Lesná on a 1970s postcard by Josef Sekal and Severografia Červený Kostelec

A garden city consisting of blocks of flats? Well, socialist urban-planning had some bright moments and quarter Lesná (district Brno-sever) is a good proof.

The most important part of Lesná was built in the 1960s on the northern corner of Brno. Its name means “forestal”, because the whole quarter is a huge park with tall trees between buildings.

There are about 12 huge blocks of flats, 20+ smaller buildings and many family houses at Lesná. Unique urban plan causes that there is little noise from motor traffic – which is watched over by several non-profits that even want to protect Lesná by law as a landmark.

Most buildings have recently been repaired.

Pros

• Quiet, safe neighborhood.
• Many leisure time facilities, including swimming pool.
• Affordable rents and prices of flats.

Cons

• Flats in the original buildings are rather old-fashioned and small.
• Lesná is relatively far from town’s centre, it takes about 20 minutes to get to the main station by tram. However, you can use a train line that reduces the commuting time under 10 minutes.
• Parking issues.

Modern buildings at the northern corner of Lesná.

Interesting places

There are two shanty towns built in the 1930s close to Lesná. “Divišova kolonie” (map) is the largest neighborhood of its kind in Brno. “Písečník” (map) is a real slum, however its atmosphere is destroyed by several new, huge, modern houses.

Best restaurants

I fell in love with a small pub “Dýmkařský klub” (“Pipe-smokers’ club”, map) at Studená st. They have several beers from small breweries on tap and the place has a family-like atmosphere. My former collegue recommends restaurant Na vyhlídce (map) – but I have not tried it yet.

There are many playgrounds at Lesná.

Map

Larger map

A typical street of Husovice - with low village-like houses built in the 19th century.

Once described by Nobel prize laureate Jaroslav Seifert as a “workers’ republic”, Husovice is a poetic mix of a former village with an industrial zone at the western bank of Svitava river. It’s a part of Brno-sever district but it is very different from nearby neighborhoods Černá Pole and Lesná, both belonging to Brno-sever as well.

Pros

• Low rents.
• Cheap pubs.
• Romantic industrial quarter.

Cons

• Higher levels of criminality, esp. burglary and pocket-picking.
• Older houses.

Do you like reading Kerouac or Ginsberg and smoking cigarettes at rusty old balconies? Move to Husovice today.

You’ll love Husovice, if:

• …you are a poor student and live on a budget.
• …you are a free-spirited person, willing to live in a hipster neighborhood.

Don’t move to Husovice, if:

• you are looking for a “nice district”, period.

Best restaurant

I have studied a high school in Husovice for 7 years and never found anything which could be called a really great restaurant. However, there is an old pub with great atmosphere, called Mikulášek and located at the cross of Elgartova st. and Nováčkova st.

If live in Husovice and want to have a nice dinner, why don’t you walk 5 minutes to district Černá Pole?

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Links

Husovice has a nice Facebook group with a gallery of old photos. You can learn something about the history of Husovice on a machine-translated Wikipedia page.

Černá Pole (“black fields”) neighborhood is a part of Brno-sever district and offers a high quality of living. It is located close to the centre but most of its streets are quiet.

There are some great pubs and you can tell your friends that you live close to Villa Tugendhat, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Way cool.

If you have enough money, buy a villa or a house there. Otherwise, why not to rent a small flat in Černá Pole?

A typical street of Černá Pole with tenements built in the 20th century.

Pros

• One of the most beautiful residential quarters of Brno.
• Many shopping facilities.
• Great restaurants and pubs.
• There are several masterpieces of modern architecture: Vila Tugendhat, Café Era etc.

Cons

• Parking issuses. Ask your landlord about parking in a court yard.
• The rents are slightly above average, but still afordable.

Semi-detached houses near Mendel University.

Best restaurants and pubs

Betlém (27 Krkoškova st.) is not only the best restaurant in Černá Pole, it is one of the best restaurants in Brno, thanks to delicious meals based on the traditional Czech cuisine, great Dalešické beer, nice interior and above-average waiters. It offers the best fried potato chips in Brno.

U Lasa (110 Merhautova st.) is one of the few tap-your-own-beer pubs in Brno. A good thing is they close as late as at 2 a.m., a bad thing is that the quality of the beer (Starobrno) went down during last year.

Hluchá zmije (34 Jugoslávská st.) is an almost legendary pub with less known Czech beers on tap (Polička or Dudák anyone?).

U žíznivé opice (46 Merhautova st.) is a swinging wine bar, popular among students and other alternative souls. Speaking of alternative places: Traubka (8 Traubova st.) and Mýdlo (3 Traubova st.) are among the most important hubs of alternative culture in Brno.

Map

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