So you came to Brno on your Erasmus. You go to parties, enjoy time with your friends, study hard, and take strolls through the city on a daily basis. Maybe you went on the sightseeing tour, and saw the Špilberk castle, the famous Brno crocodile, Saint Peter's Cathedral and that really weird astronomical clock on The Freedoms Square which looks suspiciously like an unnamed body part.
But what about the less known, but still incredibly intriguing parts of Brno? The ones that the locals usually tell you about? Surely, you may know many of these places like the back of your hand, but in case you do not, we would love to tell you a bit more about them.
Museum of Romani culture
Surely you will agree that it is essential to educate and immerse yourselves in different cultures. The Museum of Roma Culture was founded in 1991 on the initiative of Roma intellectuals as a non-governmental non-profit organization. The museum contains over 28,000 collection items, and primarily documents the culture and history of the Roma.
Today, it manages funds of traditional crafts and professions, types of dwellings, interior fittings, clothing and jewelry, visual arts, written material, posters and invitations, audio, photo and video documentation, library, echoes of Roma culture in the majority culture and self-documentation of the museum (https://www.rommuz.cz/cs/o-muzeu/o-nas/).
Obora Holedná
Now, if you really truly want to get away for the weekend, and “be with the nature”, Obora Holedná might just be what you are looking for. And what will you find there?
A herd of roe deer roaming about 50 meters from the road. A piece of nature with a wild wild animal in the middle of Brno. This is the Holedná nature reserve, located between the districts of Kohoutovice, Bystrc, Jundrov and Komín.
While moving quietly and calmly through the leafy, mainly oak forest with places of pines, the visitor can see deer, deer, roe deer, mouflons and mouflons. There is also a bird population to be seen here, especially the woodpecker, woodpecker and oriole. The area is also traversed by a moderately demanding educational trail with information about farmed animals, which takes about an hour and a half to walk through.
The entire Holedná nature reserve is fenced so that farmed animals do not escape from it. Access to it is thus only possible in a few places. From Kohoutovice, the best way to enter is at the public transport stop Kohoutovice, hájenka. From Bystrc, the nature reserve is entered via Pod Horkou street. The entrance from Jundrov is from Nálepkova street. The highest peak is Holedná with a height of 391 m above sea level in the northern part of the area (http://www.pruvodcebrnem.cz/obora-holedna).
Lamacentrum Hády
Llamas on the weekend. Need we say more? Lamacentrum Hády is located, as the title suggests, in Hády in Maloměřice. It can be quite a hike to get up there, but we promise it is worth it. You do have to pay a little fee, just like you would in a ZOO. In return, you get to pet the llamas alpacas, where you will be taken by the centre's guides. That is not all, however: you also get to experience a beautiful limestone quarry environment, a geological barefoot trail, an interactive watercourse model, a budko tree and photo trees.
And in case just one day with lamas, sheep, goats and rabbits is not enough, the Centre actually offers quite a bit of activities - for instance a Wavebreak on the 30th of April, which is sheep shearing, or an excursion on 7th or 14th May to PP Kavka – the most beautiful and rare protected area in Hades in full bloom.
Löw-Beer Vila
You have probably heard of Vila Tugendhat, but have you ever heard of the Löw-Beer Vila?
In 1929, the owner of the property, Alfred Löw-Beer, donated the upper part of the plot to his daughter Greta, who together with her husband had a family house built on it - the well-known Villa Tugendhat. The gardens are connected during the opening hours of the villas, the passage between them is free. The Villa is closed for the moment, but reopens again on the 27th of April with a brand new exposition. Be sure to check it out!
Brno Dam
Who hasn’t been to the Brno dam at least once to play a game of volleyball, have a picnic, go for a swim, or a boat ride, has not really been to Brno (kidding of course). What makes this place so special? Once it is warm enough to put down a blanket and have a picnic, it can’t get much better than that. Plus, you get to enjoy the view of the dam itself. Some of you may also know that this is where the boat party takes place every semester. Whatever your reason for visiting the dam is, it is worth it, promise.
Lednice-Valtice
Okay, this one is definitely very well known, however, cannot be missed during your Erasmus stay here. In just a little over an hour you get to spend an amazing day strolling through truly beautiful gardens. Not only that - the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape is composed of a large Greenhouse, Minaret, temples, ponds, and much more. The complex is dominated by beautiful chateaus in Lednice and Valtice. We recommend going now or in May to see all the flowers blooming.
When walking through Brno
Have you ever noticed the quirky and whimsical sculptures that can be found throughout the city. From the giant clock with human legs in the city center to the creepy baby crawling up the side of a building, Brno is full of delightful surprises. Keep your eyes peeled for the "Piss" statue, which features two bronze men peeing into a fountain. It's the perfect spot for a cheeky photo op, or to just stand and marvel at the absurdity of it all.
Well, that is it folks. We hope that thanks to this article you will consider next weekend's destination to be one of these spots.
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