Valentino Rossi (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Just like every year, this is going to be the hugest event hosted by the town in 2011. This is both a bad and a good thing: accommodation prices skyrocket, but on the other side this is going to be one of the few weekends that Brno seems to be a lively, international city. Compared to other world championship series events, the race is known for a huge attendance, with more than 200,000 spectators enjoying the Grand Prix of the Czech republic every year.

If you are interested in watching the race(s), check out the official website of Automotodrom Brno for detailed information on transportation and tickets.

Superbike championship race (photo: dicktay2000 @ flickr.com)

Superbike World Championship race is one of the most important events taking place at Brno racing circuit every year. It is popular among fans for its relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. You can even camp right next to the start/finish lane.

Tickets costs from CZK 600 – check out the circuit website for more details, including a schedule and information on transportation.

The racing circuit offers free entrance on Friday, so if you do not know whether you are in love with motorbikes or not, give it a chance.

This also means that downtown Brno will be more lively than usual this weekend. Also, traffic in the western part of the town may be busier from Friday to Sunday.

Main train station

According to witnesses, a quarrel and some poking preceded the shooting.

Being hit into stomachs, both victims were hospitalised and their conditions remain very serious.

The gunman was approximately 175 cm (5 feet, 9 inches) high, 30 years old, with black hair and a beard. He was wearing a checkered shirt and high heels boots.

Sources: iDnes.cz, Deník.cz.

Old trolleybus at Náměstí svobody sq.

Update (Sunday, 11 a.m.): the strike was postponed to Thursday, as it was announced too late to take place on Monday and not to break the law.

Coalition of Transport Unions anounced a huge strike on Monday, June 13. This means that from 3 a.m. to 4 p.m., public transport in Brno, as well as in the rest of the Czech republic, will stay still.

I’m not a fan of this kind of protests, but at least this time the unions got an important reason. The pension reforms proposed by right-wing government mean that many people should work until 69. In some professions, uncluding tram drivers, this could be quite devastating to one’s health and even quite dangerous to other people. And starting a new blue-collar career at the age of 65 isn’t quite easy.

Read more about the strike at the website of Czech press agency.

It seems quite ironic that on Saturday and Sunday visitors of Brno may enjoy “Transport nostalghia” festival, bringing old tramways and buses back to streets. From what I’ve found out, the best place to join the event is the Technical museum.

A huge anchor near the docks at Brno dam lake.

Two years ago, Pope Benedict XVI visited Brno and celebrated a mass at Tuřany airport. According to a tradition, the place was decorated with a cross and an anchor. Now these two objects were put to display next to the Petrov cathedral and Brno dam lake, respectively.

The anchor is located next to a new ferry boat stop – it is hard to miss it when you walk around the dam lake. (See it on a map.)

Golden cross in Denis gardens

One of my friends noted that there is a sign “Come closer to me” at the cross, but the cross itself is locked behind a fence. Funny. (See it on a map.)

CEITEC buildings in Bohunice, next to the recently finished complex of Masaryk University.

European Commision finally approved the project of CEITEC, a huge science facility to be built in quarters Bohunice and Královo Pole before 2014.

This is probably the best news for Brno this year. The 5+ billion CZK project will not only attract more scientists and research companies but also provide many new jobs for common fellas.

CEITEC is a project aiming to set up a Central European centre of scientific excellence in Brno together with local universities and research institutes (Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Institute of Physics of Materials, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Veterinary Research Institute). A laboratory will be outfitted with first-class equipment and facilities which will foster the perfect conditions for basic and applied research in the field of life sciences and advanced materials and technology. (source)

An old man with a sign stating: Stop nazism and give some peace to Jews, Romanis, Czechs and Slavs

On May 1, 2011, Brno witnessed so far the biggest blockade of a national socialist march in the Czech republic.

And the first successful one.

1,200 “common people” – both elderly folks and students, left wing activists and conservatives, white Czechs and gypsies, rich and poor, well educated and uneducated, were standing at Cejl st. for five hours, to make it impossible for the march of 300 radicals to pass through Cejl st., inhabited by many Romanis.

