- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 13th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- South Moravian, Czechia
- Style
- Gothic architecture
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 49.1944°, 16.5989°
History
The royal castle on the hill above Brno was founded in the 13th century under the last Přemyslids, and in the 14th century it was the seat of the Luxembourg margraves of Moravia, among them Jobst. In the 17th century it was rebuilt as a modern fortress, which together with the town withstood a Swedish siege in 1645. A grim prison was set up in its casemates, where the pandour commander Franz von der Trenck died in 1749, and from 1783 the fortress held the most dangerous criminals. In the 19th century political prisoners from across the monarchy were sent here, including Italian Carbonari. During the Second World War the Germans again held prisoners here, and since 1960 the castle has been home to the Brno City Museum.
What to see
The casemates make the strongest impression: dark vaulted passages inside the bastion walls that recall the conditions of the old prison. In the castle wings the Brno City Museum presents exhibitions on the city's history, art and architecture, and the lookout tower offers a panorama of Brno with the cathedral on Petrov hill. A large park with Baroque bastions surrounds the hill.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q118256
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