Urban Design of the Village of Brněnec

FAST VUT - Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Department of Architecture

Project idea

Until recently, I experienced Brněnec only as a blur flashing behind the window of the train that took me to Brno. Over time, however, and as the design process progressed, it began to take on specific contours for me. First as the location of the famous movie Schindler‘s List. Then as a village of the former Sudetenland, from which the atmosphere of an abandoned place still breathes. An atmosphere so familiar to me and so similar to my home village, which was also once a German village and therefore dominated by a population forced to leave their home after the war. And after which only a number of abandoned houses remained, some were reoccupied, others remained empty and thus became mute witnesses of times past.

Despite the initial gloom, however, places like Brněnec are characterised by their peace, their quiet, their closeness to untouched nature. And it is the sense of the past in the form of old factories, abandoned farmhouses and the remains of houses that have been left to their fate that makes the place even more valuable. Behind every brick there is a story. I therefore see the ruins of a former and famous factory as one of the greatest values of the village and as a great opportunity.

In my project I decided to focus on Brněnec on the scale of the map as well as in detail and to bring the values of history as well as future into my project.

BORDER: ROAD - RAILWAY - RIVER

In the past, a number of borders have passed through Brněnec. The historical border of Bohemia and Moravia. The borders of the Protectorate during the Second World War. But also the railway or the I/43 road. The Svitava River, which was once the engine of local industry. The busy corridors are a source of noise and dust, making life unpleasant for the local population. The riverbank is poorly used and the riverbed is largely unpaved. The boundaries that used to run through the river in the past are still visible.

The project therefore focuses mainly on the barriers in the area, exploiting their potential, improving the permeability of the area and their overall transformation into a meeting place.

THE FACTORY PREMISES

The ruins that remain on the site of a large factory, until recently the largest employer for Brněnec and the surrounding area, are a testament to the sad end of the textile industry not only in Brněnec. Thanks to Oskar Schindler, however, they are also a place that is not only indifferent to the locals, but which is also in the international consciousness. The people who survived the Holocaust in Brněnec, as well as the former employees of Vitka, represent a well of memories that should not be forgotten.

I therefore see history as crucial. Because in places like Brněnec, the past should not be repressed, but should instead become part of today.

Project description

FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES

The design principles are based on the results of the analysis. At the scale of the village, the main problem is the lack of accessibility through the area, which is obstructed by a number of barriers.

Road bypass
The biggest of them is the I/43 road, which is a sensitive issue not only for the residents of Brněnec, but also for political representatives. The overloaded road complicates the life of local residents with noise and dust. The construction of the bypass will significantly improve the main road running through the centre of the village. It will help to create a place with the potential of a quality public space where people can meet and which will be the place for social events such as Village Days, battle re-enactments, fairs, balls, festivals.

Accessibility through the area
Brněnec is full of interesting places that were witnesses of historical events shaping the character of the village. The aim of the plan is to connect these places with each other and thus improve the permeability of the area.

The River
The river is an important element shaping the character of Brněnec. Yet its potential is largely missed here. Most of the banks are paved or overgrown. The project proposal includes a path along the river that makes the riverbank accessible along the entire length of the village. The improvements will create a new route for recreation, jogging, dog walking, cycling or horse riding etc. In addition, new public spaces will be created along the river in the form of a children‘s playground or a floodplain meadow.

SURVIVORS‘ MEMORIAL

The northern part of the former textile factory site is primarily significant for its group of listed buildings, which became a shelter for Oskar Schindler‘s Jewish workers. It is also the setting for a story full of hope, courage, gratitude, relief and joy. I wanted these emotions to be felt here and to be clearly readable for every visitor. Therefore, I created a tree alley that leads from the visitor center (detailed in the floor plans) directly to a courtyard surrounded by buildings where Jews worked. The tree as a symbol of new life.

The memorial begins in an open space bordered by trees in the gravel, but from where you can see a gate in the form of a triumphal arch that will invite you to enter. In front of the gate there is a glazed hole in the ground through which the flowing river will be visible. A symbol of the emptiness.

From the hole, a path leads through the gate in the form of light objects embedded in the ground. Each one of them bears the number of one of the prisoners, each symbolizing one person. The objects are placed at varying distances from each other, depending on whether they were one person or a whole family. At the same time, the distance shortens and the density of the objects becomes more intense until they graduate in the yard. A water object in the form of a well in the sand is placed at the very end of the path/alley. A symbol of fulfillment. A well in the desert. Hope.

Except for the actual reflection in the water, visitors can also see stones with prison numbers in the water fountain, to which the names of the survivors are assigned.
The formerly nameless prisoners, who were stripped of their names, dignity and their own identity, are here again becoming people with a name and their own history.

From the courtyard, it is possible to continue into the buildings themselves, which are statically secured and adapted for visitors, but left largely in the original form in which they were left by the Jewish workers. The interior will be adapted for the exhibition of survivors and possible exhibitions of art works. An exhibition of Oskar and Emilie Schindler will be installed in the office building.

SYMBOLS

Gateway to a new life. Arc de Triomphe. The object built from stones left over from the demolition of the factory.

