Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

280 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp288–91 and pp292–5

rather macabre attraction of

the church are the mummi fied

monks in the Crypt.

P Zelný Square

This square (Zelný trh),

meaning cabbage market, has

served as a vege table market

for the locals since the Middle

Ages, and has retained its

original, sloping shape. Its

main adornment is the

Parnassus Fountain. Made

to a design by Fischer

von Erlach in the 1690s,

it com bines the best

traits of Baroque

natu ralism,

trompe -l’oeil

and theatrics.

Among the buildings

around the square

is the home of the

Reduta theatre. This is

the old est theatre

build ing in Brno. The

Dietrichstein Palace

(Ditrichšteinský

palác), built in

1700 at the

square’s south-

ern end, is

home to the Moravian

National Museum, devoted

to Brno’s early history.

P Old Town Hall

Radnická 8. # Apr–Sep: 10am–6pm

daily; Oct–Mar: 8am–6pm Mon–Fri,

9am–5pm Sat & Sun.

Just off Zelný trh, the Old

Town Hall (Stará radnice) is

the oldest secular building in

Brno, dating from 1240. In

1510, a doorway was cut into

the tower on Radnická and

framed by a superb Gothic

portal. This work by Anton

Pilgram is decorated at the

lower level with figures of

knights and, above, with sta-

tues of the city’s aldermen. At

the centre is the allegorical fig-

ure of Blind Justice. The main

tour ist office is located here.

P New Town Hall

Dominikánské náměstí.

Tel 542 171 111.

The New Town Hall (Nová

radnice), the seat of the city

coun cil, dates mainly from

the 1700s. It was built

inside a former

Dominican monas-

tery; the Dominican

St Michael’s Church

stands nearby. Gothic

cloisters sur vive

inside the Town Hall.

P Freedom Square

Brno’s main square

(Náměstí Svobody)

buzzes with life – its

restaurants and cafés

being pop ular meet-

ing places. The archi-

tecture around the

square spans 400

years. Its finest

build ings include

the Schwartz

R Cathedral of Sts Peter
and Paul
Petrov Hill. # 8:15am–6:15pm
Mon–Sat, 7am–6:30pm Sun. 5
This cathedral (Katedrála
sv Petra a Pavla) was built
on the site where Brno’s first
castle probably stood in the
11th and 12th centuries.
Originally Romanesque, the
church acquired a Gothic
appearance in the 1200s,
but countless sub sequent
altera tions even tually obliter-
ated its original shape. It was
restored to its Gothic form
in the late 1800s. Of great
interest inside is the crypt
of the original church.

R Church of the
Holy Cross
Kapucínské náměstí. 5.
Crypt # 9am–noon, 2–4pm Tue–
Sat (also May–Sep: Mon),
11–11:45am, 2–4:30pm Sun.
The austere façade of the
Church of the Holy Cross
(Kostel sv Kříže), near the
foot of Petrov Hill, is typical
of Capuchin churches
elsewhere in Europe. The

The second largest city in the Czech Republic, Brno
occupies the site of what was in the 9th century the
main settlement in the Great Moravian Empire. Located
on the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, the
city developed at the foot of Petrov Hill. In 1641 it
became the new capital of Moravia but did not develop
significantly until the 19th century. World War II devas-
tated the city and despite being totally rebuilt, Brno has
never quite regained its former lustre. However, its buoy-
ant theatre life and numerous museums have made Brno
a major cultural centre. The city’s Old Town is focused
around two squares – Zelný trh and Náměstí Svobody.

Brno r

Sculptures by Anton Pilgram on

the Old Town Hall’s doorway

View of the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul

Sculpture outside St Michael’s

Church, New Town Hall