History and development of the Institute of Geotechnics in an overview
CZECH TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY IN BRNO (1899 – 1939)
INSTITUTE OF ROAD, RAILWAY AND TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION
Prof. Ing. G. Červinka (1901 – 1907)
Prof. Ing. E. Mašík (1908 – 1925)
Prof. Ing. F. Müller (1927 – 1938)
INSTITUTE OF MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY
Prof. PhDr. J. J. Jahn (1899 – 1934)
Prof. Ing. Dr. O. Gartner (1935–1939)
CLOSURE OF CZECH UNIVERSITIES BY NAZIS – 17 November 1939
TECHNICAL COLLEGE Dr. E. Beneš (1945 – 1951)
INSTITUTE OF ROAD, RAILWAY AND TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION
Prof. Ing. Dr. V. Mencl (1945)
INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY
Prof. Ing. Dr. O. Gartner (1945–1951)
INSTITUTE OF RAILWAY AND TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION
Prof. Ing. Dr. V. Mencl (1945 – 1951)
COLLEGE OF CONSTRUCTION (1951 – 1956)
INSTITUTE OF SOIL MECHANICS, FOUNDATION ENGINEERING AND TUNNELS
Prof. Ing. Dr. V. Mencl (1951 – 1954)
INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY
Prof. Ing. Dr. O. Gartner (1951–1954)
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND FOUNDATION ENGINEERING
Prof. Ing. Dr. O. Gartner (1954–1955)
Prof. Ing. Dr. V. Mencl, DrSc.
BRNO UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (1956 – until now)
DEPARTMENT OF GEOTECHNICS
Prof. Ing. Dr. V. Mencl, DrSc. (1956–1968)
Prof. RNDr. M. Pokorný (1968 – 1971)
Prof. Ing. J. Eichler, DrSc. (1971–1974)
Doc. Ing. M. Veselý, CSc. (1974–1977)
Doc. Ing. M. Břousek, CSc. (1977–1985)
Prof. Ing. P. Klablena, DrSc. (1985–1989)
INSTITUTE OF GEOTECHNICS
Prof. RNDr. M. Šamalíková, CSc. (1989–1994)
Prof. Ing. Ivan Trávníček, CSc. (1994–1997)
Doc. Ing. Kamila Weiglová, CSc. (1997–2010)
Doc. Ing. Lumir Miča, Ph.D. (2010 – present)
The history of the development of the Institute of Geotechnics begins in the year of the establishment of the Brno Czech Technical University – i.e. in 1899, and faithfully reflects the complex situations that the school went through during its century of existence.
In the early days of the university, geotechnical disciplines were taught at a total of three institutes: at the Institute of Mineralogy and Geology, at the Institute of Road, Railway and Tunnel Construction and later also at the Institute of Water Construction I (Prof. J. Bažant lectured on the foundation of structures). The real predecessors of the Institute of Geotechnics were the first two of the aforementioned institutes, especially the Institute of Mineralogy and Geology.
The Institute of Mineralogy and Geology was founded in 1899 as one of the first (six) institutes of the school. The first professor was appointed J. J. Jahn, who then headed the institute until 1934. Prof. J. J. Jahn laid the foundation for the practical study of building and decorative stone and the development of engineering-geological assessments of the area, especially for dam projects. He also dealt with the issue of the occurrence of oil deposits in Moravia, the issue of spa geology and mineral springs. Thanks to Prof. Jahna was building an extensive collection (40,000 pieces) of building and decorative stone. Together with the stratigraphic collection, they represented one of the most complete collections of universities in Europe at the time. Unfortunate for the collections was the fact that the faculty moved many times over the years. The collections in the building at Veveří Street No. 95 received a worthy location, and their core is the pride of the Institute of Geotechnics to this day.
The successor of prof. In 1935, J.J. Jahn became his closest collaborator in the management of the institute, prof. O. Gartner (until 1954). His scientific activity was focused on the fields of technical petrography, engineering geology and hydrogeology, in which he introduced special lectures.
In the very beginnings, the Mineralogical-Geological Institute was located in the Vesna building – at Augustinská (Jaselská) Street No. 9. Later, it was located in the “Staré Techniky” facility at Falkensteinerová (Gorkého) Street No. 7, and from 1911 in new representative buildings at Veveří Street No. 95.
