In the mourning hall in Brno-Židenice, restoration work remains to be completed

Brno - In the renovated funeral hall in Brno-Židenice, restoration works are still to be completed. The artist Tomáš Ruller is currently working on the restoration of the plaster relief above the coffin stand, which is meant to be a reminder of the interim period when the funeral hall was deteriorating, Ruller told ČTK. He is the son of the architect Ivan Ruller, who designed the funeral hall. According to the mayor of the district, Petr Kunc (Voice for Židenice), the works could be completed in April, when the city hall also intends to select an operator for the funeral hall. The repairs cost 54 million crowns.

The plaster relief is the dominant feature of the farewell hall. Its central part was originally smooth. "My father and I always discussed whether there should be something there. Over the time it was deteriorating and leaking, such a drawing formed there, which I am cleaning and adjusting. I am creating an imaginary landscape from it," Ruller described.

The reconstruction of the hall began in 2023. However, according to Kunc, it needed repairs already in the 1990s. At that time, it was still serving its purpose. "In 1989, for example, the poet Jan Skácel had his funeral here," Kunc stated. It has been closed since 2007.

In addition to the relief, paintings and other artworks still need to be restored, such as ceramic jardinières according to Ida Vaculková. "What could still be restored is the relief by Jiří Fusk and Věra Krylová," Ruller added. In recent weeks, for example, a stained glass window around the coffin stand, which has been almost entirely preserved, has also been added.

In April, the city hall wants to start selecting an operator. "It seems that there will be some interest in it. Our main priority is for it to continue serving as a funeral hall," Kunc stated. According to him, the hall can serve the whole city of Brno. The reconstruction cost 54 million crowns, with the city district receiving 28.5 million crowns from Brno.

Architect Ivan Ruller passed away in 2018 at the age of 91. His signature can be seen in works such as the Janáček Theatre and the Rondo ice hockey arena. A complete list of works that Ruller enriched the fund of modern architecture with includes over 500 items. He was a pupil of Bohuslav Fuchs and Bedřich Rozehnal, and was strongly influenced by functionalism, modernism, and interwar culture in general, as well as French brutalism.