Cycle Route Brno - Praha

Brno (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbr̩no]; German: Brünn; Latin: Bruna; Yiddish: ברין, Brin) by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia . Brno is the administrative center of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District. The city lies at the confluence of the Svitava  and Svratka  rivers and has about 400,000 residents in 2004.

The most important sights of the city include the castle and fortress Špilberk  and the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul  on Petrov hill, these two formerly medieval buildings form the characteristic cityscape and are often depicted as its traditional symbols. An important monument of Brno is the functionalist Villa Tugendhat  which has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Brno is surrounded by relatively pleasant nature, one of the especially attractive areas nearby being the Moravian Karst .

Possibly thanks to its history as former capital city of Moravia , Brno has hundreds of historical sights, including eight monuments listed among the national cultural heritage of the Czech Republic. Majority of the main sights of Brno are situated in its historical centre. The city has the second largest historic preservation zone in the Czech Republic. The following list shows only some of the most important sights of Brno.

• Brno underground
  • Brno Ossuary
  • Capuchin Crypt
  • The Labyrinth under Vegetable Market
• Seats and palaces
  • Moravian Diet House
  • Bishop's Palace
  • Palace of Noble Ladies
  • Old Town Hall
  • Schwanz Palace
• Fountains, statues and columns
  • Parnas Fountain
  • The Plague Column on the Liberty Square
• Parks
  • Špilberk Park 
• Churches and monasteries
  • Cathedral of Saint Peter and Paul  
  • Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady
  • Church of Saint James  
  • Church of Saint Thomas
  • Abbey of Saint Thomas
• Other
  • Reduta Theatre  (a part of the National Theatre Brno )

Špilberk Castle (German: Spielberg) is an old castle on the hilltop in Brno , Southern Moravia . It began to be built as early as the first half of the 13th century by the Přemyslid kings and complete by King Ottokar II of Bohemia . From a major royal castle established around the mid-13th century, and the seat of the Moravian margraves in the mid-14th century, it was gradually turned into a huge baroque fortress considered the heaviest prison in the Austro-Hungarian empire , and then into barracks. This prison had always been part of the Špilberk fortress.