Brno is the second largest city (after Prague) in the Czech Republic, located in the historical region of Moravia. It is one of the most beautiful and distinctive cities in Central Europe, with an interesting history, with unique architectural monuments and its own traditions. However, there are fewer tourists here than in Prague, which allows you to safely see the sights in Brno, and they are really very interesting here.
Given that Brno is not too large, even in one day you can see a lot. For independent tourists who want to see the sights of Brno, we decided to make a list of the most interesting places in this city.
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
Perhaps the first place in the list of Brno sights marked on the city map belongs to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. After all, it is precisely with this religious building that one ancient history is connected, thanks to which the inhabitants of Brno meet noon at exactly 11:00.
According to legend, in 1645 Brno withstood the siege of the Swedes for a long time. Once the commanders of the troops concluded an agreement that the Swedes would retreat if they could not capture the city before noon. During the decisive assault, the Swedes did not understand that the bell ringer rang the bells an hour earlier. The Swedish troops retreated, and the tradition of ringing the bell 12 times at 11 am has still been preserved in Brno.
The Peter and Paul Cathedral, built in the 13th century, is a luxurious light building, the slender spiers of the towers rising to the sky are visible from almost anywhere in the city.
The walls inside the cathedral are decorated with rich murals and mosaics, very beautiful stained glass windows. Here is a unique attraction – the statue “Virgin with Baby”, created in the XIV century.
But the most interesting thing that awaits tourists here is the opportunity to climb the tower. The observation deck is a small balcony on which only 2-3 people can fit, although it’s quite possible to look at Brno and take a photo of its sights from a height.
The cathedral is open at such a time:
- Monday – Saturday – from 8:15 to 18:30;
- Sunday – from 7:00 to 18:30.
The only time visitors can use the services of a guide is Sunday from 12:00.
Free admission. But since the temple is operational, during the service tourists are forbidden to go beyond the fence. To climb the tower and see the panoramic views of Brno, you need to pay:
- adult ticket – 40 CZK;
- for children and students – 30 kroons;
- family ticket – 80 CZK.
Access to the tower is open at such a time:
- May – September: Monday – Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, and on Sunday from 12:00 to 18:30;
- October – April: Monday – Saturday from 11:00 to 17:00, and on Sunday from 12:00 to 17:00.
Address of the Cathedral of Peter and Paul: Petrov 268/9, Brno 602 00, Czech Republic.
Freedom Square
If you look at the map of Brno with landmarks in Russian, it will become clear that Namesti Svobody is the largest city square. Throughout the entire existence of Brno, it has been a place where city life has been seething. And now Freedom Square remains the heart of the city, where both locals and visitors like to walk.
Numerous historical buildings are still preserved here. The spectacular, but ambiguous local attraction deserves mentioning is the house “At the Four Caryatids,” among the townspeople better known as the house “At the Four Dummies”. From the side of the facade of the building there are 4 statues in human height – they should have been magnificent, but they do not make such an impression at all. The faces of the sculptures have an expression that usually causes laughter – that is why the townspeople called them “Mamlases” (“boobs”). As in many cities of the Czech Republic, in Brno there is a Plague Column: a statue of the Virgin Mary is placed on the top of the pillar, and at the foot of it there are statues of saints.
A rather strange sight of the city of Brno in the Czech Republic is located in the eastern part of the central square. We are talking about the astronomical clock (Orloj), created over 3 years and 12 million crowns from black marble, and installed here in 2010. The watch is a sculpture in the form of a sleeve 6 meters high with four cylindrical holes. It will not work to see the time on this watch, because they do not show it, and through one of its holes they daily “shoot” with glass balls at the symbolic time for Brno: 11 a.m. It is considered a good omen to catch such a bullet, so by 11:00 a real crowd is forming in the square.
Špilberk Castle
In the list of ancient attractions of Brno – Špilberk Castle, standing on top of the eponymous hill. Spilberk Castle was built in the XIII century as a fortified royal residence and managed to withstand not a lot of sieges, and by the end of the XVIII century it turned into a gloomy dungeon for the enemies of the monarchy, known in Europe as the “Prison of Nations”.
In 1962, Špilberk Castle was given the status of a national monument of the Czech Republic.
On the territory of Špilberka there are 3 main locations: a tower with an observation deck, casemates and the museum of the city of Brno.
In the museum, which occupies the western wing, you can see expositions and exhibitions on the history of the fortress and the city, as well as get acquainted with the fine art and architecture of Brno. Due to the scale and value of the collections, the Brno Museum is recognized as one of the most outstanding in the Czech Republic.
In the casemates there are rooms for torture, many cells for prisoners (stone “bags” and cells). It is interesting to see the kitchen in which food was prepared for the prisoners – all the utensils were preserved there.
