Brno, Czech Republic

*The view from the Old Town Hall tower over to Spilberk Castle on the hill*

Brno, a city located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, has around 400,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic. Brno is the old capital of Moravia, an area which geographically no longer exists.

A historic city which is now filled with a modern buzz about its’ streets, there is evidence that the city was inhabited in prehistoric times. The name Brno comes from the ancient Celtic and Welsh word brynn (meaning hill).

Being Prague’s little sister, Brno is a place that people are increasingly looking towards as an alternative to the huge capital city which has become overrun with stag and hen do parties in recent years. A smaller city but with just as much to see and do, it delivers on everything that a city break promises and can be reached fairly easily from other cities in Europe for a good price.

When to go: A city that can be visited year round, but more temperate weather from April-September. We visited in February when it was cold but skies were blue.

Essentials to pack: Trainers are required for all the steps you’ll be doing across this city! Coat, scarf and hat if you’re going outside the summer months - there can be cold winds.

Currency: Czech Koruna - 30CK = £1 (February 2024)

Must see: Cathedral of St Peter & Paul, Špilberk Castle, The Old Town, Town Hall, Bunker 10-Z, Brno Ossuary

How to get there: Train from London to Brussels (www.eurostar.com) and then Brussels to Brno via Berlin (www.trainline.com) approx. £400 return, approx. 25 hours of travel time each way. Bus from London to Brno approx. £200 return, 28 hours travel time each way (www.flixbus.com). 2 hour flights from London to Brno approx. £60 return, direct with Ryanair (www.skyscanner.com).

Public transport: There are trams and busses that run throughout the city but the city is a small size and all sights are walkable in a day.

Where to stay: We didn’t stay the night here, as we visited from neighbouring city Vienna and had accommodation there. However, there is a lot of availability on Booking.com and Airbnb for places to stay smack bang in the middle of the city, and all of them are fairly cheap.

1 day itinerary:

09:00:

You’ve arrived in Brno, the second city of the Czech Republic, and you’re excited to be here. Before you set off on your tour of the city, head to the nearest cash point to draw out some Czech Koruna, as a lot of places here are still cash only. To fuel yourself for the day ahead, swing by Kafec Brno Orli for breakfast and a coffee, enjoying the modern bohemian vibes.

10:00:

Now you’ve had some grub, spend some time wandering around the streets in the centre of the city, soaking up the historic buildings, impressive architecture and landmarks that are dotted around. Wind your way towards the main square “Namesti Svobody” which has a charming feel to it and is mainly pedestrianised although there is a tram line which runs through the middle so keep your wits about you.

There is a strange phallic looking tower in the square which apparently is the astronomical clock, although we couldn’t see anything remotely “clock like” about it, and thought it looked a little more “c*ock” like.

The square has some impressive old buildings around the edge and an ornate column which is dedicated to the eradication of the plague from the city.

*Column dedicated to the eradication of the plague*

10:30:

The first real stop on your tour of the city is the St Peter & Paul Cathedral, a huge catholic church which dominates the horizon across much of the city. The cathedral is nicknamed “Petrov” after the hill it stands on and dates back to the 11th century when a Romanesque chapel was built on the top of the hill.

In the 13th century it was expanded into a Romanesque basilica, the remains of which were discovered during an archaeological study of the cathedral at the end of the 20th century; this site is now open to the public. The church was then rebuilt in the early Gothic style and the interior has some lovely stained glass windows - entry is free of charge.

The bells on the cathedral towers ring at 11 am instead of at noon in remembrance of a trick that Jean-Louis Raduit de Souches played on the Swedish army as it lay siege to the city. The story goes that Swedish general Torstenson claimed he would abandon the siege if his army failed to conquer the city before the bells started to ring at noon. For this reason, de Souches decided to have the bells ring one hour earlier, and get them to abandon their plans. The city was saved.

11:30:

Once you’ve enjoyed the ringing of the bells and exploring the Cathedral, walk the 10 minutes to Brno Ossuary at the Church of St James. An ossuary is a room in which the bones of dead people are placed. Costing £5pp to enter, it is well worth the admission fee to take a look at the second largest ossuary in Europe after Paris.

