Professor Chudoba’s Plane Tree

The tree received its new name by the decision of the Brno City Council in January 2022. We celebrated this fact on April 29, 2022 in the presence of Prof. Chudoba’s family members and a representative of the Magistrate. The ceremony was follwed by the launch of Don Sparling's book Outside In. A Personal History of the Brno Department of English.

See photos from the event.
Press reports (in Czech): Veronica | web MU | Magazín M

Prof. Chudoba's plane tree can be found on the corner of Veveří and Pekárenská Streets, about a minute’s walk from the main building of the Faculty. It is a sycamore (Platanus x acerifolia), estimated to be 120 years old. It has been a memorial tree since 2003. The renaming was initiated by the Department of English and American Studies after Dr. Sparling learned from Prof. Chudoba's family about his June 6, 1930 article. In it, our founder and first professor criticized how the city of Brno cared for its trees. More than 90 years ago, he specifically cited this particular tree as an example of good health – which it may be enjoying only because the city is not looking after it. Chudoba passed the tree every day on his way to and from the Faculty: he lived at 75 Veveří Street at the time.

The new information plate (below) was installed by Rezekvítek
Chudoba’s article of June 6, 1930 (in Czech)
Změna rozhodnutí, Magistrát města Brna z 4. 1. 2022