Brno – the Moravian capital

St. Peter’ and Paul’s Cathedral                                                                                       
The symbol of Brno – originally a Roman basilica on the hill called Petrov, rebuilt in the Gothic style. At the turn of the 20th century there were neo-Gothic reconstructions. Besides Baroque interiors, also both towers and the crypt can be visited.

Spilberk Castle
A royal castle from the 13th century, rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries to a Baroque fortress, the best-known prison in the Habsburg monarchy. Since 1960 the headquarters of the Brno City Museum, permanent exposition on the history of the castle and the city, an old prison, a large park.

Villa Tugendhat
A major achievement of the world architecture of functionalism and the best-known European building of Ludwig Miese van der Rohe from years 1929-1930. In 2001 listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.         
Unique spatial solution, technological equipment and elegant interiors.
 
Old Town Hall
The oldest secular building in Brno, varied style and temporal features, from the beginning of the 14th century till 1935 the headquarters of the municipal administration. In the gateway of the hall tower with a stone portal by Anton Pilgram, there is the famous Dragon of Brno. The hall tower and its Renaissance gallery provide impressive views of the city and its marketplace Zelný trh.

Capuchin Crypt
In the underground of the monastery church, there is a baroque crypt, which is accessible for the public. The members of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, its patrons and other significant personalities including the legendary Baron Franz von der Trenck used to be buried there starting in mid-17th century.

The Menin Gate
The only preserved city gate of the medieval system of walls, first mentioned in 1293. Originally it was located in Koblizna and Janska streets, later it was moved to its current position in Orli street. This building from the second half of the 16th century houses exhibitions of the Brno City Museum.

Mahen Theatre
A neo-Renaissance building constructed according to a project of Vienna architects Ferdinand Fellner  jr. and Hermann Hellmer.  On November 14, 1882 the theatre entered the history as the first building of theatre in the world illuminated with electric light bulbs – Edison’s bulbs. 

New Town Hall
A former monastery of the Dominican Order; from its origin in the 13th century it served for the purposed of higher classes and regional congresses and courts were held there. During the 18th century it was reshaped in the Baroque style; today it is the seat of the Lord Mayor and the City Council. Medieval cloisters, historic portals, representative spaces.

Red Church
The neo-Gothic Evangelic cathedral of J. A. Comenius.  Its name is derived from the red colour of its brickwork. It was built between 1863 and 1865 using a project by Heinrich Ferstel, the author of the Votive Cathedral in Vienna, as the first non-Catholic church in this part of Europe.

Augustinian Monastery and Church of St. Thomas
A late-Baroque monastery complex founded in 1350 by Margrave Jan Heinrich of Luxemburg, brother of Emperor Charles IV. At present it is the headquarters of the Moravian Gallery. In the church there is a copy of the painting of Black Madonna, the City of Brno guardian (the original is to be found on the silver altar of the church of the Augustinian monastery in Old Brno).

Augustinian Monastery in Old Brno
The Cistercian convent established by Queen Eliška Rejčka in 1323 has been the property of the Augustinian Order since 1783. One of the most famous people associated with the monastery was abbot Johann Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics. In 1987 the Gothic Cathedral of the Assumption of Virgin Mary was elevated in status by Pope John Paul II to bear the title of "Basilica minor".

Zelný trh, the Marketplace
This has been the site of everyday markets with vegetables, fruit and flowers since old times.
There is a Baroque fountain called Parnas from 1690-1695, designed by Jan Bernard Fischer of Erlach; it symbolizes a cave with allegoric sculptures representing Babylonia, Persia and Greece. The water used to be supplied from the oldest water duct of Brno from the Svratka River.