From the height of the observation tower, a panorama of Brno opens, a picturesque castle park diverging from the ancient walls is visible. Reunited park, with fountains, ponds and waterfalls, comfortable benches and even a free toilet.
In summer, concerts, theater performances, festivals, and fencing competitions are organized in the courtyard of Spilberk Castle. Schedules of such cultural events can be seen in advance on the city website, and make a trip to Brno so that you can see the sights in one day and visit the festival.
From October until the last days of April, Špilberk Castle is open from 09:00 to 17:00 all days of the week, except Mondays. In the warmer months, the castle awaits visitors daily at such times:
- May – June: from 09:00 to 17:00;
- July – September: from 09:00 to 18:00.
In Spilberk Castle, you can selectively visit any location, and if you want to see everything, you need to buy a combined ticket at a discount. Entrance fees in kroons:
| casemates | Southwest Bastion | observation tower | Combined ticket | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| adult | 90 | one hundred | fifty | 150 |
| preferential | fifty | 60 | thirty | 90 |
Before entering the casemates, you can take a guide in Russian.
Ticket prices, as well as opening hours, can be found on the official site of the attraction: www.spilberk.cz/?pg=oteviraci-doba
The address of the Špilberk fortress: Spilberk 210/1, Brno 60224, Czech Republic.
Old town hall
Not far from Freedom Square, Old Town Hall rises – a landmark of Brno (Czech Republic), in which city authority was located since XIII.
An arch leads to the town hall, to the ceiling of which a scarecrow of a crocodile is suspended, and a wheel stands against the wall. Both the scarecrow and the wheel are the Brno mascots that appeared here in the 17th century.
In 1935, power occupied another building, and the Old Town Hall became the venue for concerts, exhibitions, and performances. It also has a tourist information center where you can take very useful free brochures, for example, “Things to do in Brno on Monday”, “Sights of Brno: a photo with a description”, “Beer in Brno”.
On the 63-motor tower of the Old Town Hall there is an observation deck from which you can see the spectacular panorama of Brno. Entrance fee, price in crowns:
- for adults – 70;
- for children aged 6-15 years, students and senior citizens – 40;
- family ticket – 150;
- permission to shoot with a camcorder – 40.
The tower is open daily from early June to late September from 10:00 to 22:00.
The address of the attraction is Radnicka 8, Brno 602 0, Czech Republic.
Catholic church of St. Jacob
This building, outwardly practically unchanged from the moment of construction (the end of the 16th century), is the most valuable landmark of late Gothic architecture in the Czech Republic.
An important element of the church is Sv. Jakuba is a tower rising up 92 meters. It was she who marked the completion of the entire construction. And on the south window of the tower there is a small figure of a peasant showing a naked ass in the direction of the Old Town Hall. They say that so one of the builders, A. Pilgram, showed his attitude to the city authorities, who did not pay him for his work. But it turned out that the peasant was not alone there! Restoration work was carried out in the 19th century, and when they looked at the scandalous decor from above, they realized: these are figures of a man and a woman. Looking at the blissful face of a female figure, it immediately becomes clear what they are doing.
And inside the church Sv. Jakuba atmosphere of awe and grandeur: tall Gothic columns, elongated stained glass windows around the perimeter of the building, a pulpit with images of scenes from the Bible.
Catholic church of St. Jacob – active. It is open daily, services begin:
- Monday – Saturday: at 8:00 and 19:00;
- Sunday: 8:00, 9:30, 11:00, 19:00.
Admission is free, everyone can come in to see the interior. But during the memorial prayer, wedding and baptism of strangers are not allowed.
Bone storage
In 2001, under the Church of St. Jacob, across the entire width of the nave (25 m), they discovered a large-scale church depository – the second largest in Europe (after Paris). The number of those buried exceeds 50,000!
For almost 500 years, the site of the current Jacob Square was the largest cemetery in Brno, which almost surrounded the church. But there were still not enough places for burials in the city, so the graves were arranged in layers one above the other: after 10-12 years, the remains from the old burial place were lifted, freeing up space for a new one. And the raised bones were stacked in the ossuary.
A tour of the ossuary is allowed in groups of up to 20 people every day except Monday. Opening hours – from 9:30 to 18:00. A ticket costs 140 kroons.
St. Jakub’s Church and the ossuary are located in the city center, at the address: Jakubske namesti 2, Brno 602 00, Czech Republic.
Villa Tugendhat
In 1930, the great architect Mies van der Rohe built a villa for the wealthy Tugendgat family, a model completely unusual for that time. Villa Tugendhat – the first residential building in the world, created using steel supporting structures. It is recognized as the standard of functional design and is included in the list of objects protected by UNESCO.
