Brno

Brno (German, Brünn), city in the south-eastern part of the Czech Republic, at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers. Brno is the capital and chief city of the region of Jihomoravský (South Moravia), and the centre of the Czech wool-manufacturing industry. Other goods produced here include cotton and linen textiles, hardware, armaments, chemicals, soap, and beer. J. E. Purkyně University (1919) and an agricultural college are in the city. The Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul (15th century) and the Town Hall (16th century) are also here. An outstanding example of the International Style in architecture, the Tugendhat Villa designed by Mies van der Rohe, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

Brno was founded in the 9th century and became a free city of the Holy Roman Empire in 1278. Strongly fortified, it was often the scene of fighting, particularly during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). Slavkov (Austerlitz), the site of a famous victory by Napoleon, is located nearby. Before Austria-Hungary was defeated in World War I, the city was the capital of the Crown land of Moravia. In 1918, when Czechoslovakia became independent, Brno was made the capital of the province of Moravia, and after 1927 it served as capital of the province of Moravia and Silesia. From 1939 to 1945 it was the capital of the German protectorate of Moravia, and it finally became the capital of the newly created region of Jihomoravský in 1960. Population 376,172 (2003 estimate).