A city of southeast Czech Republic southeast of Prague. Founded in the tenth century, it became a free imperial city in 1243. Population: 367,000.
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Br·no (bûr'nō) ![]() |
A city of southeast Czech Republic southeast of Prague. Founded in the tenth century, it became a free imperial city in 1243. Population: 367,000.
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| Columbia Encyclopedia: Brno |
Originally the site of a Celtic settlement, Brno grew between two hills, one of which, the Spielberg (Czech špilberk), had a castle known in the 11th cent. The city became part of the kingdom of Bohemia, whose king, Ottocar I, confirmed Brno's ancient charter, a model of liberal town government, in 1229. King Wenceslaus I made it a free city by royal decree in 1243, and Brno flourished in the 13th and 14th cent. In the Hussite Wars it sided with the Roman Catholic Church. The city was besieged in 1645 by the Swedes and served as headquarters for Napoleon I during the battle of Austerlitz in 1805. The Spielberg castle, which was captured by Hapsburg forces during the Thirty Years War, became (1740–1855) their most notorious political prison. Franz von der Trenck and Silvio Pellico (who described it in Le mie prigioni) were its most celebrated inmates. In the 19th cent. Brno became one of the foremost manufacturing towns of the Austrian empire. Most Germans were expelled from the city after World War II.
Brno's landmarks include the cathedral (15th cent.), the old and new town halls, several fine Gothic and baroque churches, and Mies van der Rohe's classic modernist Tugendhat Villa (1930). Masaryk Univ. (founded 1919), Beneš Technical College, a music conservatory, and several fine museums are also located in the city.
| Dialing Code: The telephone dialing code for: Brno, Czech Republic |
The country code is: 420
The city code is: 5
| Wikipedia: Brno |
| Brno | |||
| City | |||
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View of Brno from the castle Špilberk.
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| Country | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | South Moravian | ||
| District | Brno-City | ||
| Parts |
29
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| Rivers | Svitava, Svratka | ||
| Elevation | 237 m (778 ft) | ||
| Coordinates | 49°12′N 16°37′E / 49.2°N 16.617°E | ||
| Highest point | |||
| - elevation | 425 m (1,394 ft) | ||
| Lowest point | |||
| - elevation | 190 m (623 ft) | ||
| Area | 230.19 km² (88.9 sq mi) | ||
| - land | 225.73 km² (87 sq mi) | ||
| - water | 4.46 km² (2 sq mi) | ||
| - metro | 3,170 km² (1,224 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 370,592 (December 31, 2008) [1] | ||
| - metro | 729,510 | ||
| Density | 1,610 /km² (4,170 /sq mi) | ||
| Founded | 1243 | ||
| Mayor | Roman Onderka (ČSSD) | ||
| Postal code | 602 00 | ||
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |||
| Name | Tugendhat Villa in Brno | ||
| Year | 2001 (#25) | ||
| Number | 1052 | ||
| Region | Europe and North America | ||
| Criteria | ii, iv | ||
| Wikimedia Commons: Brno | |||
| Statistics: CZSO Public Database | |||
| Website: www.brno.cz | |||
Brno (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbr̩no] (
listen)) is the second-largest city in the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1243, although the area had been settled since the 5th century. Today Brno has 370,592 inhabitants and is the seat of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, Supreme Court, Supreme Administrative Court, Supreme Prosecutor's Office and Ombudsman.
Contents |
Brno is located in the southeast part of the country, at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers. The city is a political and cultural hub of the South Moravian Region (estimated population of 1,130,000 for the whole region). At the same time, it represents the centre of the province of Moravia, one of the historic lands of the Bohemian Crown. It is situated at the crossroads of ancient trade routes which have joined northern and southern European civilizations for centuries. Due to its location between the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and the Southern Moravian lowlands, Brno has a moderate climate.
The etymology of the name Brno is disputed. It most likely comes from Old Czech brnen, brno 'muddy, swampy.'[2] Alternative explanations derive it from a Slavic verb brniti (to armor or to fortify) or a Celtic language spoken in the area before it was overrun by Slavic and Germanic peoples (this theory would make it cognate with other Celtic words for hill, such as the Welsh word bryn). Throughout its history, Brno's locals also used to refer to the town in other languages, including Brünn in German, ברנו in Hebrew, Bruna in Latin and Μπρνο in Greek.
