Visitors to the villa's garden Stiassni could walk through with the gardener's commentary

Brno – Today, for the last time this year, people had the opportunity to walk through the garden of the Stiassni villa with the local gardener Libor Janovský providing commentary. The villa's garden is open year-round, just like the villa itself, from Friday to Monday. However, the guided tours are organized by the heritage administration only a few times a year, said the villa's curator, Kateřina Konečná.

"Guided tours are rather exceptional. We typically offer the first date with the event of an open garden weekend, which is at the beginning of June, and the last one during the weekend when the time changes," Konečná added. The last tour date also allows visitors to see the garden under artificial lighting, which changes the atmosphere of the space.

The Stiassni villa garden in Brno's Pisárky district spans 3.5 hectares and is one of the largest private parcels in the city center. "The garden is not botanically exceptional; you won't find any rare species in it, but it has its charm in every season. It is designed in the style of English country houses and also has inspiration from Tuscany, which the Stiassni family loved," Janovský stated.

He pointed out the perennial flower beds that bloom even at the end of October. They are planted with species of plants that bloom from spring until autumn. "The most colorful are the perennial flower beds at the end of May or the beginning of June; it depends a lot on the weather," the gardener added.

Roses are still blooming in the garden, with their beds flowering from spring to autumn. The atmosphere in this season is given to the garden by the gradually changing colors of the leaves on the trees. Janovský also pointed out a small ornamental apple tree, whose apples turn crimson red for winter and remain on the branches even with the first snow.

"Since our garden is an oasis in a densely built area, we have a large number of birds, but also insects. I am very pleased that my invitation was accepted by mycologist Hana Ševčíková, and she walked through the garden with me. In an hour, we found 30 species of mushrooms, which I certainly did not expect,” Janovský added.

The Stiassni villa garden is not a preserved area; the gardener repeatedly urged visitors to take advantage of the option of purchasing a season pass for entrance to the garden and to come there to relax. "The garden is meant for people. The grass needs to be used; I will be very glad if they bring a picnic blanket and spend time here. As long as they don't leave behind litter," he added.

The Stiassni family was part of the industrial elite in Brno. They left Brno due to the threat from the Nazis. The functionalist villa was designed for them by architect Ernst Wiesner and has stood on Hroznová Street in Pisárky since 1929. During the previous regime, it was used by the regional national committee as a so-called government villa for representative purposes. Today, it is managed by the National Heritage Institute. From 2009 to 2014, extensive renovations of the villa took place, which included the establishment of a Center for the Restoration of 20th Century Monuments.