The Zlín Region approved the restoration of the tomb of Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Zlín - The repair of the tomb of the German-speaking Moravian writer Marie von Ebner - Eschenbach in Zdislavice near Kroměříž has been approved by the councilors of the Zlín Region. The tomb, which is a cultural monument, is in a state of emergency. Next year marks the hundredth anniversary of the writer's death, so a visit from Austrian tourists is expected, said regional councilor Ladislav Kryštof to journalists today.
    "In Austria, the writer is considered to have a significance comparable to Božena Němcová in the Czech Republic," the councilor reminded. "The Ministry of Culture has already been alerted several times to the emergency condition of the tomb during diplomatic talks with the Austrian side, which ultimately casts a bad light on the owner, which is the Zlín Region," he said.
    The Neoclassical tomb, which was built in the second half of the 19th century under the castle in Zdislavice, has compromised statics. "Due to repairs in recent years, there has been a severing of the sewage system; the tomb was not drained from below, and the walls have cracked," Kryštof stated.
    The restoration of the tomb will cost approximately 4.3 million crowns, of which 900,000 crowns should be covered by the Ministry of Culture. Work is expected to begin this June and last until November.
    The writer came from the old Moravian noble family Dubský from Třebomyslice. She was born on September 13, 1830, in Zdislavice. At the age of eighteen, she married the Austrian officer Mořic Ebner of Eschenbach. In German-speaking circles, she is regarded as a significant author of the 19th century, but she does not enjoy such renown in her native country. Nevertheless, Moravia is the place where she set the stories of many of her short stories and prose from rural settings.