Brno

BRNO Coat of Arms Flag Basic Statistics Status: Statutory city Region: South Moravia District: Brno-město Municipality with expanded powers: Brno Municipality with delegated power: Brno Historical territory: Moravia Area: 230.2011 km² Population: 367,396 (2005) Latitude: 49°12' N Longitude: 16°37' E Postal code: 602 00 - 644 00 Number of basic urban units: 278 Number of urban districts: 58 Number of city districts: 29 Number of township areas: 48 City council address: Magistrát města Brno Dominikánské nám. 1 601 67 Brno Official Web site: http://www.brno.cz/ Official city council Web site: http://www.brno.cz/ E-mail address: informace@brno.cz Mayor: PhDr. Richard Svoboda Brno listen ▶ (-Czech, German: Brünn) is the second-largest city of the Czech Republic, located in the southeast of the country, at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers. The town is a political and a cultural hub of the South Moravian Region (population est. 1,125,000 for the whole region). Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Brno Today 4 Famous people associated with Brno 5 External links 6 See also Etymology The name Brno (and equally its German version Brünn) derives from a Celtic language spoken in the area before it was overrun by Slavic and Germanic peoples. It is cognate with other Celtic words for hill, such as the Welsh word bryn. History The southern side of Spielberg fortress Brno was founded in 1243. The area had been settled since the 5th century. It was used as a stronghold until the middle of the 19th century. Then the fortifications were replaced by green areas and buildings in the Viennese style. The Spielberg fortress (Czech: Špilberk), the castle of Brno, was probably the best known prison of the Austrian Empire until 1858. Soon after the industrial revolution, the town became one of the industrial centres of Moravia. Sometimes it is called the Czech Manchester. Brno University of Technology was established in 1899; since 1995, the university has been developing the Czech Technology Park. Villa Tugendhat, designed by Mies van der Rohe and built in the late 1920s close to the centre of the city, is known as a monument of modern architecture, and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2002. Another renowned architect who changed significantly the modern shape of Brno was Arnošt Wiesner. Many of his functionalistic buildings can be found all around the city. Many expositions have been held at the Fairground Site of Brno since 1928; the annual International Engineering Fair of Brno and Invex are probably the most important ones. Masaryk University was established in 1919. Masaryk Circuit was built in the 1980s in the northwest of the town. The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, Supreme Court of the Czech Republic and Supreme Prosecutor's Office of the Czech Republic moved to Brno or were established there in 1993, after the division of Czechoslovakia. Brno Today The Augustinian Abbey of St Thomas, Brno. In the 1990s, after more than 70 years of discussion, the city council decided to build a new main train station farther from the centre of the town and to develop a more modern area of the town, which is currently occupied by train tracks. This plan has been criticised for its possible economical and ecological consequences. The whole Brno railway junction is to be reconstructed, which is very complicated due to its 170 years of development since the first train came to Brno from Vienna in 1839. The construction is projected to finish in 2017. Ignis Brunensis, an international fireworks competition, is held each June. The show attracts more than 200,000 spectators regularly. Hantec is a unique slang spoken in Brno. Famous people associated with Brno Kurt Gödel - a mathematician Martin Havlát - an NHL player for the Ottawa Senators Leoš Janáček - a composer Viktor Kaplan - an inventor Milan Kundera - a writer Adolf Loos - an early modernist architect Ernst Mach - a physicist Jiří Mahen - a writer Gregor Mendel - the founder of genetics Robert Musil - a writer Arne Novák - a literature theorist Zdenka Podkapova - porn star Jan Skácel - a poet External links Official Website of Brno The Moravian Museum Official Website of Villa Tugendhat Moravian Gallery in Brno The Brno House of Art The International Biennale of Graphic Design in Brno The Masaryk University The Brno University of Technology The Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno The Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Capuchin Crypt Brno - basic facts, sights, hotels See also Asteroid 2889 Brno, named after the cityar:برنو Search Term: "Brno" Categories: Cities and towns in the Czech Republic | South Moravian Region

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