The project to renovate Brno’s historic Měnín Gate was launched yesterday. The building, which is under the administration of the Brno City Museum, will undergo extensive structural changes to give it a more dignified appearance and bring it into line with the architectural development of the city.
The Měnín Gate dates back to around 1500, and it is the only one of the five city gates that has been preserved. It became the property of the City of Brno at the end of the 1970s and was subsequently reconstructed according to a design by the architect Kamil Fuchs. It was then entrusted to the Brno City Museum, which began to use it as an exhibition space. In January 2020, the Měnín Gate was closed due to its poor condition, and preparations for its reconstruction began a year later.
“The reconstruction of the Měnín Gate has been gradually prepared since 2021,” said Brno Mayor Markéta Vaňková, speaking at yesterday’s launch ceremony. “The investment plan was followed by the preparation of project documentation by Architekti Hrůša & spol. and Ateliér Brno, and then the selection of the contractor, WELLCO Brno. The planned reconstruction will return the last preserved part of Brno’s medieval city fortifications to a more dignified appearance and prepare it for a new role, the presentation of the city’s fortification system.”
The work should be completed within two years, she added. The total cost of the reconstruction is CZK 27 million, excluding VAT.
The reconstruction will follow the general renovation in the 1980s, when the structure was transformed from a residential building into an exhibition space.
“At that time, new staircases and lifts were installed, windows were replaced and the interior was redesigned,” said Deputy Mayor Karin Podivinská. “During the current restoration, we will focus mainly on dehumidifying the masonry, returning to traditional materials and sensitively modifying the exterior, which will give the building back its fortified tower character. We will also install new wooden internal staircases based on historical typologies. All internal changes are designed to emphasise the neutral, exhibition character of the space. The restoration work will also improve visitor comfort – the interiors will be modified for better orientation and smooth movement of visitors between floors, and the lift will also be modified to allow access for immobile visitors.”
“The original four-storey clock tower was once a distinctive part of the city’s skyline,” added Zbyněk Šolc, director of the Brno City Museum. “Today, the Měnín Gate is the only tangible witness to the fortification ambitions of the time. After the reconstruction, it will serve as a central location for a new permanent exhibition that will present the development of Brno’s fortifications from the medieval walls to the disappearance of the bastion belt.”
The reconstruction will be accompanied by the preparation of a new exhibition at a cost of up to CZK 4 million excluding VAT, including modern architectural design and equipment.
