Czechast Special: Three places in Brno to see

Brno
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In the last episode we heard emeritus professor of Masaryk University in Brno Don Sparling. Among other things, he mentioned why he left Prague for Brno and that he considers the Czech Capital to be very “self-centered”. I agree and I also think that foreigners who come to Czechia often make the mistake of staying in Prague only. There are many other interesting and fascinating places and Brno is certainly one of them.

The best known Czech brand name is undoubtedly Pilsner Urquell. Budweiser (sold as Czechvar in the United States and some other countries) is probably the second most prominent. The fame of these two brands outshines many other lagers and other types of beer brewed all over Czechia. And that is a shame, because there is so much more to discover for any beer-loving visitor to this country. Brno with its Starobrno lager is no exception in this respect.

One of the places you certainly shouldn’t miss if you go to Brno is its castle. Špilberk was built in the Middle-Ages on a hill overlooking the second largest city in the country. It was a strategic fortress and later prison whose significance went beyond regional boundaries of what is now Czechia.

"Less is more" this aphorism is often associated with German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. He might be better known as the last director of the Bauhaus, the famous school of modern architecture in Germany in the interwar period. But before emigrating to the United States, Mies left an indelible mark in the heart of Moravia: Villa Tugendhat in Brno.

Author: Vít Pohanka
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