The Czech Republic - Eastern Europe - page 267

art, coins, and temporary exhibits. Admission is 50K c ($2/£1) adults, and 25K c
($1/50p) students and children. It's open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm.
From the museum, head up Petrská Street to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and
Paul.
Take a break at Denisovy sady, the park behind the cathedral, and prepare to climb
the hill to get to S pilberk Castle. It was built in the 13th century, and the Hussites
controlled the castle in the 15th century. The Prussians saw the castle's position as an
excellent lookout when they occupied it in the early 17th century. And the Nazis
turned it into a torture chamber during their stay, executing some 80,000 people deep
inside the dungeons. At S pilberk's Brno City Museum ( & 542-123-611; www.
spilberk.cz), you can see several new permanent exhibitions such as “Jail of Nations”
or “History of Brno” and others. Admission to all exhibitions, casemates, and the
lookout tower is 110K c ($4.60/£2) adults, 50K c ($2/£1) students. It's open Tuesday
to Sunday from 9am to 6pm May to September, and October and April from 9am to
5pm; and Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm November to March.
WHERE TO STAY
Note that prices, even in the high season, often double for major trade fairs and the
Motorcycle Grand Prix.
Expensive
Grandhotel Brno Ever since it was taken over by the Austrian chain Austrotel
in the mid-1990s, the Grandhotel has lived up to its name. Its rooms are spacious and
well appointed, though some located at the front get a little noisy due to the major
street running past with its never-ending stream of trams; ask for a room that has win-
dows facing north, away from the commotion.
Benesova 18-20, 657 83 Brno. & 542-518-111. Fax [phone]. www.grandhotelbrno.cz. 110 units. 3,300Kc-
5,400Kc ($137-$225/£66-£108) double; 6,150Kc ($256/£123) suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 150Kc ($6.25/£3).
Amenities: 2 restaurants; nightclub; room service (7am-3am); 24-hr. laundry; casino. In room: TV, minibar.
Moderate
Holiday Inn The very modern Holiday Inn Brno, on the fairgrounds, caters mainly
to the trade-fair crowd, so be warned that prices may jump steeply when events are
scheduled. Everything, from the rooms to the restaurant to the bars, looks eerily sim-
ilar to their counterparts in other Holiday Inns around the world. Still, the beds are
more comfortable than most, and the staff is very friendly and speaks English.
Krízkovského 20, 603 00 Brno. & 543-122-111. Fax [phone]. www.hibrno.cz. 205 units. 3,500Kc ($146/£70)
double; 4,600Kc ($191/£92) suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 150Kc ($6.25/£3) per day. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; pool;
coin-op laundry. In room:TV, minibar, hair dryer, iron, trouser press.
Inexpensive
Penzion na Starém Brnê Built into the stables below the castle is a restaurant that
has now added a small and very cheap pension. Though a little out of the center, lying
halfway between the exhibition grounds and the main square, this spot is very clean
and quiet. The rooms are sparsely furnished with rustic pieces and hardwood floors,
but since they are relatively small, that's okay.
Mendlovo nám. 1, 639 00 Brno. & 543-247-872. Fax [phone]. www.penzion-brno.com. 7 units. 950Kc
($40/£19) double. MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant. In room: TV.