Czech Republic Guide
South Moravia
Muzeum města Brna
Opening time: May– Sept Tues– Sun 9am–6pm; April & Oct Tues– Sun 9am–5pm; Nov– March Wed– Sun 10am–5pm
Price: 140Kč
Beyond Špilberk's eastern gate and across the moat lies Špilberk's central courtyard and the Muzeum města Brna (Museum of the City of Brno), which is best taken at a canter. Temporary exhibitions take place on the ground floor, along with a permanent display on the history of the prison. On the second floor, Baroque statues and sixteenth-century votive paintings from the church of sv Jakub, paid for by rich local burghers and painted by Dutch masters, hang alongside a decent collection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century portraits of rich local townsfolk. Works from the first half of the last century include a good spread by Antonín Procházka, from his Cubist Girl with Garland to the loose brushwork of Bathing Horses from the 1940s. Also worthy of note are Jaroslav Král's Cubist paintings, such as his portrait of Cubist architect Emil Králík; František Foltýn's pastel-shaded abstract works; and the minimalist egg cups and glasses designed by Bohuslav Fuchs.
The top floor includes a section on Brno's interwar architecture, with photos, architectural drawings and a few pieces of original furniture by the likes of Adolf Loos, Alvar Aalto and Mies van der Rohe. The work of functionalist architect Bohuslav Fuchs (Náměstí Svobody) occupies centre stage, although there's also a section on the Nový dům colony and the original plans for the (unrealized) Centrum skyscraper.