The giant Zoubek statue returned in front of the being renovated Continental hotel

Brno - In the space in front of the reconstructed four-star Continental hotel in the center of Brno, builders returned the sculpture by sculptor Olbram Zoubek, which had to be removed from the site for several months due to repairs. The hotel has been undergoing renovation since spring costing 60 million crowns, and it should be completed within a month, said hotel director Jaroslav Vacek to ČTK. According to him, restorers are currently also repairing Zoubek's sculpture made of white cast concrete weighing 25 tons. It was created in the 1960s.
"During communism, the sculpture was damaged; it was painted with latex. We washed that off, and work on its restoration is still ongoing," Vacek said.
According to the Department of Heritage Conservation of the Brno City Council, cracks in the concrete of the sculpture will need to be filled, for example. The ten-meter work is considered by experts to be one of the largest Zoubek sculptures.
According to Vacek, the hotel renovation is also nearing completion, as it has been a cultural monument since 2009. "Final works like glazing, interior furnishing, and others are already taking place," he added.
The Continental is set to unveil new underground garages with 80 parking spaces, an expanded conference center, and a new bar from October. Workers are currently constructing the area for car access in front of the hotel, which will be surrounded by a park with a new design.
The hotel, which offers accommodation in 230 rooms, was built in 1964 according to the design of architect Zdeněk Řihák.
There are fewer than ten four-star hotels operating in Brno, which primarily profit from conference and trade fair tourism. According to analyst Ondřej Moravanský from the company Cyrrus, Brno is characterized by hosting several one-time events during which the demand for hotels is high.
This year, 85-year-old Zoubek came into broader public awareness after he cast the death mask of Jan Palach in 1969 and also created his tombstone. Since the early 1970s, when the communist regime was not favorable to him, he worked as a restorer in Litomyšl. In the 1990s, he became a sought-after artist whose works adorn the interiors of offices and private collections.