The Summer Shakespeare Festival, Summer with Opera and the Špilberk Festival are just some of the events which take place among the baroque backdrop of Brno’s iconic fortress. To ensure that these cultural evenings are no longer disrupted by rain and storms, as has happened several times this summer, the Brno City Museum, which manages Špilberk Castle, is considering adding a roof to the inner courtyard. The preparation of the project was approved this week by Brno councillors.
The museum originally considered a mobile roof for the stage at Špilberk, but is now considering a more systemic solution. It has therefore asked the city, as its founder, to use some of the money allocated in the budget for the purchase of a mobile roof for a screening study and possible project preparation.
A professional study for the roofing of the large courtyard of Špilberk Castle is already underway, and should be completed next year. It is being prepared for the Brno City Museum by Brno Roads, including the project implementation documentation, partly based on a competition a few years ago in which architecture students considered options for the work. Their proposals are now also being examined by experts.
“We have granted this request because Špilberk is establishing itself not only as a tourist attraction, but also as a venue for cultural events,” said Brno Mayor Markéta Vaňková. “Covering the courtyard would add a new dimension to this function. I believe that we will be able to find an appropriate technical solution that will also meet the requirements of monument care.”
“The roof will provide greater comfort for visitors and event organizers at the castle,” added Zbyněk Šolc, director of the Brno City Museum. “We will thus expand the possibilities of the cultural season and offer the people of Brno a truly vibrant cultural place at their castle, according to the motto ‘Špilberk lives 12 months a year’.”
