Representatives of Brno-Center did not support the establishment of a heritage zone in the district

Brno – Representatives of the Brno-střed district did not support the establishment of a heritage zone in this city district at their meeting today. The point was proposed by opposition representative Michal Závodský (for the Greens), who agrees with the form of the zone proposed by the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ). However, the local government can only express its opinion; the decision to establish a heritage zone will be made by the Ministry of Culture.

The NPÚ has previously called for the rapid declaration of two heritage zones in Brno, which aim to prevent the destruction of valuable buildings. Part of the city's historical architectural and urban heritage is at risk due to an administrative error, a lack of adequate entry on the list of cultural monuments from 1988. This longstanding problem has resulted in hundreds of buildings formally losing their heritage protection, with some owners taking advantage of this.

"The current proposal for Brno's heritage zones within Brno-střed includes the urbanistically and architecturally highest-quality neighborhoods of Brno, located on the western, northern, and eastern sides adjacent to the historic core of the city, which has been a city heritage reserve (MPR) since 1989. Today, they only fall into the so-called protective zone of the MPR, which protects only the 'heart' of the metropolis but not the buildings or the character of the locality within that protective zone," states the explanatory report of the point. The NPÚ's proposal for heritage zones includes not only Brno-střed but also the historic part of Královo Pole.

The zones are also supported by the association Za Brno, whose members include art historians and architects. "This is by no means an attempt to freeze this area, to create an open-air museum, and to prevent new construction or interfere with the interiors of buildings," stated art historian Petr Janás, for example. According to him, the primary purpose is to protect particularly the visual parts and specific features of the defined area.

However, according to some opponents of the proposal, the widespread introduction of zones will increase bureaucracy and prolong administration whenever people want to make any adjustments to their property. The scale of the heritage zone has also been previously opposed by the mayor of the district, Vojtěch Mencl (ODS), who voted against it today.