budova Českého rozhlasu Brno Bank building

Welcome to the centre of Brno, one of its most important streets, bearing the name of the famous composer Beethoven. Please stop for a moment and focus fully on the building that is now standing right in front of you. The first impression that radiates from it is a sense of peace, order and unshakable stability. It's a building that doesn't say much in its form, but it also says everything about the time in which it originated. Feel its balance and the way it fits into the surroundings, yet it dominates it.

Let us now return together in time more than a hundred years back to 1923. Imagine Brno at that time as a city in bloom, full of energy and ambition of the young republic. It is in this spirit that this building has been built. Its original purpose was not to broadcast news or music, but to manage money. It became the seat of the Brno branch of the Czech Bank Union. At the time, banks were not just practical authorities, but should have been symbols of trust, security and modern access to the economy.

This vision of concrete reality was made by a talented architect Ernst Wiesner. Wiesner was a man who understood the new currents of his time and was able to carry them into urban space. If you look at the total size of the construction, you'll see an example of what's called rationalist architecture. What does that even mean? Rationalism in architecture means that the form of the building results from its function. Here you will not find unnecessary ornaments that merely mask the purpose of the construction. Instead, there is logic, purity of lines and geometric accuracy. Look at the facade and see how harmonically the individual elements are laid out. It is a beauty based on order and efficiency, which was an ideal expression for a banking institution in 1923.

What's interesting is what this building is in. If you could look under its foundation, you would find that there used to be a Jesuit college in Brno. It's a fascinating contrast. In a place where spiritual discipline and religious education ruled for centuries, a modern temple of financial stability appeared in the interwar period. This transition from sacral space to modern rationalism in many mirrors of the transformation of Brno as a modern metropolis of the twentieth century.

Now pay attention to how the fate of the building changed after World War II. After 1945, the financial centre became a space for culture and information. The building was transferred to the administration of Czech Radio Brno. Imagine the moment when quiet banking halls began to fill with the sound of a human voice, the noise of microphones and music that began to travel through the air to thousands of households across the country. Since then the radio has been based here today and the building has become an essential part of Brno's cultural life.

Speaking of architecture, one fascinating fact cannot be ignored. Ernst Wiesner's proposal was so successful and modern that he was admired by one of the world's greatest visionaries, Le Corbusier. The fact that such a personality appreciated this particular Brno building shows its high quality and that Brno was at that time a real centre of modern thinking in the area of construction.

And now I want to take you to one of the biggest attractions that the building has hidden, which is not visible from the sidewalk at first sight. Look up to the top of the building. It is here that there is something that was completely pioneering at the time of creation. The building has its first roof garden in the whole of Czechoslovakia. In 1923, it was a total revolution. The idea that the roof of the building may not only be a technical conclusion, but may serve as a green space for relaxation and relaxation in the middle of urban concrete was very brave at the time. This roof garden was an expression of the desire to connect a modern city with nature, which was one of the main pillars of modern architecture.

But time passes relentlessly, and even so, a durable building needs care. In recent years, namely between 2017 and 2022, the building has undergone extensive reconstruction. The goal was to preserve its original genius while adapting it to the demands of today's times. This correction was not just a routine maintenance but a precise work which was subsequently evaluated. The reconstruction was announced as one of the best fixed monuments in the entire South Moravian Region. Today we can admire the building in its full glory, just as Ernst Wiesner himself probably saw it.

Now, if you look at this building again, try to see all these layers of history. Do you see the Jesuit college that used to be here? Do you see an ambitious bank from the time of the first republic? Do you hear the voices of radio moderators who have been here for decades? And do you feel the courage of the first roof park in the country?

This building is much more than walls and concrete. It is a monument to human reason, aesthetics and the ability to adapt to new times. It is a place where finance, culture and architecture meet in one harmonious place.

Thank you for accompanying me in this brief view of one of the pearls of Brno's rationalism. Now I encourage you to look at the building from different angles, feel its rhythm, and perhaps try to imagine how you would feel in that legendary roof garden over the city roofs. I wish you a pleasant continuation in discovering the beauty and secrets of our Brno. Goodbye.