The city of Brno is divided into 29 city districts:
| Administrative division of Brno | |
|---|---|
| District | Cadastral areas |
| Brno-Bohunice | Bohunice |
| Brno-Bosonohy | Bosonohy |
| Brno-Bystrc | Bystrc |
| Brno-Centre (Brno-střed) | Brno City (Město Brno), Pisárky (partly), Old Brno (Staré Brno), Stránice, Štýřice, Veveří, Trnitá (partly), Zábrdovice (partly) |
| Brno-Černovice | Černovice |
| Brno-Chrlice | Chrlice |
| Brno-Ivanovice | Ivanovice |
| Brno-Jehnice | Jehnice |
| Brno-Jundrov | Jundrov (partly), Pisárky (partly) |
| Brno-Kníničky | Kníničky |
| Brno-Kohoutovice | Kohoutovice, Jundrov (partly), Pisárky (partly) |
| Brno-Komín | Komín |
| Brno-Královo Pole | Černá Pole (partly), Královo Pole, Ponava, Sadová |
| Brno-Líšeň | Líšeň |
| Brno-Maloměřice a Obřany | Maloměřice (partly), Obřany |
| Brno-Medlánky | Medlánky |
| Brno-North (Brno-sever) | (Černá Pole (partly), Husovice, Lesná, Soběšice, Zábrdovice (partly)) |
| Brno-Nový Lískovec | Nový Lískovec |
| Brno-Ořešín | Ořešín |
| Brno-Řečkovice a Mokrá Hora | Mokrá Hora, Řečkovice |
| Brno-Slatina | Slatina |
| Brno-South (Brno-jih) | Komárov, Dolní Heršpice, Horní Heršpice, Přízřenice, Trnitá (partly) |
| Brno-Starý Lískovec | Starý Lískovec |
| Brno-Tuřany | Brněnské Ivanovice, Dvorska, Holásky, Tuřany |
| Brno-Útěchov | Útěchov |
| Brno-Vinohrady | Maloměřice (partly), Židenice (partly) |
| Brno-Žabovřesky | Žabovřesky |
| Brno-Žebětín | Žebětín |
| Brno-Židenice | Zábrdovice (partly), Židenice (partly) |
Brno as such was acknowledged to be a town in 1243 by Václav I, King of Bohemia, but the area itself had been settled since the 5th century. From the 11th century, a castle of the governing Přemyslid dynasty stood here, and was the seat of the non-ruling prince.
During the mid-14th century Brno became one of the centres for the Moravian regional assemblies, whose meetings alternated between Brno and Olomouc. These regional authority bodies made decisions on political, legal, and financial questions. They were also responsible for the upkeep of regional records.
During the Hussite Wars, the city remained faithful to King Zikmund. The Hussites twice laid siege to the city, once in 1428 and again in 1430, both times in vain.
During the Thirty Years' War, in 1643 and 1645, Brno was the only city to successfully defend itself from Swedish sieges, thereby allowing the Austrian Empire to reform their armies and to repel the Swedish pressure. In recognition of its services, the city was rewarded with a renewal of its city privileges. In the years following the Thirty Years' War, the city became an impregnable baroque fortress. In 1742, the Prussians vainly attempted to conquer the city, and the position of Brno was confirmed with the establishment of a bishopric in 1777. In 1805, The Battle of Austerlitz took place 6 miles southeast of Brno.
In the 18th century, development of industry and trade began to take place, which continued into the next century. Soon after the industrial revolution, the town became one of the industrial centres of Moravia — sometimes it even being called the Czech Manchester. In 1839, the first train arrived in Brno. Together with the development of industry came the growth of the suburbs, and the city lost its fortifications, as did the Spielberg fortress, which became a notorious prison to where not only criminals were sent, but also political opponents of the Austrian Empire. Gas lighting was introduced to the city in 1847 and a tram system in 1869. Mahen Theatre in Brno was the first building in the world to use Edison's electric lamps.
During the "First Republic" (1918–1938) Brno continued to gain importance — it was during this period that Masaryk University was established (1919), the state armoury (Československá Statni Zbrojovka Brno) was established (1919), and the Brno Fairgrounds were opened in 1928 with an exhibition of contemporary culture. The city was not only a centre of industry and commerce, but also of education and culture. Famous people who lived and worked in the city include Gregor Mendel, Leoš Janáček, Viktor Kaplan, Jiří Mahen, and Bohuslav Fuchs.
In 1939 Brno was annexed by Nazi Germany along with the rest of Moravia and Bohemia. After the war, the ethnic German population was expelled.
| 1389 | 1645 | 1850 | 1900 | 1919 | 1925 | 1937 | 1940 | 1950 | 1970 | 1990 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,400 | 4,500 | 49,460 | 138,000 | 221,545 | 242,401 | 289,326 | 238,204 | 284,670 | 335,701 | 391,979 | 383,034 |
Public transport infrastructure consists of 13 tram (streetcar), 11 trolleybus, 49 bus and 1 ship (dam) routes. Service is provided by Dopravní Podnik Města Brna (Brno City Transportation Company). Planned light rail line, which will run in a tunnel through the city centre, should minimize congestion of surface streetcars.
Brno is served by Czech Airlines (codeshared by Air France, KLM, Alitalia and Aeroflot), Ryanair, Atlant Soyuz and
Climate statistics:
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature (°C) | -2.5 | -0.3 | 3.8 | 9.0 | 13.9 | 17.0 | 18.5 | 18.1 | 14.3 | 9.1 | 3.5 | -0.6 |
| Temperature (°F) | 27.5 | 31.4 | 38.8 | 48.2 | 57.0 | 62.6 | 65.3 | 64.6 | 57.7 | 48.4 | 38.3 | 30.9 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 24.6 | 23.8 | 24.1 | 31.5 | 61.0 | 72.2 | 63.7 | 56.2 | 37.6 | 30.7 | 37.4 | 27.1 |
| Sunshine duration (h) | 45.3 | 71.6 | 121.5 | 169.1 | 219.1 | 221.0 | 234.9 | 217.9 | 161.9 | 124.0 | 51.3 | 40.1 |
These are the official twin cities of Brno[4]:
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