The villa, considered a masterpiece of modernism, is located among the chic, but traditional mansions, and against their background it looks rather modest. All its splendor is in the internal layout and arrangement. The large-scale room of 237 m² does not have a clear distinction between zones and even through the photo of this attraction Brno (Czech Republic) a special spirit of free planning is transmitted. For interior decoration used rare wood, marble and other natural stones. Particularly impressive is the onyx wall 3 meters high, which seems to come to life and begins to “play” in the rays of the setting sun.
The interest in this attraction is so huge that you need to take care of booking an excursion tour in advance (3-4 months).
From March to the end of December, Villa Tugendhat is open all days of the week, except Mondays, from 10:00 to 18:00. In January and February from 9:00 to 17:00 on Wednesday – Sunday, and Monday and Tuesday – days off.
Different types of tours are provided for visitors:
- BASIC – main living area, kitchen, garden (1 hour).
- Expanded tour – living area, large hall for receptions, kitchen, technical rooms, garden (lasts 90 minutes).
- ZAHRADA – a garden tour without a guide is only possible in good weather.
Tickets can be bought at the box office, but it is best to do this in advance through the official website: https://www.tugendhat.eu/. Ticket price in kroons:
| Basic | Extended tour | ZAHRADA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| full | 300 | 350 | fifty |
| for children from 6 years old students to 26 years old, for pensioners after 60 years old, | 180 | 210 | fifty |
| family (2 adults and 1-2 children up to 15 years old) | 690 | 802 | – |
| for children from 2 to 6 years old | twenty | twenty | twenty |
Taking pictures in the interior (without flash and a tripod) is only possible if you have a photo ticket for 300 CZK purchased at the box office.
Attraction address: Cernopolni 45, Brno 613 00, Czech Republic.
Technical Museum Brno
The exhibits of the Technical Museum of Brno are located on 4 floors of a modern building and in an open area in front of it. You can see a lot of interesting things: a dental office of the early twentieth century and workshops of artisans from different eras with a completely recreated atmosphere, lamp electronic computers and first computers, retro cars, airplanes and trams of different times, railway cars and whole locomotives, steam and water engines.
There are no audio guides in Russian at the Technical Museum, and all descriptions are made only in Czech. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth a visit, and not only to those who are fond of technology.
A peculiar attraction of the technical museum is the experimentarium, where visitors have the opportunity to conduct all kinds of experiments.
The museum operates throughout the year on such a schedule:
- Monday is a day off;
- Tuesday – Friday – from 09:00 to 17:00;
- Saturday and Sunday – from 10:00 to 18:00.
Entrance fee to the Technical Museum with a visit to all expositions (including the Panorama exhibition):
- for adults – 130 kroons;
- on benefits (for children over 6 years old and pensioners after 60 years) – 70 kroons;
- family ticket (2 adults and 1-3 children aged 6-15 years) – 320 kroons;
- Children under 6 years are admitted free of charge.
If you wish, you can watch only one historical stereo exhibition “Panorama”. A full entrance ticket costs 30 CZK, with a discount of 15 CZK.
The technical museum is located outside the historic city center, in its northern part. Address: Purkynova 2950/105, Brno 612 00 – Královo Pole, Czech Republic.
VIDA Science Center!
VIDA Amusement Science Park! – Here’s what to see in Brno will be interesting for both adults and children!
On the territory of the city exhibition center, on an area of 5,000 m² there are more than 170 interactive exhibits. The permanent exhibition is divided into 5 thematic groups: “Planet”, “Civilization”, “Man”, “Microworld” and “Scientific Center for Children” aged 2 to 6 years.
The accompanying program includes excursions and a variety of scientific experiments for students.
VIDA Science and Entertainment Park! waiting for guests at this time:
- Monday – Friday – from 9:00 to 18:00;
- Saturday and Sunday – from 10:00 to 18:00.
Children under 3 years old are allowed in VIDA park! for free, the rest of the visitors need to pay the following amount for entering the site of interest:
- full ticket – 230 CZK;
- ticket for children from 3 to 15 years old, students up to 26 years old, pensioners over 65 years old – 130 kroons;
- family ticket (1 adult and 2-3 children up to 15 years old) – 430 kroons;
- family ticket (2 adults and 2-3 children up to 15 years old) – 570 kroons;
- for all visitors on Monday-Friday from 16:00 to 18:00 an afternoon ticket is valid for 90 CZK.
VIDA Park! with science attractions located in the former Pavilion D of the Brno Exhibition Center. The exact address of the attraction: Krizkovskeho 554/12, Brno 603 00, Czech Republic.
All prices and schedules on the page are for August 2019.
Output
Of course, in one trip to the Czech Republic all its cities will not be able to see. But one day to see the sights in Brno may well be enough. The main thing is to organize everything correctly. We hope that this is exactly what our article will help.
All Brno sights described on the page are marked on the map in Russian.
Strange and interesting places in Brno:
