Here is why under-the-radar Brno must be in your 2025 journey listing.
Noon is 11am in Brno, marked by the chiming astronomical clock which stays an enigma even to the locals. On the hour, this massive, erect black granite construction releases a marble to one in every of three catch factors – normally guarded by the arms of youngsters.
Each wonky piece of artwork and weird sculpture right here has a legacy or folks story that speaks of Brno residents’ braveness and lighthearted nature.
Like many, I hadn’t heard of Czechia’s southern second metropolis earlier than. I related the nation with the busy capital and in style stag-do vacation spot, Prague.
However on my 1.5-hour prepare from Vienna, college scholar Ilona Szarazova tells me, “Brno looks like a giant village, all people is aware of all people and also you’re by no means burdened.”
I quickly realise that off-target expectations and sudden quirks are a part of the enjoyable on this undiscovered gem.
Attending to know Brno: Navy myths and tech innovation
Strolling to the centre of the primary plaza, Freedom Sq., I attain Brno’s beloved clock.
“We’ve obtained a very good sense of humour,” native information Sára Anna Hudcovicová says. “That is our model of the mediaeval mechanical clock in Prague. I believe it’s coincidental that lots of our sculptures seem like a, you understand…”
Phallic in look, this uncommon construction symbolises Brno’s bravery in its defence in opposition to the Swedish siege in 1645 – which is why it was designed to seem like a bullet.
In response to the delusion, Swedish troopers deliberate to surrender makes an attempt of invasion in the future at 12pm. When the locals came upon, they adjusted town clocks to ring an hour early.
Nothing’s fairly because it appears right here. I’m in one in every of Europe’s main tech innovation hubs but I’m wooed by the late-gothic interval structure and neo-Renaissance magnificence of Vegetable Market sq..
Across the stalls promoting autumnal dried bouquets and early Oktoberfest pints, it’s atmospheric however not too busy. Whereas 13 universities are within the surrounding metropolitan space, solely 400,000 individuals stay within the metropolis.
“Beneath our ft is a labyrinth of passages and cellars,” Sára says. “You possibly can go down there to see the place meals offered on the market was saved within the Thirteenth century.”
Brno’s wealthy historical past: Catacombs and scientific greenhouses
Among the many plentiful deck chair socialising spots, parks stuffed with benches and calming water options, are loads of spectacular points of interest. Holding the stays of fifty,000 individuals is the second largest catacombs in Europe.
A 20-minute stroll away is Žlutý Kopec Reservoirs, 4 underground water tanks that had been shut down in 1997 – and this yr newly opened to vacationers and for music occasions.
Whereas they date again to 1894, there’s one thing futuristic concerning the phantasm of infinite area created by diagonal rows of pillars via every dimly lit chamber.
Mendel’s Greenhouse, the place the speculation of genetics sprung from, a 1770 cathedral and the Thirteenth-century UNESCO-listed Tugendhat Villa, to call a couple of, have been right here a very long time. However the nation’s borders solely opened to vacationers in 1989.
Prague had a headstart after the communist revolution, being a capital metropolis with a significant airport. However Brno constructed its enchantment via cautious consideration to element within the metropolis expertise.
The streets are spotless, everybody I meet speaks wonderful English and it’s simple to get round – the trams meet on the prepare station on the hour all through the day.
I’m at all times just a few steps away from a stylish cafe or buzzy bar serving the most effective pilsner I’ve ever tasted and there are many top-quality eating places serving international cuisines.
Brno is a hub for digital nomads
Over time the tech scene helped pave the way in which for tourism by bringing companies and income into Brno.
“Due to initiatives like JIC, extra technology-oriented expats select Brno,” says Ondřej Dufek, co-founder of Flatio, an lodging rental platform for digital nomads.
Arrange twenty years in the past, JIC (the South Moravian Innovation Centre) was one of many first technological incubators within the japanese a part of the European Union.
Since launching in Brno in 2016, Flatio has seen rising yearly bookings. Preliminary findings of the corporate’s 2024 Digital Nomad Report ranks Brno 10 out of the 28 finest cities for distant staff, worldwide.
There are 15 co-working areas dotted throughout town and long-term lets can be found for as much as a yr with Flatio.
Positioned 123 in Numbeo’s latest European value of dwelling index, it’s simple to maintain issues low-cost whereas dwelling right here, too.
Past Brno: Rustic villages and wine cellars
A 30-minute drive south and I’m in Pálava Nature Reserve. From the ruined 1200 fortress on a hilltop surrounded by rustic villages, I love miles of fruitful vineyards beside Věstonice Reservoir.
On the opposite facet of the water is Strachotin, one in every of Moravia’s recognised cultural heritage villages for the wine cellar alley beneath its vibrant row of homes. It is busy with cyclists who cease alongside the reservoir to discover the historic community of underground cask storage areas and pattern the area’s best white wines.
Whereas it feels a world away from vacationer hotspots, it’s just a few hours by prepare to Vienna, Prague and Budapest. Though Brno is flying below the radar for now, it received’t keep a secret for lengthy – however that’s why it’s the proper time to find this metropolis filled with surprises.