1. Brno is no Prague or Cesky Krumlow but it is a charming little town nevertheless. However, it was of great political significance and served as one of the seats of governance for the Moravian region starting with the Great Moravian empire since the 11th century. It became the sole capital of Moravia in 1648 after Olomouc was captured by the Swedes in the Thirty Years’ War. Today, it is still the capital of South Moravian region administered by the Czech Republic. 

2. Brno was besieged by Hussites (15th century), Swedes (17th century), Prussians (18th century) but none of them were successful in conquering the city. The city was also referred to as Brunn (German Brunn) as the city had a large German population in the early 20th century. The Old Town Hall has a crocodile figurine hanging from the ceiling. Referred to as the Brno dragon, the legend is that it threatened the local people and was overcome with a clever hack.   

3. The Freedom square is usually a great place to hangout with food stalls, markets and street performances. It also has the astronomical clock which is a shiny black marble obelisk. It has some interesting history associated with it. In 1645, Swedes had laid siege to Brno for 3 months but were unable to force a surrender. Apparently, the Swedish general exhausted his patience eventually  and chose to withdraw if the city did not fall by noon. However, some ingenious people of Brno turned the clock to read noon an hour early i.e 11 o’clock. The general promptly walked away. This clock was installed to commemorate that event and releases glass marbles everyday at 11. However, I simply couldn’t figure out how to read time from it.  

4. Spilkberg Castle’s facade is very similar to that of Bratislava castle.The castle itself is not that impressive but the garden and outdoor areas are beautiful and well maintained. It was once notorious as a prison under the Austro Hungarian empire.The views of the Cathedral of Peter and Petrov from the castle are great. The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul with its baroque interiors and Gothic style towers is one of the most important pieces of architecture in the Moravian region. Thee bells of the cathedral are also rung at 11 o’clock in the morning instead of 12 noon for same reason as above.

5. Local food seemed very functional – lots of cabbage, potatoes and hearty meat soups but there were a good number of “international” options like burger, pizza, pasta as well.