The tree as a symbol of new life
Although a longer part of the winter is still to come, most of the rain has already passed. - Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 14a

In Jewish tradition, the tree has a special meaning. Tu bi-Shvat is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the month of Shevat and is often referred to as the New Year of Trees / Feast of Trees or Feast of Fruits. Tu Bishvat usually comes at the end of January or early February, when the first trees (almond trees) in Israel begin to blossom and marks the beginning of a new growing cycle. Tu Bishvat is a minor holiday associated with a festive dinner, but tree planting is also a modern custom.

For the tree alley, I decided to design pear trees. This formerly widespread tree has been disappearing from the Czech landscape in recent years and is becoming rare. The pear tree is a very tough tree. It is also the only tree that survived the burning of Lidice and Ležáky.

List of rescued Jewish workers
The list of rescued Jewish workers is part of the memorial in the form of glass light objects embedded in the ground. Each element represents one prisoner and is marked with the corresponding prison number. The alley thus represents a path away from emptiness and hopelessness, which, however, leads to hope through the list. The list itself represents a light that has appeared in dark times.

The glazed hole in the ground symbolizes the emptiness, the initial hopelessness, which, however, only stands at the beginning of the journey.

Water feature / well
Shape of the well is inverse to the shape of the hole, it is a symbol of hope, new life, fulfillment / Water in the middle of the desert.

Jews place stones on graves as a symbol of remembrance and witness
stones with numbers and names of the Jewish workers who in this place went from nameless prisoners to people with names and their own stories

NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE FORMER TEXTILE FACTORY SITE

The road network of the newly created part of the village is based on the original road connecting the northern and southern part of the factory, while it is logically connected to the existing roads. The bridge to the south is preserved. The street is designed as a residential zone, thus it is primarily intended for pedestrians, while allowing convenient access and service for motor vehicles.

The main road is supplemented by cross paths intended only for pedestrians and connecting the river bank with the existing third class road. Old bricks left on the site after the demolition of the buildings are used for the construction of the cross-connections.

I design the newly created development as terraced family houses oriented to the street, supplemented by outbuildings, greenhouses, shelters. The predominant function is a residential function, which I complement with public amenities. However, it would also allow for the creation of smaller businesses (e.g. tradesmen‘s workshops, animal housing, small shops, offices, studios etc.) which could use the space of the proposed garages within the house. The area proposes residential housing for young families or single person households. The new street will also provide parking and longitudinal parking for occasional visitors.

The form of the building is based on the architecture of a house typical for Brněnec, oriented to the street. The aim of the design of the layout of the house was to meet the needs and expectations of the future inhabitants, who will encounter life in the village, as much as possible. Therefore, I am creating houses for a large family, where there is also space for possible accommodation of grandparents. The house has a spacious garage and direct access to the garden. The winter garden/greenhouse is also accessible directly from the interior, but also from the garden.

Technical information

BALANCE OF THE PROPOSAL

The floor area of the newly built two-storey terraced houses is approximately 205 m2. A total of 43 detached houses and two apartment buildings with six residential units (3 x 1+1, 3 x 2+1) are proposed in the southern part of the area, which are primarily intended for new families or recent graduates, etc.
Each family house has one garage and one outdoor parking space, for a total of 2 parking spaces / house. A covered shelter is proposed at the apartment buildings with 9 parking. In addition, 38 occasional longitudinal parking spaces are proposed along the street for occasional visitors, family events, etc. The material used for the longitudinal parking is gravel lawn.
There are also parking spaces proposed at the public amenity buildings on the site.

number of family houses | 43
floor area of a family house | 205 m2
number of parking spaces per house | 2
number of apartment buildings | 2
number of residential units | 6
number of residential units 1+1 | 3
number of housing units 2+1 | 3
floor area of 1+1 apartment | 70 m2
floor area of 2+1 apartment | 115 m2
capacity of covered parking for apartment buildings | 9
number of occasional longitudinal parking spaces on the street | 38
parking capacity of the multifunctional building | 9 + 2 (for the disabled)
parking capacity at the swimming pool | 20 + 2
parking capacity at a home for the elderly | 8 + 2
parking capacity at the museum in the northern part of the area | 30 + 2

In case of need (e.g. arrival of a large tour) it will also be possible to park on the paved grassy area (gravel lawn) in the northern part of the complex (capacity 30 + 2).

MATERIAL DESIGN AND RE-USE OF THE FACTORY WASTE

I see the material solution as one of the tools to achieve the authenticity of the place and to underline the historical events. After the demolition of the factory, a lot of waste remains on the site to this day; old wooden slats, bricks, papers, bills, pay slips, wooden boxes, old tyres, tiles, spools of wool and yarn, tin barrels and chairs, tables, planted doors. My aim was to use this material as much as possible to make furnishings, benches, baskets, playgrounds, shelters, flower beds, but also to insulate the house or as a surface material for paths, passages and walkways.

My aim was also to highlight historical paths, like the path from the station building in Březová nad Svitavou to the yard of the Schindler‘s factory. It was here where the Jewish workers arrived and then continued from there to the factory. The event is commemorated in the form of old rails that will be installed along the road. I am also creating an Emilie Schindler trail, which runs from the yard to the mill, and an Armed Revolt trail from the Folk House, where the revolt began, to the path along the river.

Documentation

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