In Brno, which was an important hub of national life, the well-known women's association Vesna was founded in 1870, originally focused on singing in Slavic languages. Just one year after its founding, it shifted its focus to education – although choir singing continued to play an important role, the association's purpose was expanded to include spreading education among Czech-speaking women in Brno. At that time, it was not the only women's association focused on young girls. The slightly younger German "Brno Women's Craft Association" (1873) operated in a similar manner, successfully focusing on the education of German girls in its buildings at what is now Tř. Kpt. Jaroše 7.
The original intention to establish a singing school at Vesna was transformed into a more ambitious continuation school for girls, which bridged the gap in suitable education for girls who had already graduated from elementary school. The "continuing school for girls" was opened in 1886 after considerable financial difficulties, and so the Vesna association, following the example of the Prague women's movement, embarked on the path of an educational and manufacturing association, which better suited the association's emancipatory ambitions and the needs of Brno girls.
The gradually expanding roster of Vesna's educational institutions for girls, including the highest possible level – lyceum (an intermediate level between secondary and college education) – and the high quality of education led to an increase in demand from applicants. In the following years, the association and its schools rightly began to be referred to as the "showcase of Czech Moravia" – being a Vesna graduate guaranteed a certain social credit and a good reputation on the marriage market. The association's position among the Czech population was confirmed in the 1890s by the construction of a "women's campus" between Údolní and Jaselská streets, which provided an amazing backdrop for Vesna's growing girls' schools. It is therefore not surprising that the façade of the girls' lyceum bears the image of a light bearer – a winged female figure with a book and a torch, which is supposed to bring light and knowledge to unenlightened women.
The scope of Vesna's pre-war activities is explained in the statutes from 1900, which state that the association's goal is "to care for the comprehensive education of women, the improvement and expansion of women's work, the sale of their products, and the financial security of women." This was reflected in a wide range of activities, from financing practical and general schools, including good facilities for concerts, art exhibitions, sales fairs, presentations of Moravian folklore abroad, etc. Due to its dependence on public resources and fears of losing its meager income, the association did not officially engage in activities beyond the scope of the association law, i.e., in political events, but it was indirectly involved in them. For example, in 1904–1905, a number of Vesna members and their school teachers signed petition sheets demanding active voting rights for women on the association's premises. In 1905, during the Czech-German riots, unknown German youths broke the windows of one of Vesna's schools, which proves that the German population perceived Vesna's buildings as a space where Czech national consciousness was concentrated.
Although the association did not formally establish any branches before 1914, it became an inspiration for, among others, associations in Ivančice, Třebíč, and the so-called Silesian Vesna in Opava with a branch in Frýdek-Místek. After World War I, its members contributed significantly to the development of girls' education in Slovakia. After the turbulent upheavals of the 20th century, which had a largely negative impact on Vesna's activities and services (restrictions on its activities during World War II, involuntary dissolution after 1948), the association was revived in 1989. It is wonderful that today, more than 150 years later, the legacy of this famous association is being honoured by the Ženský vzdělávací ústav Brno, z. ú. (2022).
Hana Krutílková, Moravské zemské muzeum
