After more than four decades, ice hockey club Kometa Brno has a chance to win Czech national cup again. The tickets for the final series are already sold out but you can still watch the games in the middle of a 5000+ crowd – thanks to the big screens located at the town’s central square.

You can see some pictures from the first final game here and here. Note that the Brno “cock clock” got a protective cover. (Big thanks to Tomáš Papež for the big picture above!)

In the last three years, Kometa club gained a huge fan base in Brno. This explain why there are so many loud, celebrating people roaming the streets in these days or why there are hockey dresses decorating shop windows.

Schedule of the final series and the screenings

Christmas market at Náměstí svobody sq. (picture from last year)

The traditional Christmas markets at Náměstí svobody sq. and Zelný trh sq. launched last week. You can wander through them to get some presents, sausages, hot wine, or just to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere.

Right now I can recommend only the Zastávka café stand at Zelný trh sq., offering excellent Kokino homemade cookies. I will continue trying out the venues and will share my insights at the Facebook page of Brno Now.

Sadly, Tourist Information Centre does not offer any information about the programme in English or German. As usual, you can get only a Czech version. What a fail.

Source: www.slavnosti-brno.cz

Náměstí svobody sq. is going to host three festivals in a row: you can enjoy food, wine and local culture. Sadly, not at the same time.

From September 22 to September 25, food festival is taking place at the central square. It got some criticism last year, as it had not presented the best side of Moravian gastronomy, just some average local restaurants. I hope it will be better this year.

A week after, from September 30 to October 7, a popular anual wine festival will present the works of local winemakers.

The last festival will be dedicated to Moravian folklore culture. The “days of regions” will be held from October 10 to October 16.

(To be correct, the series launched with a beer festival, which was mentioned at the Facebook page of Brno Now. I was quite disappointed with it, as some beers were rather undrinkable.)

The events are organised by the council of Brno-centre. The official website is available in Czech only. What a surprise.

Sand beach at Náměstí svobody sq.

Beyond a beer garden: where to savor life on a street

Many people coming from western Europe are surprised by the fact that Czechs do not enjoy “living on a street” as much as other nations do. However, several pubs and cafés in Brno are changing this, despite the forced 10:00 p.m. closing time.

Bláhovka pub, 54 Gorkého st.

Bláhovka pub at Gorkého st. on a Friday afternoon

Bláhovka was probably the first place in the modern history of Brno that attracted a crowd of “guests” drinking beer (great Pilsen, by the way) standing on a street in almost any weather.

Falk café/Špargl bistro, 12 Gorkého st.

This combo of a hipster café and a student bistro has only three tiny tables at the street but on some warm summer evenings it atracts crowds of dozens.

Kamenná st., including Duck bar

Siesta in front of Duck bar

I may be posting about Kamenná kolonie too often, but here is just another reason: every day after 5 p.m., a small crowd of 5-20 people sits down in front of Duck bar. These folks sip beer, smoke, read newspapers and discuss news – which is something you can not experience anywhere else in Brno.

Zelená kočka and Varna, Solniční st.

Two of the biggest beer gardens in downtown Brno turn Solniční street into quite a living place. I prefer Zelená kočka for the excellent Dalešické beer.

Přístavní st.

The road from Přístaviště tram station to the Brno dam lake is filled with huge beer gardens and wide enough for careless promenading. Sadly, you have to get ready for some slow and unwelcome service here.

Where to cool down

• In some of the outdoor swimming pools, of course.
• In a café, drinking some home made lemonade.
• At the sand beach at Náměstí svobody sq.
• In an outdoor cinema.

Please, share your tips

It is quite likely I forgot about some cool places, maybe I even don’t know some great spots. Please, share your experiences with others in the comments.

So called pomlázka, a symbol of the regional Easter traditions

There are various cultural events going on every day at least from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Complete schedule (PDF) is available in Czech only.

The festival is organised by the council of the central district.

Learn more about Easter traditions in the Czech republic at myczechrepublic.com and prague.net

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Christmas market at the central square (image courtesy of Brno Cultural Center)

Christmas market was opened on the main Brno square on Friday, November 26. Visitors may find small presents, hand-made ceramics, natural cosmetics, bee products, products made by woodcarvers as well as other traditional handicraft.

There are many options to taste various culinary specialities and hot drinks to warm you up.

Enjoyable Christmas atmosphere is co-created by a rich cultural program. You can enjoy performances by both amateur and professional musicians and dancers on the stage in the mornings as well as afternoons. The main concert starts at 4 p.m. every day; you can listen to music of various genres, from folk through jazz to big beat.

Families with children will appreciate a small zoo corner with a live donkey and sheep or the largest Nativity scene ever seen in Brno. You can count 67 large wood-carved figures.

Visitors may enjoy a non-traditional souvenir on Brno Square of Freedom thanks to its new clock. The clockwork usually lets out a small glass ball onto which the city sign is ground at 11 a.m. every day; the ball can be caught by anyone who wishes to. During the Advent time, the clockwork will release special balls with Christmas motifs every whole hour from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The market at the central square is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will last to December 23. But the square will not get empty after that. Some refreshment stalls will be opened till January 1 and will provide drinks and meals during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

For more see www.brnenskevanoce.cz (Czech only).

