Brno – The Cultural Heart of Southern Moravia
The second city of the Czech Republic (after Prague) and the chief city in the province of Moravia, Brno has a big city feel in a tiny footprint. This busy university town was once known for being at the center of the munitions industry and was home to Československá zbrojovka, an arms factory and the Zweigwerk aircraft engine works. Its industrial wealth has helped propel the city’s architecture to new heights. Quaint square and elegant avenues decorate the streetscape much like ornaments on a Christmas tree. Brno, you really are a pleasure!
Table of Contents
Geography
Considered to be part of the Banube Basion, Brno is located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers. These are smaller watercourses and neither run through the center of the city. The city sits at a historic crossroads between Northern and Southern Europe and is deeply associated with the city of Vienna to its south.
A Brief History
Although it has been inhabited since the Neolithic Age, the city really came into its own during the 20th century. The city has sported many names through its long history including Brünn in German, ברין or Brin in Yiddish, Bruna in Latin and Brunn in English.
FUN FACT! The Bren Gun, the famed light machine gun used by the British army in the Second World War and the Korean War is named after the city (Brno + Enfield). It is a modified version of the ZB vz. 26 Czech LMG that won awards in the 1930’s.
Great Moravian Empire
A fortified hilltop settlement called Staré Zámky existed during the time of Great Moravia and existed into the 11th century.
Kingdom of Bohemia
Under pressure from the Germanic Franks, the Kingdom of Bohemia broke off from the Great Moravian Empire and became part of the Holy Roman Empire. The city was reestablished as a castle for a non-ruling prince from the House of Přemyslid, the royal house of the Kingdom of Bohemia. It became a royal town in 1243. The city was beseiged twice in 1428 and again in 1430 to no vail by the by the rebel Hussites during the Hussite Wars.
Habsburgs and the Dual Monarchy
It quickly established itself as an important city in Moravia and by the 17th century was on of the margraviate’s leading towns. In 1641, during the Thirty Years’ War, the capital of the Margraviate was moved to Brno from Olomouc, since the latter was a target of Sweden during the war. Brno was one of the only cities to see success against the Swedes in that conflict. It later resisted the Prussian army in 1742 then under the leadership of Frederick the Great.
By 1777 it became a bishopric and it was near the site of of the Battle of Austerlitz (“Battle of the Three Emperors”) in December 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte even spent several nights in the city, as well as in 1809.
Industrialization
Maria Theresa would begin the process of industrializing the Czech lands but in Brno this process truly began in 1839 when the first train arrived in Brno from Vienna, signaling the start of a new age (sorry about the train pun!!!). This was a first in the Czech Republic. The city’s fortifications were torn down and trams would soon follow, again a first in the Czech Republic. On the scientific front, the monk Gregor Mendel conducted his groundbreaking experiments in genetics from here in the 1850s.
This industrialization brought in the Czechs from the countryside and the city demographically switched back to being Czech rather then German. The population grew rapidly in these years from 104,977 in 1869 and 283,972 in 1930.
Czechoslovakia and the World Wars
After the First World War, Brno became part of the new Czechoslovak state. It was home to a thriving Jewish population of 12,000 inhabitants. The city thrived in these years, becoming home to the previously mentioned munitions industries.
The Second World War was a difficult period for the city. Following the Munich Conference, the Sudetenland was annexed and a German invasion of Bohemia and Moravia soon followed. The Germans closed universities and severely curtailed their rights of the citizenry. This is particularly true in the case of the Jews who were rounded up during the Holocausts and sent concentration camps. Most were sent to Theresienstadt (Terezín) a transit camp leading to Auschwitz. Yet the horror did not just extend to camps outside of the city purview. The Germans turned the city into their own personal playground starting with the now empty universities turning the faculty of law into an office for the Gestapo, and the university hall as a prison. In this prison over 35,000 Czechs were imprisoned, many were tortured. The threat of execution hung heavy around citizens heads, with 800 civilians executed, many of them publicly. A smaller subcamp of Auschwitz was also operated here for Polish Prisoners, an internment camp for Romani people and a forced labour re-education camp in the suburbs.
By the end of the war the Allies had the upper hand and due to the German occupation the city became one of their targets (1944-1945). By 1945 the Red Army had occupied the city
Communism and the Modern Era
After the war Germans were expelled from the Czechoslovakia by the Red Army following a speech by Prime Minister Edvard Beneš in Brno. This event is referred to as the “Brno death march”, when 27 000 Germans from Brno were marched to the Austrian border, causing thousands of deaths due to disease. Of course the Red Army now had its claws in Czechoslovakia and in 1948 they and their treasonous communist allies staged the Czechoslovak coup d’état. This new state abolished Moravian autonomy and Brno thus ceased to be the capital of Moravia.
The Velvet Revolution brought an end to this regime and a new capitalistic society emerged. The old industrial city emerged as the internet technology leader in the Czech Republic, a fitting role with its well established universities and industrial legacy.
Transportation
The city is a massive transportation hub not just for Moravia but for all of the Czech Republic and many rail lines congregate here. The city lies at a crossroads with Vienna to the south, Prague to the north-west, the industrial heartland of Silesia/Northern Moravia to the north east and to the east directly Czechoslovakia. Similarly the city is a huge hub for busses, specifically Rail Jet and Flix Bus, although the terminal is unremarkable. The airport is the second biggest in the Czech Republic.
