University Hospital Brno – the Oskar Poříska complex and exterior sculptures

The core of the Bohunice University Hospital complex is formed by the Social Institutes of the City of Brno, built between 1932 and 1935 according to designs by the architect Oskar Poříska.

 On the eve of the 16th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia’s, on 27 October 1934, the Social Institutes of the City of Brno – a municipal infirmary and old people’s home in Bohunice – were formally opened. The original ambitious project for the infirmary and retirement home had to be scaled down owing to the economic crisis, resulting in the construction of only two pavilions based on Oskar Poříska’s design. These provided care for elderly, ill, and often impoverished citizens of Brno. Additional pavilions were built and inaugurated in 1935.

The buildings, arranged in an H-shaped layout, feature a central administrative and operational wing linking the infirmary pavilions (now housing the clinics for pulmonary and infectious diseases) with the retirement home pavilions (now hosting internal medicine, geriatrics, and pulmonary disease clinics). Facing south towards Jihlavská street, the complex was designed with low-rise structures, extensive park areas, covered walkways, and terraces to allow for free movement and relaxation outdoor.

An integral part of the hospital campus is its collection of sculptures by leading Czech sculptors, each positioned to reflect the character of the respective pavilions. One example is the sandstone sculpture Motherhood – a seated mother on a low pedestal with a small child in her lap – symbolizing fertility and maternity. This statue was placed in front of the entrance to the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Pavilion in 1982 to mark its grand opening.