"BRNO my home town" a Brno Travel Page by eledhwen

The biggest and historical capital city of Moravia and the second biggest town of the Czech Republic lies on the junction of the rivers Svratka and Svitava in the place, where the Dyjskosvratecky ravine slowly merges into the Bobravska and Drahanska highlands. It is the administrative centre of the South Moravian region, important political, social, cultural and commercial metropolis, important traffic junction and also the most important Czech fair town. It is the seat of the Highest constitutional court and of the Highest prosecution.

How got Brno its name?
Just as in the case of Prague is the origin of Brno's name not wholly clear. The experts do see its root in the old Slavonic expression "brn" meaning clay or mud. Brno would be then a settlement founded on a muddy terrain.

History
As the numerous archaeological discoveries illustrate, the area of Brno basin was inhabited already in prehistory. When Moravia became part of the Czech state, maybe already in reign of the prince Bretislav I (11th century), was probably on the place of today Petrov cathedral founded a castle Brnen, which soon became a seat of the apanage prince; the first safe mention of it comes from the year 1091. Brno as a town is firstly mentioned in the year 1238. The centre of the municipality were some markets linked by streets, a few churches, three monasteries and also independent Jewish community. The castle Spilberk arose approximately in these days. Brno became a permanent seat of Moravian margraves in the year 1349. The town was able to meet the attack of Turks and Swedes in the years 1643 and 1645. Brno proved good as a fortress especially in the year 1742, when it as the only one town on Moravia stood up to the Prussian troops. First textile manufactures were founded already in the year 1763, in the year 1814 the first steam engine started driving here. The first train come from Vienna to Brno in the year 1839. The gasworks were built and the gaslight was established in the year 1847. The power station took up an activity in the year 1897. Brno became important industrial centre of Austro-Hungarian monarchy and later also of the Czechoslovak Republic. The fair grounds were built in the year 1928. Today, Brno is administratively divided to 29 districts. You will find the most attractive ones described in the travel tips.

My opinion about the town
I do live here almost my whole life, I was born here, been going to school here, fell in love for the first time etc. I just enjoy living in Brno, it is a safe town for a girl going alone late in the night back home, off course there are some excesses from time to time, but generally speaking and from my own experience it is a safe place. Brno is not so big as Prague and that is why I like it, it is big just enough to have your own privacy but small enough to meet the same faces in the city centre for years. This let me feel comfortable and safe here, you see the same faces passing you by on the streets, you do not who they are or what they do in their lives, but just meeting them makes me feel at home. Some of them are people who had been customers at the bookstore I worked years ago for and I still recognise their faces in the streets, I do not remeber their names yet but know that he was interested in antiquity postcards and he in old German books or she in litographies from antiquity French fashion magazines. And one more thing on Brno is wonderful too, it seems that everybody knows everybody...I mean I had a teacher at school and years later the husband of my friend said to me once that this teacher was ages before his girlfriend or suddenly you realise that you have common friend with your new school mate etc. This makes the town a wonderful place for living.