The significant Brno architect Wiesner is commemorated by the stones of the disappeared
Brno – The author of the Brno crematorium, Palace Morava, and many other significant buildings including villas and apartment buildings, Ernst Wiesner, is now commemorated in Brno's Pekařská Street with stones of the vanished. The brass cubes in the pavement also remember his family, who were murdered in a concentration camp by the Nazis due to their Jewish origin. The act took place symbolically today, a day before the anniversary of Wiesner's forced escape from Brno, in front of the house at Pekařská 10, where the Wiesner family lived and Ernst had his studio.
The prominent Czechoslovak architect fled on March 15, 1939, the day of the Nazi occupation. He made his way to Great Britain through Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. "The first two years of his life in British exile were marked by significant poverty, and Wiesner found himself unemployed. Meanwhile, his house in Pekařská Street was confiscated in Brno, and the rest of his family was deported to concentration camps and murdered," said Michal Doležel, who initiated the placement of the stones together with architects Petr Pelčák and Ivan Wahl.
Wiesner worked as an architect in London after the end of World War II. He briefly returned to Brno, only to travel again to Great Britain after the communist coup in 1948, where he remained. "Especially from the 1990s to the present, he has been significantly remembered by a group of architects and art historians, but his forced flight from Brno and subsequent emigration have caused him to be undervalued today. Wiesner went from being one of the most successful architects, who significantly influenced the face of interwar Brno, to a refugee overnight," Doležel said.
It is the stones of the vanished, known as Stolpersteine, that will now remind passersby of Wiesner's presence. They take the form of a small square tile with a ten-centimeter edge and a brass plate bearing information about the individual. To read the names, one must bend down, thus paying respect. The initiative was launched in the 1980s by German artist Gunter Demnig, and today there are tens of thousands of stones across Europe. In Brno, there are more than 300, and a list can be found on a website that was created last November.
According to Doležel, however, the current number of stones is only a fraction. "These are thousands of people who lived in Brno, and the Nazi occupation severed their connection to the city. Among them are prominent figures, resistance fighters, but also unknown individuals. More stones will certainly be added. For example, in May, on the occasion of the anniversary of the end of World War II, we plan to lay about 16 stones for the Löw-Beer family on Hlinky Street," he added.
The prominent Czechoslovak architect fled on March 15, 1939, the day of the Nazi occupation. He made his way to Great Britain through Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. "The first two years of his life in British exile were marked by significant poverty, and Wiesner found himself unemployed. Meanwhile, his house in Pekařská Street was confiscated in Brno, and the rest of his family was deported to concentration camps and murdered," said Michal Doležel, who initiated the placement of the stones together with architects Petr Pelčák and Ivan Wahl.
Wiesner worked as an architect in London after the end of World War II. He briefly returned to Brno, only to travel again to Great Britain after the communist coup in 1948, where he remained. "Especially from the 1990s to the present, he has been significantly remembered by a group of architects and art historians, but his forced flight from Brno and subsequent emigration have caused him to be undervalued today. Wiesner went from being one of the most successful architects, who significantly influenced the face of interwar Brno, to a refugee overnight," Doležel said.
It is the stones of the vanished, known as Stolpersteine, that will now remind passersby of Wiesner's presence. They take the form of a small square tile with a ten-centimeter edge and a brass plate bearing information about the individual. To read the names, one must bend down, thus paying respect. The initiative was launched in the 1980s by German artist Gunter Demnig, and today there are tens of thousands of stones across Europe. In Brno, there are more than 300, and a list can be found on a website that was created last November.
According to Doležel, however, the current number of stones is only a fraction. "These are thousands of people who lived in Brno, and the Nazi occupation severed their connection to the city. Among them are prominent figures, resistance fighters, but also unknown individuals. More stones will certainly be added. For example, in May, on the occasion of the anniversary of the end of World War II, we plan to lay about 16 stones for the Löw-Beer family on Hlinky Street," he added.
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