Spilberk Hill
City of Brno, Czech Republic
Brno
Brno lies in the central part of Europe. It is the second largest city of the Czech Republic with the population of nearly 370,000 people. At the same time, it represents a political and a cultural hub of the Southern Moravia Region (Moravia is one of the historic lands of the Czech Crown). It is situated at the crossroad of European multimodal corridors. The location of the city enables very favourable accessibility (important motorways and railroads go through the city). There are regular flights taking off and landing on at the international airport in Brno.
Brno lies in the basin of Svratka and Svitava rivers, covers an area of 230 km2 (143 sq.miles). It is surrounded by the picturesque countryside, located between the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and Protected Landscape Area Moravian Karst in the north and the Southern Moravian lowlands with its vineyards in the south.
In the past the city became the industrial centre of the Habsuburg monarchy (called “the Austrian Manchester”) and the position of the city as a centre of engineering, textile industry and other industrial branches has remained very strong for the whole 20th century. Nowadays the economical structure is changing towards services and research and development.
The panoramic dominant of the city is the Spilberk Castle. The castle was converted into a fortress, and since the 19th century it has been known as the 'Jail of Nations'. The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, also known as Petrov, built on the opposite hill represents another principal monument of the city. These sights are accompanied by two of the most significant parks of the city: Spilberk Hill and Denisovy sady (Denis’s Gardens). Both parks have been renewed last few years. Brno also has the oldest public park in the central part of Europe: Luzanky Park was given to the public by the emperor Joseph II in 1786. The other green area, Koliste Park, was established in the 19. century as the replacement of the former fortification in the Viennese style, which formed the city ring road.
Brno is a major centre of modern architecture. German architect Mies van der Rohe’s villa Tugendhat (UNESCO) is an outstanding example of functionalist architecture and a milestone in the development of modern architecture worldwide. The Brno Exhibition Centre belongs among other modern landmarks. Its buildings form a harmonious complex. over 1 mil. people visit fairs and exhibitions here annually.
The city is the seat of many famous universities (e.g. Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology etc.) and important judiciary institutions (e.g. the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, Supreme Court of the Czech Republic and Supreme Prosecutor’s Office of the Czech Republic etc.).
Brno offers many possibilities of cultural enjoyment in its numerous theatres, museums and cinemas. Numerous interesting places can be found also outside the city centre – Brno ZOO, Masaryk Circuit – a venue of the World Grand Prix of motorbikes, Brno reservoir etc.
There are various cultural events and festivals regularly held in Brno, e.g. “Brno – City in the Centre of Europe” associated with “Ignis Brunensis”, the international fireworks competition, held each June. The show attracts more than 200,000 spectators regularly. Every September, Brno arranges a large wine festival in order to celebrate the harvest of the neighbouring wine-producing region etc.
These days citizens are lively discussing a grandiose project: planned modernisation of railway junction Brno connected with the development of the so-called South City Centre.
Famous people associated with Brno:
Leos Janacek – composer
Milan Kundera – writer
Gregor Mendel – founder of genetics
Viktor Kaplan - engineer and inventor
REGISTRATION
The following Institutions have been registered for the EULP Project. If you also want to be part of it please contact the EULP Assistant Katharina Erne:
eulp@landscape.tuwien.ac.at
- Brno City Municipality [No URL available in database.]
- Brno City Municipality
- Statutory city of Brno, City district Brno - Nový Lískovec [No URL available in database.]
- Czech Environmental Partnership Foundation
- The Czech Environmental Partnership Foundation [No URL available in database.]