for the design of the building. The first was formed around the company Nagata Acoustic, which has participated in the construction of nearly 60 halls, including the recently opened Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. The second team member is Polish architect Tomasz Konior. Completing the trio is Brno resident Petr Hrůša with his studio, which will ensure the authorizations and qualifications required by Czech law. The basis of the second group is the globally operating, originally British company Arup. They have demonstrated their capabilities with halls in Wrocław, Aalborg, and Quebec, complemented by the Brno office ArchDesign.

The Brno Philharmonic has long been performing and rehearsing under inadequate conditions. The new hall, with a capacity of over 1200 seats, is supposed to be located at the corner of Besední and Veselá streets. The city aims to start construction next year to smoothly follow the construction of underground garages.

According to materials that the government will discuss soon, the Ministry of Culture should contribute 600 million crowns to the construction beyond its budget in the years 2018 to 2020. In 2018, it is expected to be 100 million, in 2019 then 300 million, and in 2020 the final 200 million crowns.

A similar memorandum as in the case of the Janáček Center was recently signed by Plzeň with the region and the ministry for the construction of a new headquarters for the West Bohemian Gallery. Prague has also been talking for a long time about the construction of a new concert hall. It is currently mentioned in the city's cultural concept until 2021. Both the city and experts in music or urban planning have previously listed various locations where the hall could stand. City representatives last mentioned a location in Prague 7 near the Vltavská metro station; earlier discussions included Štvanice or Klárov. However, as opposed to Brno, Prague has not yet made any binding steps towards the construction of a new concert hall.