Tips for trips

Brno (in German Brünn, in Latin Bruna) the second largest town of the Czech Republic in terms of number of inhabitants and the occupied area, the largest town of Moravia and former capital of Moravia. It is a seat of Jihomoravský region authorities, with the central part of the district of Brno-město. The town is located on confluence of the Svratka and the Svitava rivers. It has approximately 400 thousand inhabitants, while 800 thousand people live in the regional residential conurbation. 

Brno is the centre of the judiciary bodies of the Czech Republic, there is the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. In addition, it is an important administrative centre because it is the seat of the state bodies with the country-wide control powers and other important institutions. We should not forget the Office for the Protection of Competition, the Public Defender of Rights or the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority. Since 1777 Brno has been the seat of Brno Roman Catholic diocese, the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul on Petrov hill.

The town is an important centre of education, as there are thirteen universities with 33 faculties and colleges with 89 000 students. There are studios of Česká televize and Český rozhlas established under the law. International exhibitions and trade fairs are traditionally held on the Brno Exhibition Centre. The large centre was opened in 1928, and today it is considered as one of the cultural sights of the town. The largest event is the International Engineering Trade Fair. Brno is well-known as a place where important motorbike races are held on the nearby Masaryk Ring every year; this tradition began in 1930s. The most popular race is Grand Prix of the Czech Republic, a part of the World Championship of motorbikes. The Brno inhabitants also enjoy the exhibition of fireworks Ignis Brunensis that has been held every year since 1998. Typically, one to two hundred thousand visitors come to see the fireworks every day. 

One of the most admired dominants of the town is the castle and fortress Špilberk.

The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul on Petrov hill forms characteristic panorama of the town and is often displayed as a symbol of Brno.

The other well-preserved castle on the territory of Brno is the Veveří castle, formerly built on a hill above the Svratka river. Till these days the Brno dam is dominated by the castle. 

Another admirable sight is the world-famous functionalist Villa Tugendhat. The villa was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001. The historical centre of the town was designated the urban conservation area. One of areas attractive for the tourists is a margin of the preserved landscape area of Moravian Karst, which is located on the territory of Brno, too.