Brno is the Czech Republic’s second city and is the capital of Moravia. It is a pleasant place to live and tourists can spend a couple of pleasant days here.
An aerial view of Brno taken from the top of the Cathedral. Well worth the walk up the steps. In the background you can see the 'rabbit hutch' housing put up by the communists.
St Peter and Paul Cathedral has dominated the Brno skyline since it was built in the 14th Century. It also appears on the Czech ten crown coin.
If you're in Brno in September then you might see stands like this one. The person is selling 'burčák', the young wine which is a very pleasant drink but unfortunately makes you fart like a dog if you have more than a glass or two.
This website has more information on burčák.
Brno is not as beautiful as Prague but it does have some nice features. Try looking up as you wander around the town. There are some lovely decorative structures built before the Second World War.
The Geneva Convention on Tourism makes it obligatory for all visitors to Brno to take this photo of the monks with the cathedral in the background. It is also possible to visit real monks in the crypt - but they won't say much; not because they are Trappist monks, but because they've been dead for about 300 years.
Zelny Trh, the cabbage market. Fortunately the market sells more than just cabbages. The size of the market has dwindled in recent years as the power of the supermarkets has grown. How long will it be before Zelny Trh is turned into a car park for the nearby Tesco?
This is the entrance to the Old Town Hall. Note the crooked spire at the top. This is, apocryphally, because the architect wasn't paid by the city for his work so added this feature so that everyone would know. A nice story but personally I doubt it. If he had criticised the city leaders, they would have corrected his 'mistake' and fed him to the bears.
Above the town hall is an attractive tower which you can climb for a view over the city. Here you can see the cathedral and the cabbage market.
Also from the tower but in the other direction. In the background you can see Spilberk which has been a military barracks and a prison (also used by the Nazis during the Second World War) but is now the city museum.
The inner courtyard of the town hall is also attractive.
Do you recognise this man? Probably not. He is Gregor Mendel, the 'father of genetics' who lived and worked in Brno.
Perhaps Brno's most beautiful building - the Mahenovo Theatre. Said to be the first theatre in Europe to have electric lighting - and was visited by Thomas Edison.
You can also see inside the Mahenovo Theatre
More of the Czech Republic?
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