Tips for your stay in Brno and South Moravia


Špilberk Castle

This vast complex is situated atop a hill of the same name

Špilberk Castle was established in the 13th century by Přemysl Otakar II to protect both the Czech lands and the town of Brno. An occasional residence of Moravian margraves, the castle became a huge military fortress in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1783, as decreed by Emperor Joseph II, it was transformed into a jail for serious criminals and soon also for political prisoners from countries throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Špilberk was known as the harshest jail in Europe. Its famous prisoners included Italian Carbonari, notably poet Silvio Pellico, and Václav Babinský, the famous Czech bandit.

After 1855, the castle served as military barracks. During both world wars, the castle again functioned as a jail, as first opponents of the Austrian regime and later Czech patriots during the Nazi occupation were imprisoned there. In 1962, Špilberk was added to the National Cultural Heritage list.

The castle walls offer an amazing view of Brno. The castle also serves as a cultural centre, housing Muzeum města Brna (the Brno City Museum). Concerts, theatrical performances, and festivals are often held there.




Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

Cathedral dominating the city from atop Petrov Hill

The cathedral – nicknamed Petrov, like the hill – dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries, when a Romanesque chapel was built on the top of a hill. At the end of the 12th century, a small church with an apse and a crypt was built there, and in the 13th century it was expanded into a Romanesque basilica, the remains of which were discovered during an archaeological study of the cathedral at the end of the 20th century; the site is now open to the public. The church was then rebuilt in the early Gothic style and made a provost church and a collegiate chapter. The artist behind the 18th-century Baroque interior was architect Mořic Grimm. The current main altar was created at the end of the 19th century. The ‘Kapistránka’ pulpit located on the left side of the hall is a remarkable piece of art; it is named after the Franciscan friar St John of Capistrano, who preached in Brno in the second half of 1451. The bells on the cathedral towers ring at 11 am instead of at noon in remembrance of a legendary trick that Jean-Louis Raduit de Souches played on the Swedish army as it lay siege to Brno. As the story goes, Swedish general Torstenson claimed he would abandon the siege if his army failed to conquer the city before the bells started to ring at noon. For this reason, de Souches decided to have the bells ring one hour earlier.



Moravian Karst

The Moravian Karst is the best-known and best-developed karst area in the Czech Republic. If you go north of Brno, you will arrive in the territory of one thousand and one hundred caves (so many of them have been officially discovered so far, but the number is probably not final). You can visit five of them. If you do not manage to get tickets for the Punkva Caves or if you do not like crowds, just head for one of the other caves. All of them are a natural treasure!

The Punkva Caves (Punkevní Jeskyně) are the local top star. Their dry part leads through dripstone spaces to the bottom of the world-class Macocha Abyss and then the wet part of the journey – by motorboat on the underground Punkva River – takes you back. A visit here is a real experience, from seeing the first dripstone to getting out of the boats at the end. The guides often make jokes and kids will love the tour.




State Chateau Lednice

The pearl of South Moravia, one of the most visited places in the country, a UNESCO gem. And with a bunch of other tourist attractions around it.

Seven hundred years of exemplary care by one family is something that has to be seen…The Liechtensteins administered the Lednice domain since 1322 and connected it with the Břeclav and Valtice domains. They gave the chateau its present appearance in the mid-19th century. They decided that Vienna was not the right place for aristocratic banquets andrebuilt Lednice into a summer residence in the spirit of the English (Neo-)Gothic. Magnificent meetings of European high society took place on the ground floor in the representative hallswith carved ceilings and luxurious furniture. The first floor was taken up by the family’s private rooms while children with their governesses were sent to the second floor. A tour of the castle is a luxurious experience, you won’t know where to look first.