Flood protection measures that make the river more accessible to people

Flood protection measures are a typical topic that needs to be addressed in cooperation with other municipalities. Measures taken on one section of the river will inevitably be reflected further downstream. Coordination at the level of the Brno Metropolitan Area is therefore absolutely essential.

After the consequences of the floods in 1997 and 2006, the City of Brno began to address the complex protection of the Svratka and Svitava rivers with the aim of building an effective and comprehensive system of nature-friendly flood protection measures. The aim is not to build high concrete walls, as you can see around the rivers now, but more greenery, gentle grassy slopes and leisure infrastructure. In its first phase, the project to build modern flood protection measures focuses on landscaping the banks of the Svratka River, the section that starts at the Riviera swimming pool and ends at the railway viaduct at Uhelná. The new riverbank is intended to make the river more accessible to people and to create a space in the centre of Brno where its inhabitants can spend their leisure time. The basic idea of the winning design by Professor Ivan Ruller’s team is to enable an interesting pedestrian walk along both banks and at the same time provide dignified movement for disabled citizens. Cyclists and skaters will also enjoy having their own path. The transformation of the waterfront envisages a colonnade and terraces along the left bank, while the right bank will have a purely natural character. Features such as meanders, flood meadows and islands will help to hold back high water and benefit the landscape. This phase cost CZK 1.7 billion to complete, of which CZK 220 million was subsidised through the ITI.

Further stages are to follow in the area of Trnitá, Zbrojovka and Sokolova Street. More information about the individual projects can be found on the Water in Brno website (only in Czech). All projects not only strengthen flood protection, but also improve the environment and increase the attractiveness of the area for recreation. Thus, 23 kilometres of the river will be comprehensively protected and with it the 24,000 inhabitants who live in its vicinity.

The joint implementation of flood protection measures is part of an integrated solution that bears the same name. The key projects of the integrated solution include the Střelice dry polder, flood protection measures on the Litava in Hrušky, flood protection in Zbýšov and Rajhradice and a flood park in Židlochovice.