The ceremonial handover took place at Villa Stiassni in Brno, one of the most significant buildings designed by Wiesner in interwar Czechoslovakia. On the same day, the villa also hosted the opening of an exhibition titled Emigration: The Story of an Involuntary Journey Without Return, which, among other things, features the life story of Ernst Wiesner. To escape Nazi persecution of Jews in central Europe, he was forced to leave his native Czechoslovakia during the most productive period of his promising professional career. His work can still be admired today thanks to several remarkable buildings, particularly in Brno. After he left Czechoslovakia for the second time in 1948, Wiesner dedicated his career in UK mainly to teaching rather than architectural practice. In Liverpool, where he spent the rest of his life, the only of his designs still standing the complex of St Nicholas School buildings next to the Metropolitan cathedral.

Following the unveiling of Wiesner’s restored grave in Liverpool in January, Mr Timothy Wilkinson from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, contacted the Consulate General and expressed his wish to donate archival materials from the estate of Ernst and Eva Wiesner to the Czech Republic. The Wilkinson family had been friends with the Wiesners not only during their life in Liverpool, but also maintained contact after moving to Scotland. After Eva Wiesner’s death, historically valuable materials passed into the hands of the Wilkinson family. These materials are of considerable importance, particularly for researchers in the Czech Republic. Timothy Wilkinson’s decision to donate these materials to Wiesner’s homeland through the Consulate General in Manchester—after recording his personal reflections and memories in a publication entitled Eva and Ernest—deserves recognition, not only from the expert community.