Brno is an ancient city of the Czech Republic, located in the south of the country. It is a significant cultural center which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world each month. Besides many famous places and sights, some national festivals also take place here.
In general, in Brno there is something to see for everyone, so let’s find out more about this city and the reasons why to go here.
General information
Brno is located in Moravia, 200 kilometers from Prague. Not far from the city merge two large rivers Svitava and Svratka. By the size, Brno is the second biggest city after the capital of the Czech Republic Prague. Almost 378 thousand people live in the city on the area of 230 square kilometers. In this geographical location prevails temperate continental climate. The average annual air temperature is 9.4 °C.
The name “Brno” comes from the ancient Czech word brne, which translates as “armor”. The legend tells that Brno was surrounded by a powerful fortress, created for the defense of Moravia.
Currently, Brno is one of the main economic centers of the Czech Republic. The industry of the city has achieved the greatest development in the sphere of heavy engineering. The most prominent industries are: printing, chemical, woodworking, textile, cement, food and others.
Main sights of Brno
As in any other historical part of the Czech Republic there are many interesting sights to visit. Now let’s have a look at the main ones with their description.
- It is noterowthy that Brno is one of the most popular destinations for a day trip from Prague.
Spilberk Castle
At the top of the Spilberk Mountain there is a fortress of the same name, which is a very popular among tourists. In addition, this fortress is depicted on Czech coins. Spilberk Castle was built in the 16th century. In the 19th century, the castle’s premises served as prison cells to keep Polish, Italian, French and, of course, Czech prisoners. During the Second World War in the fortress walls were tortured prisoners of war.
Currently there is a museum in the fortress with a permanent exhibition. The most interesting for tourists is visiting rooms, corridors, kitchens and dungeons. On the ground floor you can still see prison cells. In the corner tower there is an observation deck, from which one can see the entire city.
Náměstí Svobody
Don’t miss Freedom Square, which is like Old Town Square in Prague by the meaning. In the old days locals called it “lower market”. There are many concerts and performances take place on the square so you can enjoy some sort of performance. It is a pedestrian area and locals as well as tourists like to spend time here and relax.
In the Middle Ages it housed noble and wealthy inhabitants. On the square you can see the Marian plague pillar. This column symbolizes the liberation of the city from the siege by the Swedish army and from the plague of infection. On the top of the monument is the Virgin Mary with a baby, and the four corners of the pedestal are decorated with statues.
Observatory and Planetarium
You can also visit the Observatory of Nicholas Copernicus and the Planetarium, which are located in the central part of Brno. Such time spending activity will be interesting both for parents and children, here is why. Here you can use a powerful telescope, through which you will see the moon, numerous stars and some not distant planets.
Capuchin Monastery
Another attraction of Brno is the Capuchin Monastery. It was built in the 16th century and the monastery is famous for its tomb, which houses the bodies of sixteen monks. It houses the relics of monks who, thanks to a special ventilation system, look like they are alive. They are buried without coffins, the head of each of them lies on two bricks, in accordance with the charter of the Order of the Capuchins. Also here are buried 150 bodies of aristocrats and philistines Brno.
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
The temple is built in Romanesque style in 1296 on a hill, so it can be seen from afar. In the middle of the 17th century it suffered a huge fire and reconstruction began only a century later. Today the church has two towers, each 84 meters high.
There is one interesting story connected with the place. Going here you will notice that the clock beats midday at 11 o’clock. It reminds about the events that occurred here at the end of the 17th century, when the local bell ringer rescued Brno from the attack of the Swedish army.
In 1645, one general made a promise that he would leave this city if he could not invade it until noon. By the lucky coincidence the bell-ringer was mistaken and rang out earlier for an hour, thus saving the city from the invader. And since those times in memory of this, the clock on the tower rings at 11 every day.
Old Town Hall
The Town Hall building is one of the oldest in Brno. The foundation was laid in the early 13th century. Now it represents almost all architectural styles due to several reconstructions. There were held meetings of the city council, courts, and authorities also kept documents and city’s money here. And in the rear wing was a prison.
Today the town hall is the tourist center of Brno with regular exhibitions and various cultural events.
Convent of St. James
In the 17th century, under the Church of St. Jacob were laid three-chamber tomb. At the end of the 18th century the cemetery of the church of St. Jacob was abandoned. In 2001, while carrying out work on the reconstruction of the square and the inspection of the dungeon workers found the tomb with skeletons in it. Now this is one of the tourist attractions.
Villa Tugendhat
Villa Tugendhat is a unique monument of the functionalist architecture of the 20th century, designed by German architect. It is interesting because the house is equipped as if built on the latest novelties of the modern world, although it was erected in 1930. There is a lot of steel, concrete and glass, free planning which was quite unusual for that time.
The house was built for the couple Tugendgat, who lived in the villa for 8 years, until the Nazis came. In the 80s, the city authorities restored the villa to its former form. It is interesting to visit this building because according to the technical ideas of the designer it really overtook its time.
Moravian Museum
This is the second largest museum in the Czech Republic which has been working since 1817. The sources of the creation include influential and wealthy patrons who presented the museum a unique collection of art. There are about six million exhibits, which are a valuable scientific material of social and natural sciences.
