On the slope below Špilberk, the Otevřený Les (‘Open Forest’) forest park is being created, which will connect to the existing educational Otevřena Zahrada (‘Open Garden’). Otevřený Les will be freely accessible to the public from spring 2026, and will also be used for teaching. It will offer a “wilder” opportunity to be among nature, but in the centre of the city.
“The grounds were unkempt and provided space for homeless people,” said Deputy Mayor of Brno Filip Chvátal. “This is one of the last parts of Špilberk park that is not open to the public. The completion of this location will connect Otevřena Zahrada with Špilberk park, provide visitors with a new high-quality forest park, and also relieve the overloaded operation of Otevřena Zahrada.”
“This space has been unused for the last 20 years, but it is biologically very diverse, and there are many den trees that provide shelter for a number of animals,” explained Eva Kvapilová from the Partnership Foundation. “An ornithological, chiropterological, mycological and entomological survey is currently underway in cooperation with MENDELU, the results of which we will use for educational programs on biodiversity, soil and climate.”
A natural play area for children
Otevřený Les will be a place for children to play among nature and rest among the trees, but at the same time a place where rare local vegetation is preserved. “We will cultivate the soil, revitalise the successional forest and coppice, plant shrubs and fruit trees, and strengthen the unique biodiversity that has been created here for the past 50 years,” added Hana Zuchnická, landscape architect and tree care specialist. In Otevřený Les, the curators will set up paths, benches and dry walls in which lizards and insects make their homes. In the spring, the forest park will be full of colour from a range of blooming flowers, including anemones, daffodils or peonies.
The experience of the Partnership Foundation
In 2013, with the help of the City of Brno, local businesses, and volunteers from the local community, the Partnership Foundation transformed the abandoned garden under Špilberk into an open garden, a green oasis for all generations. In 2015, the garden was expanded to include the former Borromeo monastery garden, and breathed life into the forgotten grotto. Today, 50,000 people visit Otevřena Zahrada every year.
