The Parnas baroque fountain on Brno’s Zelný trh, which is among the biggest rock fountains in Europe, was removed yesterday for restoration.
The statue in question represents Europa’s mythological character and is positioned on the top of the fountain structure, holding a sceptre and standing over a defeated dragon. Expert preservationists conducted a thorough study of the fountain, commissioned by the City of Brno, and discovered that the Europa statue was extensively affected by deterioration caused by weather conditions.
The town hall therefore requested the restoration, which will take place in the coming weeks.
“The restorers will create a copy in the workshop,” explained Vojtěch Mencl (ODS), mayor of the Brno-střed district. “After the repair, the restored original will be placed in a dignified place, which we are currently discussing. The rocks and all sculptural decorations of the fountain will be cleaned and treated with so-called hydrophobization, thanks to which a layer will be formed on the stone material that repels water.”
The first stage of the renovation will last until July, when the water features will be reactivated, while a replica of the allegorical figure will take the place of the original at the beginning of the next year.
The renovation costs are estimated at CZK 2.4 million, and the work will be carried out by the S:Lukas restoration company, which has already worked on fountain maintenance in the past, cleaning and repairing stone and metal parts.