The train station is the most architecturally interesting of the tree and is the second largest, an one of the oldest, in the Czech Republic, taking up a massive area that used to be reserved for the city walls. Operating since 1839, the station is located right outside the city walls witch makes it an attractive destination. It is almost at capacity and questions remain about how to expand it or building a relief station.
What to do in Brno
While busy, the historic footprint of Brno is concentrated in a rather small area. This is to your advantage as it is packed with things to do and you wont have to walk far to see it all.
Ignis Brunensis
Started in 1998, this international fireworks competition takes place at the nearby Brno Dam over two weeks in the summer.
Old Town Hall and the Brno Dragon
Known for its 63-metre tower it offers great views of the city from it. Beyond the views, the building dates from the 13th century and is the oldest secular building in the city, yet it has undergone many changes over the years most notably in the 16th century.
There are a few items of note on display in the old town hall, including a crocodile better known as the Brno dragon. The taxidermy reptile hangs from the ceiling and is said to be the body of a beast that once terrorized the town and its livestock. It also houses the Brno Wheel, a symbol of the city and associated with a local legend.
Náměstí Svobody
The city’s central square and a hub buzzing with activity this public place has a long and storied history. Developed as a public space in the 13th century, it was lined with noble houses and housed a plague column. It would be extensively remodeled during the 20th century to feature Neo-rennesance buildings and a tramway.
Iglesia de Santiago
Located just outside the above mentioned square (you can see its spire in the picture), this 13th century gothic church is home to a playful legend. There is a statue of a man showing his bottom in one of the window arches in the south side of the building. His behind is pointed in the direction of Saint Peter and Paul’s cathedral, gloating that his church won a competition between the two churches to build the higher churchtower.
Holy Trinity Column, Moravian Museum, Parnas Fountain and the Cabbage Market
Although smaller then Náměstí Svobody, I would rank this as the prettiest square in the city
Capuchin Crypt
This 17th century crypt for Capuchin monks is surely Atlas obscura worthy. The copses of twenty four monks like in a state of perfect presentation due to the crypts cool dry air!
Mercury Fountain
This baroque fountain is a hidden gems that also offers greats views of the cathedral!
Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul (Petrov)
A church has existed on this site since the 11th century but it was replaced several times, including with a Romanesque basilica in the 13th century and in the 15th century after the Hussite Wars but it too was lost, this time by fire from Swedish troops during the Thirty Years War. The bones for the building you see today were laid after this and the structure underwent significant upgrades, the last ending in 1909. That last one altered the building significantly adding the twin neo-gothic towers.
Its mid-day chimes are actually at 11, a trick put on the invading swedes so that they would break their siege early as of their timeline that they would pull out at noon on the 15th day of August if they could not take the city.
Behind the cathedral you will find the very pleasant Denis Gardens where great view of both the Cathedral and the castle in the distance.
Husova Avenue
On Husova boulevard you will find both the Museum of Applied Arts and an old air raid shelter called Bunker 10-Z near the castle. Furthermore you will find the Pražák Palace (now part of the Moravian Gallery), the masonry John Amos Comenius church at its roundabout ending and a statue a founder of Czechoslovakia, T.G. Masaryk statue in front of a university bearing his name.
Špilberk Castle
The grand attraction in Brno is of course the Castle. located on a hill overlooking the city, it has been a testament to all the events of note, big or small throughout the city’s history.
The castle began its existence humbly in the 13th century when the king Czech King Přemysl Otakar II established it as a seat of royal power in the margrave of Moravia. Although, in the centuries that followed the castle served as the seat of Moravia during its semi-autonomous period under the rule of the Luxembourg Kings. It would eventually fall into disrepair after the end of the 15th century. The Moravian Estates would purchase the castle in 1560, due to its strategic importance and the fact that a foreign buyer wanted to buy it. It was gifted to the city of Brno. After the Battle of the White Mountain the Moravian Estates disintegrated and the castle was confiscated by Emperor Ferdinand II of Austria.
It again fell into a sorry state during the Thirty Years’ War, with a measly 40 man garrison.
As the caste lost strategic importance it found new life as a prison. After 1620 anti-Habsburg insurrectionists were imprisoned in here. In the ltter part of the century it was home to many military officers as well as ordinary prisoners forced to do labor. Finally in 1783, Emperor Joseph II decided that Špilberk would no longer be used as a dual fortress prison but just as a simple civil prison for hardened criminals while political prisoners would occupy the more above ground levels.
Napoleon would damage the grounds during his 1809 visit forcing a new remodel. It once again served as a prison during the First World War and during the brutal Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, although im sure you can imagine the horror of the latter.
Today the huge baroque fortress, serves as a museum. Here you can learn about the infamous”dungeon of the nations“) and its time as a military barrack. Honestly, this was a more interesting place then I had imagined!
From the castle grounds you will be privy to great views of the city in all directions!
Other Churches
There is a wealth of beautiful old churches in the city, chef among them are St. Michael, St. Josef, St. Thomas, of the Immaculate Conception and of St. John.
Day Trips
Veveří Castle
Located north of the city, this beautiful complex is rumored (but not confirmed) to have been constructed by the Přemyslid dysansty, specifically Duke Conrad of Brno, in the middle of the 11th century, as a hunting lodge. The name, Veveří, strangely enough translates to squirrel’s in Czech!
Conclusion
Once an industrial powerhouse, Brno has somehow emerged from the chaos of the world wars with an even more diverse economy, with technology, services and industry at its center as well as maintain its position as a a busy university town with a penchant for punching above its weight.
I hope you are as pleasantly surprised with the city as I was!
