The second stage of the revitalisation of the Marie Restituta park in Brno-Husovice started this week, which requires the closure of the park. The work will last until May next year and will restrict access to the park for four months.
The renovations are mainly related to the improvement of pathways in the central part of the park. Their routes will be changed to reduce the incline of the very steep sections. The upper staircase will replace the main walkway, and a wooden walkway will be created behind the linden trees, opening a new connection through the park.
Martin Glogar (KDU-ČSL), deputy mayor of the Brno-sever district, told reporters that the costs amount to CZK 12 million.
The project’s main goal is to make the park more accessible for all. According to Glogar, the new entrances, designed by the team of architect Eva Wagnerova, “will be made up of low, comfortable stairs that will be lined with a brick structure with a handle, which will serve as an insightful but stylish bearer of the park name. The stairs will be complemented by a ramp for strollers and bikes, so that the park is accessible to everyone. The main pedestrian path, leading from Rotalova to Provazníkova, will now be formed by smooth combered concrete with a guideline for the blind. This path will be the backbone of the entire park.”
The modifications should take several months, meaning the park will be impassable for the public.
Although the modifications to improve accessibility are the priority of the project, preserving the park’s history and heritage is another reason to revitalise it. A new statue representing Marie Restituta, the South Moravian-born nun for whom the park is named, will be erected in the park, celebrating her work helping the poorest and sickest citizens, especially during the occupation. She was executed by the Nazis in Vienna in March 1943 for resisting the regime.
The historical linden path which divides the park in two parts will also receive an upgrade. As Glogar explained, “we have added a narrow wooden sidewalk which will rise slightly above the ground, while reminiscent of the original path leading to the historic cemetery.”
The cemetery was abolished in 1962, and replaced by the park in 1983, though many had forgotten the cemetery’s existence. The municipality aims to commemorate it by adding a sidewalk leading to its previous location.
Finally, new trees will be planted alongside old ones to ensure the future green park framework and to commemorate the old Husovice cemetery. Flowers will be added later in spring along the wooden sidewalk, leading people to the cemetery. Ladoňka and narcissus flowers will be a way of remembering all the people buried there.
Altogether, this project will cost CZK 12 million. Brno-sever plans to unveil the statue and open the repaired part of the park on 1 May, the day of the nun’s birth. From now until 30 November and then again from 1 March to 30 April, the park will be partially closed.
The last part of the park will remain unfinished, where, in addition to renewed greenery, a children’s playground, a water feature and a social space for possible cultural events should be created. The municipality does not yet have the money for this stage.
