2 Jun 2023 – Our one full day in Brno – and buckle up, it is full… lots of pictures for this one again…
Started our day wandering out to find a bite and to take in the daily market in the Zhelnÿ Square – and first beer of the day.
Next – explored UNDER the market – a guided tour (in Czech, English low-along guide provided) of the medieval labyrinth of tunnels and storage 6-8 meters under the square and surrounding buildings. Cellars built to store and preserve food, beer, wine connected by tunnels and also housing chambers that display archeological finds, a torture chamber, a wine cellar, an alchemist’s lab and even a tavern.
Back above ground, checking out a few more sights – St Michael Church, and the Old Town Hall – and the coolest bronze gargoyle. Final pic is of Church of St Jakub (James), under which we will go next…
Our next stop is the Kostnice u sv. Jakuba – the second largest ossuary in Europe, and the resting place of the remains of over 50,000 cholera and plague victims, and other dead, dating back as far as the 13th century when the site was first consecrated as a burial site. The Ossuary itself was created in the 18th century and used into the 19th, but was closed up and basically forgotten until rediscovered in 2001. It was opened to the public in 2012 and is a designated UNESCO heritage site. A bit spooky, and claustrophobic to some (like K!).
Again back to the sunlight – next stop will take us up above the city for a change…a pleasant walk through a big city park circled us around to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, a classic gothic/baroque architectural mixture dating from the 14th century (on a church site dating to 11th century) although the massive twin towers were added in the early 1900’s.
After checking out the inside, we climbed first a stone stair to the Treasury level, where many historical church artifacts are on display, and the for a small fee climber the more daunting 128 stairs up into the towers (internal walkway between them) and tremendous views over the city – including a nice viewpoint of the next major stop – Špilberk Castle.
Those steps bothered K – and the extensive walk thus far earned us another beer stop.
Not too much of a walk to the hill and park surrounding Špilberk Castle, but the first glance shows you what’s in store…up, up, uphill. Begun in the 13th century and completed by King Ottokar II of Bohemia, the castle was a major citadel of the Moravian margraves of the 14th century, and for some time considered the harshest prison in the Austrian Empire. These days – this weekend in fact – hosting a festival of modern art and vegan food…
With the weather cooling and our stomachs growing, we set off downhill (yea!) in search of dinner – at local brewery/restaurant Starobrno – outdoors was getting a bit cool and windy but the food and beer excellent. Then a Bolt (European substitute for Uber) back to the hotel to crash.
On to Praha tomorrow!