Builder Josef Arnold is the author of a number of famous houses in Brno

Brno – The German architect and builder Josef Arnold, who was born 200 years ago, on December 24, 1824, in the German city of Ingolstadt, is among the most significant figures of Brno architecture in the second half of the 19th century and made a significant contribution to the face and expression of the city. Notable buildings he designed in the city include the Johann Bergl Palace, the Evangelical Church, the Technical School (now Masaryk University), the German Gymnasium (now JAMU), the City Theatre, and Arnold's Villa.

This villa, located on what is now Drobného Street, was built in the 1860s for builder Arnold according to his own design. It was constructed in the style of historicism and later adapted in the spirit of Art Deco with elements of Secession. The villa is an example of the initial construction in the oldest Brno villa colony, Černá Pole, emphasizing its important historical, architectural, and urban context.

The villa was seized by the Gestapo in October 1939, passed under national administration after World War II, and later came under the administration of the Housing Enterprises of the city of Brno. From 1952 to 2012, it housed a kindergarten, after which it stood empty and fell into disrepair for nearly a decade. After a renovation costing 130 million crowns, the villa was opened in December 2023.

Arnold trained as a stonemason and bricklayer at a technical school in Ingolstadt and later studied at the Munich Polytechnic. He moved to Brno in 1851 in connection with the construction of Brno's Okružní Boulevard. By that time, he was already an experienced builder, having worked for the Vienna studio of Heinrich Ferstel, and established a collaboration with stonemason master Johann Wessely. After Wessely's death, Arnold married the widowed Kateřina Wessely and became the owner of a house on Tereziina kolišti and many other properties.

He also owned brickworks, quarries, stonemasonry workshops, and a construction materials showroom. Therefore, he could fully devote himself to the activities of a builder and architect, but he was also active in public life. He served as a member of the Brno municipal council and several associations and institutions, such as the Engineering Section of the Moravian Industrial Association. He was also co-author of one of the proposals for the concept of Brno's Okružní Boulevard, which began to emerge in the 1860s in areas where the city walls had been demolished.

Josef Arnold died on August 12, 1887, in Brno and is buried in the Central Cemetery.