Basic facts about Brno, Czech republic
Halfway between Prague and Vienna, Brno ("Brünn" in German; population 370 000) is considered to be a smaller, more peaceful sibling of the two metropolises.
Brno is dominated by the Neo-Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul and the Špiblerk Castle, both situated on hills above the centre. Most of the town centre was built during the 19th century, and its buildings are often decorated by sophisticated secesionist ornaments, which give Brno a slightly sentimental atmosphere.
Brno was the home of many well known personalities, such as Johann Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics, Leoš Janáček, a musical composer, Kurt Gödel, "the biggest logician after Aristotle", physicist Ernst Mach, and the writers Milan Kundera and Bohumil Hrabal. There are museums dedicated to the lives and works of Mendel and Janáček.
Brno is the biggest city in Moravia (the historical lands of the east of the Czech Republic). Brno is well known for several pieces of important modern architecture. Tugendhat Villa is one of a very few buildings from the 20th century included to the Unesco World Heritage list. But it is only one of the many reasons why tourists come and look for accommodation in Brno. Brno is also one of the biggest cities of whole Czech Republic. The capital city, Prague, offers various types of accommodation as well, e.g. rental apartments and services of flat rent Prague.
Probably the most important event in the history of Brno occurred in August of 1645, when the town - the only one in central Europe - defeated the strong Swedish army. The victory helped the Austrian Empire, to which Brno belonged at that time, to finally defeat its protestant rivals. In the 19th century, Brno was transformed from a fortress into an industrial town. Several factories producing textile goods gave Brno the nickname "Czech Manchester".
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Brno is recognized as a university town nowadays, due to an expansion of Masaryk University during last few years. More than 70 thousand people go to college in Brno, which means that up to 20 percent of its inhabitants are university students, which gives the town a fresh youthful atmosphere and brings many cultural events to it.
