Yesterday’s ceremonial opening of the hiking trails and the blessing of the chapel of St. Anthony and St. Barbara marked the definitive end of work on the Žabovřeská Outer City Ring Road, which began in 2018. Although public transport passengers and drivers have been using the newly expanded Žabovřeská road since it fully re-opened in November, work concluded this week on additional improvements to the area for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as new access to Wilson’s Forest via a new green area above the road, and repair works to the former chapel, the last remnant of the former settlement of Kamenný Mlýn.
The new 500-metre tram tunnel has been in operation since May 2023. For its construction, it was necessary to blast the rock using 11.3 tons of explosives. In total, 24,000 m3 of rock was excavated. The road began operating in August 2023, was fully reopened by the Directorate of Roads and Highways in November 2024, and is now used by approximately 40,000 cars daily.
“You get used to good things quickly, but I believe that drivers still remember the time when they drove through here at a walking pace because they had to fit into just two lanes next to the tram tracks,” said the Mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková. “I keep receiving positive feedback that moving the tram into the tunnel in the rock and expanding the road to four lanes has really helped traffic significantly, and unless there are any unexpected events or accidents, the place is passable at any time of day. I would like to thank everyone who participated in this successful project.”
The chapel of St. Anthony of Padua and St. Barbara of Nicomedia played a central role in yesterday’s ceremony, when it was blessed by the Bishop-emeritus of Brno, Vojtěch Cikrle. The city repaired the chapel as part of its investment in the ring road, which totalled CZK 250 million excluding VAT. The renovation of the dilapidated chapel led to it being awarded as the best repaired monument of the South Moravian Region in 2021.
“The chapel on the raised terrace directly above the new tram line underwent a complete reconstruction,” said the Deputy Mayor for Investments, René Černý. “It was quite devastated, and there was also a rock slide behind it. The goal was to restore its neo-Gothic appearance. This small building is the last tangible evidence of the settlement of Kamenný Mlýn which once stood here, formed around the Schwab textile factory, and had around 30 houses. It was later destroyed to make way for the construction of the new road, and the only thing that survived was the chapel.”
At the time of its creation, the chapel was dedicated only to St. Anthony of Padua. On the construction of the tram tunnel, an initiative was launched to extend its patronage to St. Barbara, a 15-kilogram cast iron statuette of whom looked over the workers while they were digging the tunnel. Today, the statue belongs to the chapel.
“We are pleased that our initiative to repair and rededicate the Chapel of St. Anthony met with the understanding and support of investors and church representatives,” said Miloš Havránek, General Director of the Brno Transport Company. “By dedicating this chapel to St. Barbara, we will express our respect for her patronage over mining and tunnels, and symbolically ask her to protect the Žabovřeska tunnel and all those who pass through it.”
The chapel was previously very difficult to access, whereas today a new path leads directly to it. Other improvements for pedestrians and cyclists have also been made in the area, including almost 2 kilometers of walking trails, 356 trees, 813 climbing plants and 1,122 bushes.
“The project also included the construction of a new path for cyclists and pedestrians on the left bank of the Svratka River, and two footbridges allowing people to safely cross the busy road,” said Petr Kratochvíl, Brno city councillor for transport. “They can also take three new staircases through Wilson’s Forest to Masarykova čtvrť, a connection which has been completely missing here until now. We will continue to develop the area; we would like to connect it with Anthropos by bicycle, add more furniture elements, and create a workout playground or refreshment area.”