The museum consists of 15 departments engaged in the studying of exhibitions in various scientific areas.
Technical museum
The museum is situated on the north side of Brno. This building occupies four floors with special rooms with exhibits. Here you can see the following permanent expositions:
- history of development of vehicles (copies of cars and motorcycles of the last century);
- history of aviation (a large number of models of aircraft engineering from plastic from around the world at different times);
- exposition “a street of crafts” (a section of the city of Brno from the beginning of the 20th century reconstructed in the smallest details);
- technical game room (exhibited items showing many laws of physics in action).
Reduta Theater
There are more than 15 different theaters in Brno however this one deserves special attention. It is one of the most ancient theaters in Europe as the first performances took place in the 16th century. In this theater also performed Mozart in his young years. Today Reduta theater is compared to the bar.
Park Luzhanka
The park opened to visitors in the distant 1788 and was designed in a fashionable baroque style at the time. By the end of the 19th century, in addition to all kinds of local plants, more than 150 species of various exotic plants appeared, including soap wood, maple leaf, Hungarian oak and others. Today the park occupies 20 hectares of land with cozy and shady alleys, monuments and a decorative pond.
Moravian Karst and the abyss of Macocha
Brno has many wonderful and beautiful natural sights, which are also worth your attention. Moravian Karst is one of the largest karst areas in Central Europe with more than 1100 caves. Visitors are allowed to visit four of them:
- Katerzhinsk cave, there are unusual vertical stalagmites;
- Cave Balzarka with colorful and versatile “decoration” of the stalactite on the walls;
- Stolbno-Shoshuvskaya cave – these are underground chasms and long corridors;
- Cave Punkva, here the excursion implies a walk along the underground river Punkva.
Besides, you can also see the bottom of the Macocha abyss. The upper part of the abyss is 174 m in length and 76 m in width.
Annual events
Fireworks parade
Annually in summer there is a firework parade on Bryansk Lake, which is a competition of pyrotechnics coming from all over the world. Thousands of Czech citizens and tourists come to see this grandiose show. Every day in the evenings for several weeks people can enjoy performances accompanied by music. But keep in mind that the time of the contest-festival varies every year.
Festival of balloons
For more than 10 years Brno houses a traditional festival of balloon flights. It involves balloonists from all over Europe. Guests can not only look at flying colorful balloons, while those who wish can get the first-hand experience and fly up in the sky and admire the magnificent landscapes and fortresses from a bird’s-eye view.
International festivals of symphonic music
Brno is the home for two annual symphony music festivals. Namely: International Music Festival Spilberk; International Music Festival Brno. Both pass under the open sky and are conducted by the philharmonic society of the Moravian capital.
Other events
Not far from Brno there is a racing track, where MotoGP, FIA GT, WTCC and Formula 2 pass from season to season. To fans of speed, the World Championship on Moto GP Brno circuit will have to.
Shopping
Probably the best place for shopping is Galerie Vankovka with bright showcases, luxury showrooms, well-known brands and excellent service. Souvenir seekers can visit Olympia with good made by local craftsmen. And gourmets prefer Billa, Interspar and Paneria: here one can buy the best organic products from the Brno region – fresh meat, fish, crisp bread, local wines.
Where to eat
Brno is one of the best places to visit if you love tasty food. It is worth to try the crispy local bread in the bakery at Cejl 105, located near the tram stop Inter Spar. Besides, local pork knuckle with scented herbs (cumin, rosemary, thyme, marjoram) together with Czech beer is also worth attention.
As for desserts, in Brno you can enjoy cherry strudels baked on fire and amazing lemon lebanons with blueberries. It is necessary to try “toust” – a hot snack from pork neck, baguette and chili peppers.
In addition, you can try delicious Czech national food in two best restaurants in Brno:
- Rialto Ristorante, address: Veveří 125, phone: 541 235 035;
- aU Kastelána,ddress: Kotlářská 51/a, phone: 541 213 497.
Hotel in Brno
Brno is a lovely town for a day trip from Prague or for some days to stay. It all depends on your interests and preferences. So if you are planning to overnight in the capital of Moravia, have a look at the listed hotels, which I piked up for you.
How to get from Prague to Brno
The most convenient way of how to get to Brno from the Czech capital are listed below. Keep in mind that before planning a trip check up the time of the departure because they can change.
Prague – Brno by bus
The route by bus takes 2 hours and it will cost from 6 Euro to 28 Euro. Take RegioJet bus at the main station Florenc and go off in Brno, at the station AN u hotelu Grand.
Prague – Brno by train
The train covers the distance in 2.30 hours with the ticket price about 10-14 Euro. Take the train to Brno from the main train station and it will get you directly to Brno main train station. You can check tickets here.
Prague – Brno by car
Another good way is to rent a car, but remember that the price depends on its class. The distance between Prague and Brno is 209.9 km and takes approximately 2 hours and 17 liters of fuel, which is 25 Euro.
What to do in Brno review
In this article we have given you a list with all the main and the most interesting attractions. You can enjoy architecture, historical buildings, museums, concerts and other events and of course, discover the surrounding areas with incredible nature. Hope that you will have great time here!
Tours
- If you want to get the maximux experience and discover this city, we offer you tours with local guides. Use this opportunity to find out how Czechia lives!
