Mindful of its citizens’ hygiene, in the 19th century the rapidly growing industrial city of Brno built a network of public municipal baths to make up for the general lack of bathrooms in the city’s housing. In 1860 the Diana Baths were established in the city centre on land that had previously been the gardens of the Church of St. James. The baths were modernized and enlarged in 1905–1907 according to plans by the architect Hubert Gessner. They were designed primarily for the middle and upper classes and offered steam treatments, showers and baths. Unfortunately, the building was badly damaged by bombing at the end of the Second World War, and only a part of the perimeter walls and fragments of the interior, including the swimming pool, survived.
The building’s post-war restoration significantly simplified Gessner’s facade and lowered the building by one storey. The pool was reconstructed, apparently in its original dimensions, as was the gallery surrounding the pool. Some architectural details from the original building were preserved in the interior, such as the geometrically articulated ceilings in the pool area and the main staircase with railings terminating in winding volutes. As part of a heritage restoration project after the year 2000, the original facade was restored according to historical photographs.
Hubert Gessner was one of the most prominent Moravian pupils of the Vienna Secession architect Otto Wagner. In the early 20th century, Gessner’s style introduced elements of modern geometric Art Nouveau to Moravia, a style that is also apparent in this spa building. The lower part of the facade stands out for the use of monumental banded rustication, while the protruding upper floor sits atop a sharply curved cordon ledge. The character of the facade was further accentuated by the geometric composition of the windows, the metal grilles on the tiny balconies and the massive chambranles around the arched windows on the upper floor. Although the original facade was more decorative, the renovations in the second half of the 20th century successfully rehabilitated Gessner’s architectural work.
Matěj Kruntorád