Brno Travel Guide, Czech Republic

Brno Travel Guide – The Capital of the South

This Brno travel guide will give you an insight into the culture and functions of the second largest city in the Czech Republic. Brno has over 400.000 inhabitants and handles many of the administrative powers of the state, especially in the justice department, as it is home to the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court. The entire South Moravian region with its over 1.000.000 inhabitants is centered around Brno, which dominated the area both economically and culturally, turning the city into a serious competitor to the larger and most important Prague and Vienna. This area is located in the southeastern part of the country and it lies at the crossroad between northern and southern European civilizations for hundreds of years. Brno is believed to have actually been settled in the 5th century, but the date of its official foundation is the year 1243. Its name is considered to come from an old Czech word that means “muddy, swampy”, but it could also originate from a Slavic verb which means “to fortify”.

Brno Travel Guide – The Capital of Trade Fairs in Central Europe

One specific aspect about the way Brno is perceived both by the Czechs and by the whole of Central Europe is closely related to the Brno Exhibition Center, the largest and most prolific of its kind in the entire region. Over 1.000.000 people visit the centre annually and there are trade shows as well as rock concerts that contribute heavily to the city’s budget through this Exhibition Centre. Brno also has other specific landmarks such as the Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts, the Masaryk University (the second largest in the country), the Spilberk Castle (best known as a 17th century fortress), a very long history in motor racing and an international fireworks competition that takes place every June and attracts over 200.000 visitors. Celebrating the wine-producing region that surrounds the city, Brno organizes a very large wine festival each September that also attracts very large crowds from the country and from abroad.

Brno Travel Guide – Public Transport and Unique Architecture

Traffic in the city is quite congested, but there are plans to reduce the car flow by the installation of a light rail line. Currently there are trams, busses and trolleybuses serving public transportation in Brno, and there is also one ship route. When walking around the city you are sure to stumble upon something worth mentioning in all Brno travel guides, the functionalistic architecture buildings whose peak can be found in Villa Tugendhat, a piece designed by the famous architect Mies van der Rohe, which was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.