Masaryk University

About the university

Founded in 1919, Masaryk University (Masarykova univerzita, MUNI) in Brno is the second largest university in the Czech Republic and consists of eight faculties with more than 30.000 students.

 

The city of Brno

Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic after Prague (about 380.000 inhabitants:inside). The city has been the historical center of Moravia since the 17th century and is today the administrative seat of the South Moravian Region (Jihomoravský kraj). The Svratka River and the Svitava River, coming from the town of Svitavy, flow through the town and join the Svratka River at the southern town border. At the northwestern city boundary, the Svratka is dammed into a reservoir Brněnská přehrada. The city area is situated at an altitude of 190-479 m a.s.l. The highest point is Kopeček Hill (479 m a.s.l.) on the western edge of the city area.

There are several universities in Brno; in addition, the city is an important research center and the seat of the Brno Bishopric of the Roman Catholic Church of the Czech Republic.

There are two dominant hills in the center. On the Petrov you can admire the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul (katedrála sv. Petra a Pavla), and on the Spielberg the extensive castle grounds, where apart from the museum there are, for example, the casemates. Because of these, the castle had the reputation of the toughest prison of the Austrian monarchy. Near the Herb Market (Zelný trh) is the Old Town Hall (Stará radnice) with the Brno Dragon in the passageway, the historical halls and the observation tower.

There are many coffee houses in Brno with a long history. The first coffee house on Czech soil was opened here as early as 1702 - incidentally, several years earlier than in Prague. Since then, the taste and the way of making coffee has changed a lot - but the relationship of the city of Brno and the desire of the people of Brno to spend:inside their time in coffee houses remains unchanged.

Local wine and beer culture are also exciting and have a long tradition in Brno. For example, the city is now home to the largest brewery in Moravia. A number of craft and nomadic breweries as well as home brewers are also active in Brno. The tap styles, which are often little known in Germany (see picture on the right -Mlíko - milk), are worth a try and make the beer taste different depending on the tap style.