The Kuba House

The private home of the builder Alois Kuba was constructed in 1936. It is one of the largest and most luxurious family homes built in Brno during the interwar period. 

The history of the house dates back to the 1930s when the Kuba brothers – entrepreneur Alois and designer Vilém—built a Functionalist residence set in a park-like garden, orchard, and vineyard. On the ground floor, there was a flat for the caretaker and rooms for maids. A staircase from the entrance hall on the ground floor led to a hall on the first floor illuminated by the curved glass wall of a winter garden; the living room and kitchen were also situated here. The private quarters, including the bedroom, dressing room, and bath, were located on the top floor, which also featured a covered terrace. The extensive basement housed technical facilities, including the distribution system for the central heating and an air-raid shelter. 

The house only served as the Kuba family residence until the Second World War. After Alois Kuba was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943, he was forced to sell it to a German woman from Brno, Edith Piesch. From that point, it deteriorated owing to neglect by various unwanted tenants until 1957, when it was repurposed as a nursery and later as premises for the Secret Police (StB). The original generous design of the Functionalist house and its surroundings was sadly compromised by the construction of a four-lane expressway in its immediate vicinity. 

Since 2009, the house has been a cultural heritage site and now serves as the headquarters for Kostka, a branch of the Helceletka Centre for Leisure Activities in Brno. The centre offers a range of educational and leisure activities for all age groups, both in the mornings and afternoons, as well as camps.