Výletní cíle na Jižní Moravě

Brno Underground

Labyrinth under Vegetable Market
In the Labyrinth under Vegetable Market you can enjoy the unique and mysterious atmosphere of the maze of medieval corridors and cellars. Local cellars were established under individual houses in the middle- as well as modern-ages, most dating to the baroque era. Originally the cellars were not interconnected. Many of them were only discovered recently through research of the Brno underground. To become accessible to the public, the cellars needed static supports and rescue against destruction. In 2009 the cellars underwent a major reconstruction that allowed for their modern use. In that context, all the cellars were interconnected into a single whole. Thus the unique system of historic cellars and corridors were unified under the name “Labyrinth under Vegetable Market”. The Labyrinth consists of two separate parts. The part designed for social and cultural life and the tourist section of the cellars which shows the town history. The route will lead you up the square 6-8 metres below ground level.

Mint master’s Cellar
Mint master’s Cellar (Mincmistrovský sklep) is a designation of medieval cellars discovered during the excavations carried out in the underground of Dominican Square in 1999. The renovated cellars of the New Town Hall were connected with them later. The system of cellars thus created houses a permanent exhibition of minting and was opened under the project “Opening of the Underground to the Public” in 2010. The exhibition illustrates the nearly forgotten craft of minting in Brno and Moravia. The exhibition of the Mint Master´s Cellar shows the history of coin minting in Brno and Moravia from the mid-11th to the early 16th century. You can see examples of mint craft, a functional replica of a mediaeval mint press, and a facsimile of the town privileges. Part of the exhibition is devoted to the mediaeval Fish Market and the early gothic royal chapel, which used to be situated in the lower square. In 1908, despite the protests of both lay and professional public, the chapel was pulled down, and thus the city lost a unique monument of priceless historic value.  The house in Dominican square is closely connected with the personality of Bruno, the first documented royal mint master in Brno. On special occasions, visitors can meet Bruno directly in the cellar where he makes coins the way they were minted many centuries ago.

The Ossuary of St. James’ Church
The cemetery by St. James´ Church in the present Jakubské square was established as early as the 13th century. Like other city cemeteries, it was surrounded by a wall that prevented its later extension.  A three-chamber crypt was established under the paved floor of St James´ Church for these purposes probably in the 17th century. At the beginning the crypt filled slowly, but from the mid-18th century two large symmetric walls of remains from emptied church sepulchres were gradually built there. The rapid filling of the charnel houses was partly due to frequent plague and cholera epidemics that literally decimated the population. The ongoing lack of space for bones from emptied graves required that the charnel house be extended in 1741. When both the crypt and the ossuary under the cemetery were full, the entrance staircase from the main nave of the church was sealed with a Latin-inscribed stone slab. Josephine reforms in 1784 lead to abolishing the church cemetery for hygiene reasons. The remains from the graves were placed in the crypt, the cemetery walls were pulled down, and the area around the church was paved with unnecessary tombstones. The ossuary, its size, and location fell into oblivion after some time. In 2001 an archaeological and underground survey was carried out before starting the renovation of Jakubské square and its findings were a great surprise. The project “Brno Underground Made Accessible to the Public” has been financed from the pooled funds of the Statutory City of Brno and the European Union.