After negotiations, police had to change the route of the march. They also took several neo-nazis to custody for bearing various weapons and showing nazi symbols.

A priceless moment came at the very end of the event. National socialists, who aimed to look like “nice kids”, clashed with police, as they were trying to attack the peaceful gathering. At the same moment, 1,200 common people in the blockade were singing Czech national anthem.

It seems like a happyend – no one got injured, police managed the situation very well (at least from my point of view) and national socialists got a clear message: “Brno stands against violence and radicalism.”

If you want to, print out this poster and spread it.

For the first time in the history of Brno, this demonstration of power and hate will be blocked not (well: not only) by left-wing activists, but by “common people”: students, teachers, entepreneurs, waiters, actors, etc. This kind of activism is common for example in Germany.

If you want to join the crowd of several hundred people who don’t feel comfortable seeing neo-nazis marching the streets, check out the official web page of “Brno blokuje” (Brno impedes) initiative, translated to English, German and Polish.

As the website states, this is not an easy task to do. You may be harrased by police, beaten up by drunk skinheads and no one is going to give you a nice prize in the end. However, after several days of thinking and discussing with various people, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is important to show up and send a message: we, common folks, stand against racism.

AZ tower is going to be located next to M-Palace and Heršpická st.

As soon as in 2013, the panorama of the city will be damaged by white-orange AZ Tower, the highest skyscraper in the Czech republic.

Company “Properity” launches the construction works on April 20. AZ Tower is going to be 109 meters high, carry 32 floors and to overlook all other buildings in the southern centre, including M-Palace and Spielberk office centre. It will most likely be the the most remarkable thing to be seen when arriving to Brno from Vienna, replacing the old and boring combo of the Petrov cathedral and Špilberk castle.

Funny thing is that instead of protecting the cityscape, the town council wanted the original 80 meters project to be higher, to “give” Brno the highest Czech building. As if Prague had some sort of penis envy.

Anyway, renowed architect Eva Jiřičná works on even higher skyscraper next to AZ Tower. It seems that developers have learned nothing from the recent (ongoing?) crisis which had stopped the construction of Spielberk office centre skyscapers for more than two years.

Vlněna in 2006

Vlněna in the late 2010s

It seems that factory “Vlněna”, located next to the main train station and Vaňkovka shopping mall, will simply go down the memory hole. According to the ČT24 TV station, the owner/investor has found out that creating loft apartments and protecting the industrial feel of the area would cost more than what would be rentable. Which is perfectly understandable. But that does not make it less sad.

Vlněna is located at Přízová st. and it has been a part of Brno’s history – as it was one of the most important factories in the times when Brno was called “Moravian Manchester”.

Map

Larger map

The two most popular male professional sport teams in Brno, soccer club Zbrojovka and ice-hockey club Kometa, are experiencing pretty bad season and even losing loyal fans.

Zbrojovka faces the threat of falling down to the 2nd league for the first time since 1993. It is on the penultimate place in the 1st league table with only a little chance of climbing up – as it was defeated 5-0 by Mladá Boleslav last Sunday. You can observe more eyesore at Srbská st. stadium on 3/11, when it hosts Olomouc.

Kometa was on the top of the ice-hockey “Extraleague” for most of the season – it has even finally won a match with Slavia Prague in O2 Arena (video above). However, it missed the all-important playoff phase after a strange long series of defeats – and annoyed its extremly loyal fans. It should be extraordinarily easy to buy tickets for the 3/13 playout series game against Kladno.

Traffic jam at Hradecká st.

Court order stopping the construction of “Dobrovského tunnels” beneath the quarters Žabovřesky and Královo Pole caused a sort of irony. The investors are supposed to improve the project due to the environmental regulation – but the order also means that both quarters will suffer from heavy traffic for few more months. According to the latest estimate, Dobrovského tunnels will open in May 2012. Hopefully.

Source: iDnes.cz.