Stadium Hall (Sál Stadionu) and Leoš Janáček

The hall where Janáček’s famed Glagolitic Mass premiered

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Sokol gymnastics organisation, a summer stadium was built in Kounicova Street in 1922. Only one year later, a pavilion with an exhibition hall was built close by that served as a multifunctional arena, mainly for Brno trade fairs. Concerts were regularly held in the hall as well. Shortly after it was opened, the centre installed a huge organ manufactured by Wilhelm Sauer in 1885 that had originally been located in Prague’s Rudolfinum. Janáček’s Glagolská mše (Glagolitic Mass) had its premiere there on 5 December 1927.

After the decision to build trade fair grounds in the Pisárky neighbourhood, the pavilion passed to the Sokol organisation, which then decided to build a new gym and social halls with facilities nearby. Not long after the premiere of the Glagolitic Mass, the original hall was completely surrounded by new buildings. Nevertheless, its interior remains almost unchanged to this day, including the organ.