The number of people buried at the site in Brno is estimated to exceed 50,000 and it certainly feels that way when you are walking around. It is said that the churchyard at the Church of St James quickly reached its capacity and expansion was impossible due to the position of the church close to the city walls. Therefore, a special system of burial was adopted in which graves were opened 10-12 years after burial and remnants removed to make room for another body in that grave. The removed remnants were moved to underground areas; ossuaries. These also quickly filled up due to frequent plague and cholera epidemics.

The reforms introduced by Joseph II in 1784 resulted in churchyards being closed down for hygienic reasons. The remnants from the graves were moved into a crypt, the churchyard wall was torn down, the area around the church was paved with the former headstones, and the ossuary was gradually forgotten.

On an archaeological exploration of the site in the noughties, the extensive ossuary was discovered, tidied up and restored. It was opened to the public in 2012 and is one of the most haunting and interesting places I’ve ever visited.

13:00:

In need of some fresh air after being underground for a while, make your way across the city and up the hill to Špilberk Castle. There is a cafe and a restaurant at the top to replenish yourself. The cafe does great homemade food such as soup and cakes and has a lovely terrace to sit outside on if the weather is good.

14:00:

Time for your tour around the castle. For around £8pp you join a guide and get taken on a 1 hour long tour of the castle. You can book this in advance online or in person at the desk on arrival at the castle but the tours do fill up (https://www.spilberk.cz/en/). The tours are in Czech language but the guide will give you a booklet in your native tongue to follow along with what she’s saying about each room you are taken in to. We really enjoyed the tour and would recommend it to get some in depth information on the castle; it’s history and it’s importance in the city.

The construction of the castle began as early as the first half of the 13th century by the Přemyslid kings and completed by King Ottokar II of Bohemia. From a major royal castle established around the mid-13th century, and the seat of the Moravian margraves in the mid-14th century, it was gradually turned into a huge baroque citadel considered the harshest prison in the Austrian Empire, and then into army barracks. The Czechoslovak army left Špilberk in 1959, putting to a definite end its military era. In 1960, Špilberk became the location of the Brno City Museum.

15:30:

A slow amble back down into the city centre will bring you to the Old Town. Enjoy a meander through cobbled streets and narrow alleyways that link pedestrianised squares and old buildings. Find a place to have a drink and engage in some people watching for half an hour or so.

16:00:

Walk a short way back towards the castle to find Bunker 10-Z, a self-guided tour of the place costs around £6pp and is very interesting. An air raid shelter hidden in plain sight, Bunker 10-Z is almost in the heart of the city and was built during World War II as a precaution against American and Soviet bombs. The shelter was intended to protect up to 500 people (politicians, upper classes, and the like) whom would be instrumental in controlling the city and region. It is said to be able to survive nuclear bombs and had provisions such as telecommunications, it’s own air filtration system, electric supply and food.

The shelter was never actually put to its intended use and in 2016 was opened to the public to tour. When you visit you will see the technical part of the shelter (diesel unit, filter room, and a telephone exchange), and also the doors to the death cells from the former Brno prison with messages left by those sentenced to death.

17:30:

Had enough of time underground? Walk back to the historic city centre and head to the tourist information in the Old Town Hall to buy tickets to climb the tower. It was around £5 for both of us to climb the tower and one of our favourite things we did in the city as the views are incredible. A great way to get acquainted with any new place is to see it from above.

To reach the top of the 63 metre high tower it is only 174 steps, so you won’t need to be super fit to get to the top. On your way up there are stopping places where you can learn more about the history of the Old Town Hall and it’s use for council meetings, storing of medieval documents and held prisoners from time to time. We decided to head straight to the top and read these information boards on the way back down. Excitement getting the better of us as always!

Once you’re at the top there is a 360 exterior walkway which is quite narrow (only just wide enough for passing another person) so take caution. The views are panoramic and in every direction you look you can make out a landmark - Spilberk Castle, St Peter & Paul’s Cathedral, the main square, etc.

If you’re lucky enough to visit at the right time of day you may even see the change from day to night as the sun sets over the city.

19:00:

Time for some grub. Route yourself to Stopkova Plzeňská Pivnice where traditional Czech food is served in good portions at a reasonable price. After a hearty meal here which probably involved meat or some fried cheese, you’ll want to make your way to the Zelňák beerhall and craft beer market to try out some of Brno’s local brews.
Na zdraví (cheers!)

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