The same point of view: MU Faculty of Science then and now – Dean’s office

Did you know, Building No. 1 was once the main entrance building to the entire pedestrian area? And that the address of the hospital and the faculty was originally Kounicova Street, not Kotlářská. The building originally had a clock tower and the main entrance was on the other side of the building, opening onto Kounicovy Street, where there were stairs and a gate. This gate was still being used in the 1990s, when employees used to go to the canteen on Moravské náměstí (Rector’s Office) for lunch. Now, all that remains of the gate are two pillars at a different distance from the other posts in the fence behind the Dean's office. After the last reconstruction of the complex, new copper eaves, gutters and window sills were installed; however, much of this was subsequently stolen. As a consequence, it was decided that the complex should have just one entrance, through the gatehouse, making it easier to monitor the complex. 

Photo: MU Archive, undated.  

The Dean’s Office has undergone two reconstructions over the past 20 years to cope with the increase in administrators and officials, and the loss of some operations, such as the telephone exchange. Following a number of burglaries, the insurance company requested that the cash office, where people used to queue to deposit monies and withdraw wages twice a month, be moved from the ground floor to the first floor, along with its huge, ancient and heavy safe. The chimneys have disappeared from the roof and there are now offices and a beautiful new meeting room with a wide range of presentation equipment in the attic. The large covered dormer ‘window’ on the roof is the exit of a new elevator. Various exhibitions take place along the representative staircase of the Dean's Office, where there are 15 illuminated wall panels. 

Photo: Libor Teplý, 2019.