Café Ernst is a unique combination of a working café and exhibition space located in the iconic Functionalist Villa Stiassni in Brno’s Pisárky district. It serves as a tribute and memorial to the important Brno architect Ernst Wiesner.
The villa was built between 1927 and 1929 according to Wiesner’s design for the family of the Jewish textile entrepreneur Alfred Stiassni. However, the family only enjoyed the luxurious residence for nine years before being forced to emigrate due to the Nazi occupation. After the Second World War, the building passed into state ownership and became a so-called “government villa” used to accommodate prominent guests, including Fidel Castro in 1972. Before its most recent renovation, the space of today’s café—originally the kitchen—was used for various social events.
The current interior, created in 2022 by the RAW studio (Rusín, Wahla, Pacolová), does not aim to replicate the past, but to evoke the spirit of Wiesner’s lost Café Esplanade. The building’s uniqueness is highlighted through a combination of original and contemporary elements. The interior is dominated by a photographic wallpaper showing a historic image of Café Esplanade, complemented by bentwood furniture from Ton and black granite tables. The bar is clad in strongly veined marble, referencing the villa’s former cloakroom. Original oak parquet floors have been preserved, as well as functional 1930s details such as tiled radiator surrounds designed for easier cleaning.
Outside, the café connects to an impressive covered terrace (loggia) furnished with garden seating, opening onto a vast 3.5-hectare garden.
Since June 2022, Café Ernst has operated as a so-called “educational café” managed by the National Heritage Institute. Visitors can enjoy a cup of specialty coffee from a local roastery while exploring an exhibition on Wiesner’s work. The dessert menu is inspired by produce from the garden and traditional First Republic recipes. The café is open during the villa’s visiting hours and forms part of a broader effort to revitalise the entire site.
