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One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Brno has came as a surprise destination in our Central Europe trip. First and foremost, we never intended to stop at this second biggest city in Czech Republic. Then later we got to know that Ignis Brunensis, an annual International Fireworks competition usually held in end of May till early June will coincident with travelling time. Hence, we squeezed our itinerary and make ourselves set foot in Brno on 5th of June 2019, just to make sure we will be there to witness this interesting carnival. The thought is that it will be a one in a lifetime experience, unless we broke ourselves into the rank of renowned international fireworks players.

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic
Fireworks display during Ignis Brunensis by GRUPO LUSO PIROTECNIA from Portugal. Not exactly a good shot but that is what we managed to get

Brno is a very walkable town. The city center has a number of nice area to check out which is reachable in foot, though we directly get a one-day train ticket for 90 Czk as we needed to go to the Brno Dam for the fireworks later at the same night. 

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

In fact, we had a pleasant time in Brno. The city is beautiful, yet to bloom in tourism and we had a rather leisure walk around without bumping into major big group of tourists. We enjoyed the quaint and serene of the city, and Brno did not give us the "pack feeling" that we had in Prague. 

Getting out from Brno via Train

In case you do not know, there are 2 train stations in Brno that serves the route to other cities, namely Brno hl.n and Brno Dolni Nadrazi, serving local and international routes respectively. If you are taking a tram, most likely you will be arrving at Brno hl.n.

Assuming you are taking a train to Vienna like what we did, you can take bus 61 to arrive at Brno Dolni Nadrazi train station. It is a much smaller station. Even international tickets must be purchased here instead of Brno Hl.n station. 

Things To Do in Brno


1) Vegetable Market (Zelný trh)

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic
Parnas Fountain
One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

We were thinking what is so unique about this Vegetable Market (Zelný trh) upon knowing this is one of the point of interested in the city. 

Well, only later we realize the vegetable market is more than just a dozen of stalls selling goodies here. In fact, it is the integral part of the city's history. The market has been there since the 13th century, overseeing the growth of the city to its present day. It is one of the oldest square in Brno.

Instead of just wandering around and seeing the fresh produces, why not get your hands down and buy some? It is likely the fruits and vegetables here and cheaper than the goodies in supermarket, and you get to taste some home grown products too.

2) Labyrinth under the Vegetable Market

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Beneath the Vegetable Market is an extensive network of labyrinth and cellars that were used to store wine, beers, food and even alchemists and doctors' laboratory. It is a great experience to visit such an impressive place that only open to public since 2011, even after modifications and fortification works have been done. There is even a genuine medieval pillory, and a torture room showcasing how they burn the so called witches back in medieval time.

Guided tour is available every 60 minutes but the guide only speak Czech. An audio system is provided though to give explanation in English. 

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

It is a little bit tricky to locate the entrance to the labyrinth of the vegetable market. While we thought the entrance would have been a staircase leading to the underground, it turned out the entrance is a modern shop unit and the staircase is inside the building. Entrance fees of 160 Czk applicable and last entry is 5pm. Please note that the labyrinth is closed on Monday.

3) Špilberk Castle

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Špilberk Castle has a long history. The castle was built in 13th century as a royal castle and occasional residence of Moravian margraves on top of the hill, and then turned into a military fortress and eventually a earned the notorious name as the harshest jail in Europe. All these are bygones now, as the fortress now act as Brno City Museum with a restaurant. 

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Apart from serving as a museum, the surrounding of the castle also became a park suitable for an evening stroll, while certain spot offers view of the city, though not splendid. Nevertheless, here is a good place to get the sunset view too.

The road to Špilberk Castle is not physically challenging although there is a slight elevation. Take your time slow and enjoy the garden view around. 

4) Freedom Square (náměstí Svobody)

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Freedom Square is Brno's most significant square with a reversed "A" shape. It has a number of restaurants and shops, but most importantly is the historical buildings and monuments here. Among them are House of the Lords of Lipa, House of Four Giants and etc. 

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic
Baroque Plague Column
One of the most prominent monument here is Baroque Plague Column, which is built in 1689 to commemorate the contemporary plague outbreaks that cause death in Brno. 

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic
Brno Astronomical Clock
Brno Astronomical Clock is one of the most outrageous monument we ever seen - having a structure resemble penis and no one is able to tell what time it is by looking at it (except 11am). No wonder it earns the name Cock Clock.

Every day at 11am, the monument releases a glass marble which people can grab it from one of the four openings in the monument. If you get it, then it is a complimentary souvenir  for you.