Map

Larger map

Hitler disliked Náměstí svobody, so it bore his name for only two days.

• Náměstí svobody (the central square) – “The freedom square”, since the declaration of independence in 1918. It also had been called “the lower market”, “the big square”, “Franz Josef square” and “Hitler Platz” (for two days in 1939, but then it was renamed to “Viktoriaplatz”; rumor has it it was because Hitler disliked the place.
• Masarykova – named after Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first Czechoslovak president (1850-1937)
• Česká – “Czech st.”, because Bohemians used to take their Sunday walks there in the 19th century. (Ironically, Germans were gathering around Masarykova st. then).
• Joštova - named after Jobst of Moravia, who ruled Moravia in the 13th and 14th century.
• Zelný trh – “the vegetable market”.
• Dominikánské náměstí - named after the Order of Preachers, a.k.a. dominicans.
• Husova – named after the 15th century church reformer John Hus.
• There are various streets in the old town that got their name from the craftsmen who worked there – Pekařská (Baker st.), Zámečnická (Locksmith st.), Rybářská (Fishermen st.), Zahradnická (Gardener st.), Řeznická (Butcher st.), Cihlářská (Brickmaker st.).
• Moravské náměstí – “Moravian square”; formerly “The Red army square”.
• Veveří – named after the castle of Veveří, to which it points.
• Lidická – the village of Lidice was destroyed by Gestapo in 1942; its inhabitants were killed in reprisal for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. There are streets named after Lidice all around the world.
• Milady Horákové - This social democrat politician was executed by communists in 1950. She was the only woman block killed for political reasons in the Eastern block (outside Albania).
• Kraví hora - the “cow mountain”. People call it “Monte Bů”, i.e. “Monte Moo”.

And finally, a funny fact: there are Úzká (Tiny st.) and Vlhká (Wet st.)  next to the Church of Virgin Mary in the eastern part of Brno.

So, is this supposed to be a giant cock/dildo?

No, the clock symbolizes a bullet.

Why?

It reminds the 1645 battle of Brno, in which the town defended Swedish army by a smart trick: the Swedish wanted to abandon the fight if they wouldn’t have conquered the town until 12 a.m. 12 p.m. – so people of Brno chimed noon earlier, at 11 a.m.

What does the clock do at 11 a.m.?

There is a small glass ball falling through the clock every day at 11 a.m. If you are lucky, you can catch it in one of four holes in the bottom of the clock.

What is it made of and who created it?

The clock is made of south-african granite. It was designed by Oldřich Rujbr and Petr Kameník.

The clock is standing in front of the Omega shopping mall.

How much did the clock cost?

CZK 12,000,000, i.e. €500,000.

Huh. But how can I tell what time it is?

It is not easy, but you can follow this manual:

It is impossible to get an exact time, but at least you know what hour it is.

Do people in Brno like this?

It depends – most of them is confused and quite upset, due to the price and to the fact that it is difficult to read the exact time. However, it is still a quite funny piece of postmodern art, just like the famous Entropa was. Some people, including me, appreciate that.

There are many jokes about the clock, such is: “It has balls and it is erected in Brno. What is it?”

Where can I find it?

In the central square, “náměstí Svobody”.

Larger map

Slovak girl tapping burčák (source: Wikipedia)

You may enjoy red, white, sparkling and other kinds of wine at the Wine feast, but most importantly – fresh burčák, i.e. “federweisser”, young wine. Burčák has a cult status in south Moravia, it is avaible only for few weeks in a year and people love it.

There is a proverb saying that you should drink 5-6 litres of burčák every year, because you have the same volume of blood in your veins. Be careful – it may cause a serious hangover!

A tiny beach with a bar next to the Marian column

The central square of Brno has a new attraction – a small sand beach with several sunbeds and a bar. A beach volleyball court is likely to be constructed in several days.

There is no entrance fee; the beach will be open until the end of September.

Travel industry expert Tomio Okamura told Czech television that the beach has one problem – there is no water, except for showers.

I just walked through the Christmas markets in the centre of Brno and I am happy to anounce that they are focused on traditional Czech gifts and food – and full of happy people sipping their punches. What a change has happened since the last years!

Market at the central square - Náměstí Svobody

There are three markets – at Náměstí Svobody sq., Zelný trh sq. and at Moravské náměstí sq. There is live music every day, a big Christmas tree and a bell that is supposed to help your dreams come true at Náměstí svobody sq.

Market at Zelný trh sq.

I found out that there is an open-air buffet with sausages and wursts at Zelný trh sq. At Moravské náměstí sq., you can enjoy a nice skating-rink.

The markets close on December 24.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

As usualy, first bottles of this year’s wine come to market on St. Martin’s Day – Wednesday, November 11.

Although the tradition of tasting the young wine on this day begun in the 18th century, it had been almost forgotten before Moravian winemakers decided to use it as a smart marketing event in the 2000s.

This year, 211 wines were good enough to receive the exclusive mark “Svatomartinské víno”.

Where to get the wine

If you want to taste St. Martin’s Wine, come to the Náměstí Svobody sq. on Wednesday afternoon. Bottles can be bought in wine shops in the whole country (a list of sure-fire shops to go to at southern Moravia) as well as in many cafés and some supermarkets.

I recommend to combine the young wine with roasted goose, cabbage and dumplings.