Brno is the second-largest city in the Czech Republic.
The Brno basin has been inhabited since prehistoric times, but the town’s direct predecessor was a fortified settlement of the Great Moravian Empire known as Staré Zámky, which was inhabited from the Neolithic Age until the early 11th century.
Brno Exhibition Centre ranks among the largest exhibition centres in Europe. The complex opened in 1928 and established the tradition of large exhibitions and trade fairs held in Brno.
Brno is the capital of the South Moravian Region.
The asteroid 2889 Brno was named after the city, as well as the Bren light machine gun, one of the most famous weapons of World War II.
Brno is twinned with Bratislava, Slovakia; Dallas, United States; Debrecen, Hungary; Kaunas, Lithuania; Kharkiv, Ukraine; Leeds, England, United Kingdom; Leipzig, Germany; Moscow, Russia; Poznań, Poland; Rennes, France; Sankt Pölten, Austria; Stuttgart, Germany & Voronezh, Russia.
Brno has cooperation agreements with Porto, Portugal; Daejeon, South Korea & Vienna, Austria.
The estimated population of Brno is 379,526
The etymology of the name Brno is disputed. It might be derived from the Old Czech brnie ‘muddy, swampy.’
Brno is the former capital city of Moravia and the political and cultural hub of the South Moravian Region.