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Various market such as Easter Market is happening in Freedom Square too! 

5) Equestrian Statue of Margrave Jobst of Luxembourg and Church of St Thomas

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech RepublicOne Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

The giant equestrian statue of Jobst of Moravia definitely caught our attention upon walking pass there. Google resulted yielded that Jobst of Moravia was a member of the House of Luxembourg, a Margrave of Morovia from 1375 as well as elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) from 1410 until his death. 

It appears the place is a great place for kids to play chasing around! 

Near to the equestrian statue is Church of St. Thomas which has a history dated back to 14th century. 

6) Church of St. James

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Church of St. James was founded for German inhabitants in the 13th century. However, the church has more stories than being a place for worshiping. Archaeological work in 2001 has discovered Brno Ossuary (room to place bones of the death) is partially located under Church of St. James. Estimation about 50,000 people are placed there, making here the second largest ossuary in Europe after the Catacombs of Paris. 

You can visit the ossuary if you are interested. 

7) The Church of Jan Amos Comenius - Red Church

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

We stumbled upon this beautiful red church during our way down from Spilberk Castle. The Protestant church looks gorgeous a distance away. We did not have time to go there though. 

8) Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

While we on the way back to hotel's room at night, we spotted two tall towers that were so magnificent in sight and decided to walk up Petrol Hill to have a look. It turned out that magnificent building is Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, a late Gothic style cathedral with Baroque interior built in 1777. Apparently, the silhouette of the cathedral has become a symbolic of Brno.

Another interesting point about Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul is that the bells rings at 11 o'clock, instead of the conventional 12 o'clock. The reason is that during the Swedish siege in the Thirty Years War, the invading Swedes had promised to call off their attacked if they had not succeeded in taking th ecity by midday on the 15th of August. Therefore, some citizens decided to ring the bells an horu early on this date, prompting the Swedes to lay off the siege. 

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Not far away from Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul is Denis Garden, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful park in Brno with an obelisk. You can get splendid view on the city over here, including part of Spilberk Castle and the cathedral. 

Ignis Brunensis (International Fireworks Competition) on 5th June 2019

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Squeezing the itinerary for our trip to accommodate a visit to Ignis Brunensis is definitely worth it. The annual event is being held at Brno Dam Lake, and the entire event was like a funfair we used to see in western movies. It was very happening during our visit, starting from the train journey to the dam as almost the entire train was packed with people going there.

The entire place is full with excited people. There are various food stalls, offering street food such as burgers, langos, coffee and drinks. Seeing stalls selling langos made both of us tempted to get a piece of this huge and sinful bread as our dinner. The queue was unexpectedly long and caused us have to wait for more than 30 minutes just to get a piece of langos! 

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

The firework display is at the other side of the lake, so you feel free to get any spot you feel the most strategic to have a view of it. Well, it was tough as the entire place was full of people. We came here armed with a tripod to hope to get a decent shot of the fireworks but the thought never materialized. Eventually, we just feast the fireworks using our bare eyes.

Again, the queue was insane when everybody is rushing out to get the train after the fireworks display finished. Probably another 30 minutes waiting time for us before we manage to get into the train?

It just feel like a disappointment for not able to snap any great pictures. Will there be any future opportunity to be back here? I wish for that, but i doubt so. 

Lunch - Roj Kebab

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

We actually ran low at Czech Koruna upon arrival in Brno (after being cheated by the street hawker in Wencenles Square). Therefore, we had to go for budget restaurant to fill our stomach instead of splurging at one local restaurant like we used to do.

Fortunately, we managed to find Roj Kebab, which offers decent kebab and falafel with affordable price. The Kebab cost 60 Czk while Falafel with Salad cost 60 Czk. I guess the kebab crews were not used to people taking photograph of their kebab as we can see their puzzle faces when we had camera pointing at those kebab on the table. 

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Again we spotted this ice cream stall near Freedom Square. Nothing interesting for a 25 Czk ice cream. 

Kofi-Kofi servis

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

We bumped into this coffee cart during our stroll in Brno city, and again the same cart appears in near to Brno Dolni Nadrazi train station. Since we had some leftover Czech koruna coins which probably would not come into any use in future, so we spent all of it buying coffee from the cart.

One Day in Brno for Ignis Brunesis (International Fireworks Competition), Czech Republic

Apparently it turned out quite nice! The Doppio Cappucino with Chocolate Flavour (choice of coconut / strawberries etc syrup) is large in size and did the job for our daily caffeine fix. Purposely choose the one that cost 70 Czk since we had that amount of coins. 

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~End~

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