After the forced closure of Czech universities on November 17, 1939, which lasted for a full six years until the liberation in . 1945, the activity of the institutes (now the Technical University of Dr. Edvard Beneš) was resumed. The Institute of Geology and Mineralogy was once again led (as before the closing of the school) by prof. O. Gartner, in 1946 Prof. Ing. Dr. Vojtěch Mencl, DrSc.
Professor V. Mencl’s institute was located in a one-story building on Všetičková street, where the first laboratory of soil mechanics was also established, the teaching of which was introduced for civil engineering students in Brno by prof. V. Mencl as a compulsory subject. In 1951, Prof. Mencl the first scripts of Mechanics of Earth in the so-called Donát fund.
In July 1951, the “Brno civil engineering” was abolished on Veveří Street. In very difficult conditions, the University of Civil Engineering was established in the same year, with prof. Mencl, who was also the head of the newly renamed Institute of Soil Mechanics, Construction and Tunneling. The head of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy was prof. O. Gartner. The school was then moved to a building at Úvoz No. 33.
By merging the Institute of Railways and Tunnels with the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, the Department of Geology and Construction was created in 1954 – headed by Prof. O. Gartner. A year later in . In 1955, he was appointed head of this department prof. Mencl.
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| professor Mencl |
The years 1951 to 1956 (the year the university was renewed under the name Brno University of Technology) were marked by constant relocations – campus at Úvoz, Poříčí no. 5, Sady osvobození no. 33. In 1956, the department finally found a long-term refuge in the building Barvičova no. 85 and it is definitively renamed the Department of Geotechnics, the name of which describes the organic connection of all geotechnical disciplines. Until 1968, the head of the department was prof. Mencl.
In 1955, the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences was created within the department, also led by prof. V. Menclem. From this date, the laboratory of soil mechanics and the workshop of the department were built together. In 1963, the two workplaces merged.
The years 1956 to 1990 (if we ignore social changes) were marked by significant development of geotechnics as a theoretical and practical scientific discipline. The staff of the department managed to introduce a whole range of new teaching subjects, to educate many experts for geotechnics in engineering and postgraduate studies. The laboratory of soil mechanics and the laboratory of rock mechanics were completed, and the physical modeling laboratory was newly built. Scientific and professional staff of the department participated very significantly in the introduction of field testing in Czechoslovakia and in solving an endless number of research tasks and practical problems for the construction of demanding structures – especially engineering ones (dams, pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants, metro transport tunnels, etc.).
In 1990, the (again renamed) Institute of Geotechnics returned to the restored historical premises at 95 Veveří Street.
The establishment and development of the institute was influenced by prominent personalities who brought a lot of value to the development of geotechnics. However, the activities of the department and its professional development were most influenced by prof. Ing. Dr. Vojtěch Mencl, DrSc. (he was appointed professor in 1945). He built a modern Institute of Soil Mechanics, Construction and Tunneling, raised a generation of engineers, and with his example and passion for scientific work, won a number of collaborators in the field of geotechnics. He deepened the theoretical foundations for solving practical problems in the field of soil and rock mechanics. The period of his work at the department represents a period of many years of active activity both in the field of pedagogy, scientific research, and in intensive cooperation with practice. Pedagogical and technical staff of the department worked on most large water, tunnel and industrial constructions in Moravia, Slovakia and partially also in Bohemia. In 1958, the department begins with the measurement of water pressure in the pores in the sealing core of earth dams and with the first measurements to determine the properties of the subsoil. Research work is being carried out for the water works Dalešice, Černý Váh, Dlouhé Stráně, during the construction of Liptovská Mary, VD Ružín (work on 18 water works). Landslide problems are being solved, e.g. Handlová, Bánovce nad Bebravou. At that time Prof. Mencl has introduced a new method of stabilizing landslide areas with horizontal wells. The department was involved in solving the problems of the construction of the Prague metro, solving the stability of slopes in the North Bohemian coalfield and a number of other actions in the territory of our republic. Close collaborators prof. Mencla were prof. Ing. Jaroslav Eichler, PhD, doc. Ing. Ivan Kameníček, CSc., doc. Ing. Dr. Josef Kazda, DrSc., Ing. Serafína Kristková, CSc., Ing. Ferydun Nazari, CSc., prof. Ing. Ivan Trávníček, CSc., prof. RNDr. Milena Šamalíková, CSc.