Brno princedom, Conrad I, Denarius (silver coin replica) 1061 - 1092 AD.
OBV: Standing half-figure in field facing, DVS CONRAT
R: Standing figure facing, holding cross in his right hand, SCS PETRUS.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Brno (-Czech, German: Brünn) is the second-largest city of the Czech Republic, located in the southeast of the country, at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers. The town is a political and a cultural hub of the South Moravian Region (population est. 1,125,000 for the whole region).

Etymology

The name Brno (and equally its German version Brünn) derives from a Celtic language spoken in the area before it was overrun by Slavic and Germanic peoples. It is cognate with other Celtic words for hill, such as the Welsh word bryn.

History

Brno was founded in 1243. The area had been settled since the 5th century. It was used as a stronghold until the middle of the 19th century. Then the fortifications were replaced by green areas and buildings in the Viennese style. The Spielberg fortress (Czech: Špilberk), the castle of Brno, was probably the best known prison of the Austrian Empire until 1858.

Soon after the industrial revolution, the town became one of the industrial centres of Moravia. Sometimes it is called the Czech Manchester. Brno University of Technology was established in 1899; since 1995, the university has been developing the Czech Technology Park.

Many expositions have been held at the Fairground Site of Brno since 1928; the annual International Engineering Fair of Brno and Invex are probably the most important ones.

Masaryk University was established in 1919.

Masaryk Circuit was built in the 1980s in the northwest of the town.

The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, Supreme Court of the Czech Republic and Highest Prosecutor's Office of the Czech Republic moved to Brno or were established there in 1993, after the division of Czechoslovakia.