One of the main landmarks of Brno, with its famous dungeon and summer amphitheatre, and a great place for a stroll overlooking the city. Welcome to Špilberk, or Špilas as the locals call it.
Špilberk Castle was strategically built on a promontory in the 13th century to have a perfect overview of the surrounding area. This hill overgrown with greenery and with a massive fortress at its peak greets you from afar still today.
Originally, it was an aristocratic residence, but the role of Špilberk has changed greatly over time. However, the site was always important; never did it play merely a supporting role! Thanks to the south-western bastion, Brno once resisted the Swedish invasions before Napoleon blew it up many years later. The fortress, where the Moravian margraves first lived, became the toughest prison of the Austrian monarchy. And for the last 40 years, Špilberk has been home to the Brno City Museum.
It lovingly cares for precious historical finds and artworks, and it displays these in exhibitions dedicated to the history of Špilberk and Brno as well as to local fine art. You might enjoy for example a historical exhibition of guild relics. You will find genuine exhibits of masters of all possible guilds, such as gingerbread moulds or the tools of comb makers…
Come and get a view of the whole city from the lookout tower or, on the contrary, enter the casemates with dark dungeons, a torture chamber and a rack. The local cells “hosted” the worst and most dangerous criminals, as well as many well-known characters such as the Italian patriot and poet Silvio Pellico, Baron Trenck and the robber Babinský.
Today, the castle is no longer a place of torture, it is a venue for cultural events: theatre festivals, the Summer Shakespeare Festival, the culinary Špilberk Food Festival, the Summer Cinema, classical music concerts and so on.
For children, even a mere visit to the casemates is an experience. Those who have a sweet tooth will be delighted by several buildings in the area, ranging from a bistro and a café to a restaurant and a wine bar.
To visit Špilberk Castle, you can use the BrnoPas, which brings you tips for interesting places, discounts on admission and many other benefits, including transport around Brno free of charge.
We have found other places you might like. Have a look at them.
found 12 places
This charming aristocratic residence with a rich history lives its cultural life to the max even today. Come and join a tour in costumes or visit a wedding fair.
The only system of caves in the Czech Republic where you can admire nature’s own sculptures both while you walk and while you take a cruise on an underground river.
This water park with several swimming pools, a water slide and a fitness room offers perfect facilities for quiet relaxation, such as regeneration treatments and a sunbathing terrace.
The ruins of a castle does not necessarily mean that the place is in ruins! This is definitely true of the castle ruins in Boskovice.
Even from a great distance this majestic castle will tempt all to come and visit it. No wonder Napoleon himself spent the night here.
The largest swimming pool complex far and wide, water from a thermal source full of beneficial minerals, and the panorama of Pálava on top of that.
A beautiful chateau, and a beautiful chateau park behind it. Not only during the Napoleonic era was it worth coming here.
A sunny spa town in the heart of the Moravian Slovakia with a relaxing zoo, pleasant atmosphere and a sense of First Republic history.
You can find everything in this royal town – from an underground labyrinth and a national park to wine as delicious as heavenly nectar.
The only Czech zoo of its kind, Zoo Park Vyškov mainly breeds domestic and farm animals from all over the world. But definitely not just those...
Children as well as adults are thrilled when they come out of one of the most extensive underground labyrinths in Central Europe.
