Zprávy památkové péče 2015, 75(4):322-330
Residential Complex Lesná. The thorny path of a panel housing estate towards heritage protection
This article is focused on the presentation of the group of artworks located within the Lesná housing estate, on previous attempts at protecting the heritage of this unique collection of urban art including its artistic realization, and on the role of local civic initiatives in this effort. Within the Brno housing estate of Lesná (1962-1970), built on the design of the Brno Stavoprojekt architects František Zounek, Viktor Rudiš, Ladislav Volák, and Miroslav Dufek, there are nearly thirty artistic realizations located in public spaces and ten works in the interiors of public buildings. In 2004, architect Rudiš submitted a proposal for the declaration of this urban complex as a cultural heritage property. The Ministry of Education, however, refused to support this effort, referring to the inappropriate reconstruction of the original buildings and the previous demolition of civil amenities. Nonetheless, it did recommend that a proposal be drafted for the declaration of Lesná as a municipal heritage zone. This was done in 2009 by Nataša Zounková, the daughter of the estate's chief architect. In 2011 the NHI ÚOP in Brno, at the instigation of civic initiatives in Lesná, drafted a list of the exterior design elements within the housing estate and a draft for declaring it as a cultural heritage property. Due to the inseparability of the artistic design of the housing estate from its architectural and urban concept characteristic for the 1960's, the two proposals will be considered together in the coming months as part of their application for the declaration as a municipal heritage zone. It is likely, however, that the Department of Heritage Preservation of the Czech Ministry of Culture will finally recommend protecting the urban concept of the housing estate through a regulatory plan.
Keywords: heritage preservation, municipal heritage zone, housing estate, mass apartment construction, public art, Lesná housing estate
Published: December 1, 2015 Show citation
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