A limited number of stands will remain open for the Christmas holiday in Brno in náměstí Svobody, Dominikánské náměstí and the courtyard of the Old Town Hall, all in agreement with the regional hygiene office and in compliance with government measures. Credit: GM / BD.
“The ban on the operation of Christmas and Advent markets the day before they started caused extreme problems not only for the Brno organizers, but especially for the sellers,” said Markéta Vaňková (ODS), the Mayor of Brno. “For some of them, especially for the smaller ones, this is the peak of the season, which they have been preparing for in their workshops for several months.”
As a result, the city authorities have negotiated with the regional hygiene office to allow a limited number of stalls to remain open for the Christmas period.
“We fully understand, and I am speaking for all the organizers, the serious situation with the spread of covid-19, which is having a major impact on the availability of medical care and hospital overload,” continued Vaňková. “We do not want to go down the route of simply renaming the prepared events as farmers’ markets, for example, but in accordance with the current government measures, and after consultations with the regional hygiene office, we are leaving some stalls in operation and, if necessary, plan to open stands with products covered by the exceptions. These include mistletoe and related products, as well as Advent wreaths, Christmas decorations and the like, commodities that are so closely connected with Christmas in their significance that selling them would be meaningless at another time.”
Brno’s Christmas markets on náměstí Svobody, Dominikánské náměstí and in the courtyard of the Old Town Hall are organized by the city-owned organization TIC Brno. According to director Jana Janulíková, they are in contact with the market traders affected by the ban to discuss the next steps. Full rent is refundable on request to all of the sellers, some of whom are not interested in returning due to the uncertain future of the markets.
On Zelný trh, where the Brno-střed district is organising the Advent celebrations, stands with permitted products have been open since the markets opened. It is possible to access a lot of traditional vendors through the virtual marketplace launched by the Brno-střed district authorities at brnensketrhy.cz.
“As for compensation for the sellers, we are waiting for the government conditions, so as not to harm the sellers in the possible event that the city will be the first to compensate, and therefore they will not be able to apply for compensation from the relevant ministry. As soon as we know this, negotiations will continue regarding the level of support from the city,” said Vaňková.
