Brno

Brno (German: Brünn; Latin: Bruna; Yiddish: ברין, Brin) by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative center of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District. The city lies at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers and has about 400,000 residents, its greater metropolitan area is regularly home to more than 800,000 people while its larger urban zone had population about 730,000 in 2004.

Brno is the capital of judicial authority of the Czech Republic because it is the seat of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, and the Supreme Prosecutor's Office. Beside that, the city is a significant administrative centre. It is the seat of a number of state authorities like Ombudsman, Office for the Protection of Competition and the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority. Brno is also an important centre of higher education, with 33 faculties belonging to 13 institutes of higher learning and about 89,000 students. There is also a studio of Czech Television and the Czech Radio, in both cases by law. The city is also home to Brno Television, a small local television station.

Brno Exhibition Centre ranks among the largest exhibition centres in Europe (23rd in the world), this huge complex first started functioning in 1928 and established the tradition of large exhibitions and trade fairs held in Brno, now it also ranks among one of the sights of the city. The city is also known for hosting big motorbike and other races on the Masaryk Circuit, this tradition was established in 1930 and the most prestigious races include the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix. Another notable cultural tradition includes an international fireworks competition Ignis Brunensis, this event usually attracts one or two hundred thousand visitors every day it's being held.

The most important sights of the city include the castle and fortress Špilberk and the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul on Petrov hill, these two formerly medieval buildings form the characteristic cityscape and are often depicted as its traditional symbols. The other large and preserved castle in the city is Veveří Castle near the Brno Dam Lake, this castle is a subject for a couple of legends like a number of other places in Brno. Another important monument of Brno is the functionalist Villa Tugendhat which has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Brno is surrounded by relatively pleasant nature, one of the especially attractive areas nearby being the Moravian Karst.