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Brno’s technical university – but which one?
Viktor Kaplan is sometimes mistakenly associated with BUT. The confusion may stem from the literary shorthand “Brno’s technical university.” At the time, however, there were two institutions in Brno operating side by side:
The German Technical University in Brno (Deutsche Technische Hochschule Brünn) was German-speaking, operated from 1873 to 1945, and was located at Komenského náměstí 2, where the Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University is now based. It was officially abolished after the war by presidential decree, and its property was transferred to Czech-language universities in Brno.
The Czech Technical University in Brno was founded in 1899 in response to the emancipation of Brno’s Czech-speaking population, who wanted their own university with Czech as the language of instruction. They succeeded on September 19, 1899, when the Imperial and Royal Czech Technical University of Franz Joseph in Brno was established by imperial decree. Its name was officially changed in 1956 to today’s Brno University of Technology.
Attentive city residents surely noticed that the statue disappeared from its usual spot last summer. “Due to the planned reconstruction of the BUT campus on Údolní Street, we removed the statue as a precaution and, in the meantime, it underwent professional restoration,” explains Jiří Hlinka, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The faculty then sought a dignified place for the likeness of the famous inventor within its premises. Ironically, the historical pedestal of the statue had Kaplan’s name incorrectly inscribed as ‘Victor’ instead of ‘Viktor.’ “We decided to correct that as well and placed the statue on a restored pedestal with the correct name,” adds Hlinka.Ceremonial Scientific Board of FME. | Author: Václav KoníčekOn Wednesday, June 4, Kaplan was ceremoniously unveiled in the faculty foyer in the presence of the inventor’s family. On the same day, the faculty held a Ceremonial Scientific Board, during which FME celebrated its 125th anniversary by honoring notable individuals associated with the faculty. A gold medal was awarded in memoriam to Viktor Kaplan, and the award was accepted by his granddaughter, Professor Gerlind Weber. She also pursued an academic career, though in a different field: she worked at the University of Vienna, focusing on spatial planning and rural development.Unveiling of the bust of Viktor Kaplan. | Author: Václav Koníček
It is the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at BUT, specifically one of its departments, that has long embraced the inventor’s legacy, which Kaplan’s family appreciates. “Viktor Kaplan worked at the German Technical University in Brno, which ceased to exist in 1945. It seemed logical to us to continue the legacy of this famous inventor who, although a native Austrian, is inseparably linked with Brno. That’s why we contacted Kaplan’s family in 1998 and received their kind permission to include Kaplan’s name in our department’s title,” says Pavel Rudolf, head of the Viktor Kaplan Department of Fluid Engineering.“Kaplan proposed a revolutionary concept that allowed for the processing of low heads and high flows, a challenge that many scientists and inventors had failed to solve. A significant innovation of the Kaplan turbine was the adjustable runner blades, which allow for better regulation and more efficient use of hydro energy potential. Viktor Kaplan is also an example of successful technology transfer and industrial collaboration. Without the support of Brno industrialist Ignaz Stork, his turbine would never have been tested and implemented in practice,” explains Rudolf.Bust of Viktor Kaplan at his “former address”. | Author: Igor ŠefrThe mentioned department has a tradition of more than a century at Brno’s technical university. It deals not only with the design and construction of hydraulic machines and equipment, and the design of waterworks, but with all machines, processes, and technologies that work with fluids, in a modern, interdisciplinary approach. Promising inventions include, for example, CaviPlasma – a technology for water purification using low-temperature plasma, which can remove chemical residues such as estrogens from contraceptives and eliminate pathogenic microorganisms like cyanobacteria and bacteria. Another example is an innovative vortex turbine designed for small hydropower plants with even lower heads than the Kaplan turbine.
Viktor Kaplan
November 27, 1876, Mürzzuschlag – August 23, 1934, Rochuspoint near Unterach
From 1895 to 1900, he studied at the Technical University in Vienna. He came to Brno in 1903 to work at the German Technical University. His interest focused on water turbines, and his great dream was to improve the then-successful Francis turbine, which he worked on tirelessly. With the support of Brno industrialist Ignaz Stork, he built a laboratory for water turbines at the university and laid the foundations for the future Kaplan turbine between 1909 and 1912. He patented his inventions between 1912 and 1941, but subsequent legal disputes dragged on for 12 years before Kaplan finally prevailed and was granted 280 patents in 27 countries. The long-standing conflicts exhausted the inventor, and he soon retired early and returned from Brno to Austria, where he died in 1934.