CZECH REPUBLIC : BRNO
Brno
is situated around the confluence of two rivers-the Svratka and the
Svitava. It is a significant commercial, cultural and social center
located directly in the heart of a wine-growing region of South Moravia. The city of
Brno has always been an important trading crossroads for journeys from
the Baltic to the Adriatic Sea and from the West to the East. Brno is
now the second largest city in the Czech Republic by population and the
third largest city by area.
The city celebrated 750 years of "city status". It was founded
around year 1000.
Brno originated as a early medieval ford across the Svratka river in
around 1100, Brno parlayed its location on important trade routes into
becoming the capital of the Great Moravian Empire, before being annexed
by Bohemia. This annexation made the city a catholic centre, something
unique in the heretical Czech lands.
The silhouette of
Brno is highlighted by the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul and the
Špilberk fortress from the 13th century.The cathedral stands on Petrov
Hill. It was originally a Romanesque basilica of the of 12th century, it
became a Gothic structure during the 14th century. During the first half
of the 18th century it was refashioned by Moritz Grimm and furnished in
contemporary style with the fine sculptural work by Andreas Schweigl.
Its Gothic appearance was restored in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Under the St. Peter and Paul cathedral lies the Capuchin
Crypt . It features a pleasingly gruesome taste of the hereafter, with
its collection of mummified nobles and monks, many still in their
original garb.
The Franciscan church of St. John is also of medieval origin. It
contains a sculptured Madonna of the 14th century, wall paintings from
1504 and baroque frescos by Jan J. Etgens. The architecture of the
Dominican monastery and its church of St. Michael dates from the first
half of the 13th century, though its present appearance is the result of
the Baroque alterations carried out in 1655-1679 by Jan Erna and
Domenico Martinelli.
The 13th-century fortress lies on a hill even higher than St
Peter’s cathedral across Husova from the old centre. It features the
“kasematy”, a kind of labyrinth of grim, dark and damp dungeons where
Emperor Joseph II had prisoners suspended on the dripping walls.
In more recent times, the city of Brno has become known for the famous
Masaryk Race Track and names like Chiron, Nuvolari or Agostini. There is
also one of the most beautiful European Exhibition Grounds from the 20s
of this century, which is famous not only for important exhibitions but
also for the functionalism architecture typical for Brno.
Some famous inhabitants of Brno were : the composer Leoš Janáček, the
scientist Johan Gregor Mendel, the inventor of water turbine Kaplan,
architects Loos and Fuchs, the tennis player Jana Novotná and many
others.
Modern architecture flourished during the Interbellum of the 20th
century in Brno.
The
Tugendhat Villa is now the most valued sight of that time. Built by Mies
van der Rohe at the brink of the 1920s and '30s, the concept of the
family house is still unique and imposing for Europe. The international
style buildings deisgned by Bohuslav Fuchs (Avion hotel, Zeman's Cafe,
Baths at Zábrdovice, etc.) belong to the admired sights of Brno, too
Brno is also the seat of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic
and the site of many universities and colleges.
