DROM - Roma Centre and Hvězdička - Eugen Horváth Park

The community centre for children and youth of the DROM Roma Centre is located in a park named after Roma musician and educator Eugen Horváth, the first public space in the Czech Republic named after a person of Roma origin.

DROM, based on Hvězdová Street in the Zábrdovice district, is a municipal organisation that supports the integration of socially excluded residents into society. It maps local social challenges and connects public institutions and non-profits to collaborate on social inclusion.

The Roma centre was founded in 1989, when the first director Leoš Fučík and Roma educator Ignác Zima began activities for children and youth in a dilapidated building on Bratislavská Street. Since the 1990s, DROM has pioneered innovations in social services, from Roma teaching assistants in schools to community housing and social-health assistants. A new community centre was established as part of an integrated urban development project in Brno’s disadvantaged residential area between 2008 and 2015.

The project aimed to improve the neighbourhood’s image, increase safety, promote integration of Roma residents, and attract new inhabitants. A park was created in 2014 on the site of a previously neglected block, designed by Zdeněk Sendler’s landscape architecture studio. The park includes a small square with four paths, dividing the area into an entrance zone, a sports area, a relaxation space, and the low-threshold community centre for children and youth, designed by architects Radkom Květem and Radek Sládeček.

The modular building is divided into two floors with separate access. The ground floor contains a multifunctional hall, club rooms, offices for social workers, and hygiene facilities. The upper floor includes counselling spaces, offices for crime-prevention assistants, field social work, and social-pedagogical services. A notable feature is the roof and a perforated metal wall designed to support climbing plants. In 2017, the park was officially named Hvězdička – Eugen Horváth Park, in honour of the prominent Roma musician and bandleader.

The community centre provides unique social services for clients from preschool age to seniors, serving over a thousand people annually. It runs crime-prevention programmes, supports foster families and families with children, and hosts cultural, social, educational, and awareness-raising events. DROM works closely with the Verda Foundation, which supports the education of Roma children and youth.