Bergl Palace – Muzejka, Österreich Institut Brno

Bergl Palace, locally known as “Muzejka,” is an elegant corner building at Lidická Street and Moravian Square. Designed by Heinrich Ferstel—also the architect of Vienna’s Red Church and Votivkirche—it was built in neo-Gothic style between 1860 and 1863 for leather merchant Johan Bergler. Its interior follows a neo-Renaissance layout inspired by Italian palaces, with an original carriage driveway and an honour courtyard surrounded by utility buildings and a decorative garden.

In 1888, owner Edmund Bochner von Stražisko expanded the palace, adding a connecting wing and incorporating new courtyard buildings while carefully preserving Ferstel’s style. Later modifications included the disappearance of the winter garden and the conversion of the ground-floor exchange hall into Café Biber, which was redesigned in the 1930s by Bohuslav Fuchs as Café Museum.

The palace has a highly articulated floor plan reflecting its complex architectural evolution. A monumental staircase hall, a first-floor foyer in the right wing, and a hallway leading to the Grand Hall—continuing to a terrace—showcase the building’s rich layout. The façade unifies the structure through brickwork and a prominent cornice on corbels, making Bergl Palace a distinctive historic landmark in Brno.