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)

Every year, students of Brno University of Technology create funny graffiti around the dormitories Pod Palackého vrchem (at Palacký hill) to celebrate their graduation.

2009 graduates of the Energy Institute

Nice word play. Prdel means butt in Czech, but it is used as universally as the f-word in English. So the writing could be translated as: It was fucking hard but we've clicked the right answers.

Stairway to the tram station

Simpsons are quite popular here...

Matt Groening could sue the VUT students for royalties :)

P.S.: Check out this gallery of pictures captured at “Palačák” dormitories. Slightly NSFW.

Map

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If you rent a flat near Obilní trh sq., then you may study in this beautiful park.

If you are coming to Brno for the Erasmus or any other study programme, chosing the right quarter may improve your “Brno experience” a lot. I recommend these parts of the town:

• Veveří is the true student quarter of Brno, with many university buildings (mostly of the Masaryk university), cafés and well known pubs. This is the place where hipsters ride their fixed-gear bicycles to get to the lectures on time.
  The rents are slightly above average – but it is still affordable to rent a 2-bedroom flat (CZK 12,000 or €500, including heating, gas & electricity), or even bigger apartment and share it with several other people.
• Královo pole may be a good quarter for these who study University of Technology or University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences – both have most of their buildings located right in this area. Královo pole is a neat quarter with cafés, clubs and pubs too.
• Cejl has been a poor, underdeveloped quarter of Brno for the whole last century. It is still dirtier than the rest of the town and pickpocketing is more common there (according to a police spokeswoman I interviewed last year). However, you can reach the town centre (and most university buildings) by foot within 10 or 15 minutes. There are many bars, and what is most important – the rents are approx. 15-25 per cent lower compared to the rest of the town.

Also, you may appreciate some more tips:

• If you want to commute by bike, avoid suburbs located on hills – Brno is actually a quite hilly town.
• Suburbs also usually suffer from poor social and night life. You’ll be lucky to find a good club or pub.
• On the other side, these quarters are usually located next to nice, large and safe forrests, great for hiking, running, cross biking etc. Rents may also be lower (but not significantly).
• Many students have to travel around the town on some days to get to different labs, libraries, etc. Don’t feel shy to contact your Erasmus guide or friends to figure out in which part of the town you are going to spend most of your time, to find the right place for renting a flat.
• But finally, don’t overthink it. Brno is quite small. The public transportation is great – even after midnight! The town offers a good level of safety everywhere. And it is not hard to find a new apartment quickly.

Enjoy your stay!

Slot cars (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Watch out, geeks and nerds! The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication hosts a prestigious international competition of self-driving model cars called Freescale Race Challenge.

Students have to build and pre-set slot cars that will compete in 20 lap race on an unknown track. The cars won’t be remotely controlled – they will have to explore the track on the first lap and since the second lap they are supposed to know whether they are riding on a straight sector or they are passing a turn. The vehicles will map the track through accelerometers measuring the centrifugal force.

Source: a press release of Brno University of Technology (edited)

The competition takes place at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (4 Kolejní st.) on Friday, April 30, 2 p.m.

Faculty of Information Technology has finished the restoration of the former monastery in quarter Královo Pole. The last restored building is a mansion built in the 17th century.

Interior of the mansion. Source: Jitka Vanýsková, VUT

The mansion is listed a place of national cultural heritage; its reconstruction was extremly careful and brought many historical components back to life, such as wall paintings and brick floors.

The unique place will serve as a Centre of Application Technology at the Faculty of Information Technology.

Are you afraid of the five months you are about to spend in Brno? Stop! Thousands of young people have had the same feelings before but now they have great experiences! Brno Now will guide you trough the best months of your academic life.

1. Rent a room in a hipster quarter

Renting a room instead of a flat is a good way to save some money and to find some friends. Renting a room in a hipster quarter is another good way to save some money – and also to learn why is Brno nicknamed “the Czech Manchester”.

Try quarters Židenice, Královo Pole, Černá Pole, Staré Brno, Juliánov, Žabovřesky, Komín and Jundrov. Avoid Cejl (too much criminality) and suburbs (lack of social life).

2. Attend events organized by your school and research, research, research!

Every faculty has its way of making the students know each other. Don’t be a loner and don’t be shy – the other people usually come to the party only to become friends with you!

It’s also useful to explore materials published by your university and even by other colleges or publishers – it will make your relocation easier:

• Erasmus at Masaryk University (MUNI)
• International Students Club at VUT Brno
• Information for incoming students (VUT)
• The official page of the Czech republic

With a little research, you will find important information about your programme, contact for a study advisor and other knowledge that will make the stress go away.

3. Become a hockey fan

Ice hockey is the Czech national sport and the club “Kometa Brno” has a cult following in the town, even though it participates “only” in the second league. A ticket costs only about CZK 60 (€2.15) and the atmosphere is just great.

4. Taste the local specialties

Go to a pub and order pickled camembert (“nakládaný hermelín”, CZK 60 per serving) and blue cheese balls (“nivové koule”, CZK 12 per serving)…

5. Visit the most popular pub

…or taste the specialities at “Bláhovka”, old-fashioned little pub near the the city. Many people swear by the quality of their Pilsner Urquell. Early afternoon is the only time there is a chance of getting a table.

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6. Have a romantic date in a park

There are two beautiful parks right in the the city: around the Špilberk castle and around the St. Peter cathedral. Czechs are very liberal and they don’t mind pairs of people kissing in public. (I think that holding hands is OK for homosexual pairs, but I’ve never tested that.)

7. Learn to speak hantec

There is a quite funny jargon spoken in Brno – actually only in its pubs and, sadly, in the TV shows made in Brno, which makes the rest of the country think that we are dorks. Anyway: nothing is as cute as a foreigner being able to use some basic words:

Caution: speaking hantec in front of people from Brno may make you look cool. Speaking hantec in front of anybody from Prague will certainly make you look retarded!

8. Sail or bike to the Veveří castle

The dam in the west part of the city is popular for bike paths and also for excursion ships, departing every 30 minutes. About 8 km northwest from the harbour, there’s a castle called Veveří.

Because the dam will undergo a massive cleaning in 2009, there will be no ships this season – I recommend biking or walking to Veveří and back. Sailing will return in 2010.

9. Rent a bike and drive trough vineyards

Wake up early, go to the main train station, buy a ticket to Břeclav (a town near the austrian border), rent a bicycle and enjoy driving trough magnificent nature. Tourist Information Centre Břeclav has a great webpage with all the information you need. Beware: biking under the influence of alcohol is illegal in the Czech republic, fine may be as high as several hundreds Euro.

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We will be here to bring you news and another lists of freewheelin’ ideas like this one. Are you here for the first time? Then read recent article on shopping in Brno.

Follow us and tell your friends and schoolmates about us! Just add our RSS channel to your reader of choice and publish a link to Brno Now on your website, blog or Facebook wall!

Credits

The beautiful girl in the headline photo was portrayed by karpov the wrecked train. Wordle was used to get the tag cloud.