Entrepreneurial environment - Information about the City
  Geography and Quality of Life
GEOGRAPHY
Brno's position in the European context is determined especially by its geographic location, historical development and the size of the city. On the macro scale, Brno lies along the Berlin-Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest developmental axis.
The city is situated at the boundary of the Bohemian massif and the lowlands of Southern Moravia. The heart of Brno is found in the basin of the River Svratka which, together with the River Svitava, define the city's spatial framework. Total area of the city is 230 km2.
(Source: Czech Statistical Office - Statistical Yearbook of the Czech Republic 2006)
QUALITY-OF-LIFE
The list of Brno's strong points includes in particular its unique offering of cultural facilities, attractive outdoor and recreational opportunities with public transport access, a quality urban structure with architecturally significant structures, a comprehensive and quality network of health-care facilities and services, a broad network of social services, etc.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
One of Brno's positives is its pleasant natural environment. Thanks to its abundance of nature, plentiful forests and diverse countryside, the area around Brno is a much sought-after oasis of rest and relaxation.
ACCOMMODATION
In the year 2001, there were 37,051 homes in Brno, of which 34,259 were permanently occupied. The total number of apartments was 162,176, of which 151,724 were permanently occupied. More than 95% of the total number of apartments are in the Class I category. The average living area of permanently occupied apartments was 62.6 m2 for apartments in family homes, 39.3 m2 for apartments in residential buildings and 44 m2 for the housing stock overall.
(Source: Czech Statistical Office - Census of People and Households 2001)
In the year 2006, 1,442 apartments were built in the city of Brno (in residential buildings and family homes), with 2,419 renovations. Recent years have seen important housing complexes built (Majdalenky, Duhová Pole, Za Kněžským hájkem, Farské zahrady, etc.). Others have been partially completed or are in the planning stage (Nové Majdalenky, Kamechy, Křenová, Masná, EDEN, Pod Bílou horou, Medlánky V Újezdech, etc.). A large number of houses and apartments have undergone total renovation. Overall modernization and regeneration have taken place or are taking place on almost all housing estates.
COMMERCE
The importance of Brno as a small business centre significantly surpasses the regional level. At the present time, the retail area per person stands at 1.5 m2 per person, a figure entirely comparable with those of cities in Western Europe. Brno possesses an extensive network of supermarkets and hypermarkets, some of which anchor shopping centres (like, e.g., Avion Shopping Park Brno, Galerie Vaňkovka, Futurum, Královo Pole, Globus, Velký Špalíček, etc.).
HEALTHCARE
Quality health care in the city of Brno is ensured both by its extensive network of regional-level hospitals and by sufficient numbers of other, independent healthcare facilities and private doctors' offices.
In the year 2006, Brno was host to 11 hospitals, 178 other independent healthcare facilities and five specialized healthcare institutes. A total 2,876 doctors were in practice, a ratio of one physician for every 127 residents. (Source: Czech Statistical Office - Statistical Yearbook of the Southern Moravian Region 2007)
(Source: Czech Statistical Office)
CRIME
A total 18,489 criminal cases were investigated by the Metropolitan Police of the Czech Republic in Brno in the year 2006, 32% of which were resolved. The overall crime count was higher by 903 cases, with a simultaneous 2% drop in the number of cases resolved. (Source: Brno in Numbers 2006)
CULTURE
The city of Brno is considered to be a significant centre of culture in the Czech Republic. In comparison with other cities, there is an abundance of cultural facilities and an exceptional variety of cultural activities.
The statutory City of Brno has established four professional theatres: the National Theatre of Brno, the Metropolitan Theatre, the Joy Puppet Theatre and the Centre for Experimental Theatre (an umbrella organization for the alternative theatre ensembles Divadlo Husa na provázku, HaDivadlo and Divadlo U stolu). Other professional theatre groups are also active in Brno, some of the most active belonging to the Bolek Polívka Theatre, 7:30 Theatre, Líšeň Theatre, etc.
The centre of musical life in Brno is Besední Dům - home of the Brno Philharmonic. The Philharmonic includes the Kantiléna Youth and Children's Choir. Other musical activities include, e.g., the Brno International Music Festival and the Špilberk International Music Festival.
The Jiří Mahen Library in Brno, with its main library and 35 branches, forms the largest public municipal Library in Moravia (established by the statutory City of Brno). Brno is also the site of the Moravian Territorial Library, Archive of the City of Brno and the Moravian Territorial Archive in Brno.
In the visual arts, the chief venue is The Art House of the City of Brno. Other galleries and arts institutions include the Moravian Gallery, the Design Centre Gallery, galleries run by the Brno Cultural Centre (Galerie mladých, Galerie U Dobrého pastýře, Galerie 10, Galerie Kabinet), Vaňkovka Gallery, and others.
Brno is also host to the Brno Zoological Gardens, Botanical Gardens and Arboretum of Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry, Botanical Gardens of the Natural Science Faculty of Masaryk University and the Nicholas Copernicus Observatory and Planetarium.
The Brno Cultural Centre, with its varied activities, complements and adds to the cultural offerings of the city of Brno. One of it´s department is the Tourist Information Centre of the City of Brno whose fundamental mission is to provide tourist information and publicity for the City of Brno both in the Czech Republic and in other countries.
ARCHITECTURE IN THE CITY OF BRNO
Brno is distinguished by its unique architecture, architectural structure and architectural and urban heritage. Within the confines of the city of Brno, there exists a significant concentration of properties under conservation, including examples of all architectural styles from Romanesque-Gothic transitional, through Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Empire, Historicist and Secessionist styles right up to Functionalist styles and those of the interwar period. Six national cultural monuments are registered in Brno - the Špilberk castle and fortress and its park, the St. James Church, the cathedral of Peter and Paul and the surrounding area of the bishopric, the area of the Kounicový dormitories, the Graveyard for Honoured Individuals at the Central Cemetery and the Tugendhat Villa, which is also listed in the UNESCO World Culture List.
RECREATION AND SPORT
The City of Brno is traditionally an important centre for football, hockey, basketball, volleyball and other team sports. Nearby Brno Reservoir may also be used for an extensive range of free time activities. A new golf course was opened just outside Brno in Jinačovice in June, 2006.
Every year a series of national level sporting competitions take place in Brno. The Brno Automotodrome is the site every year for a range of important sporting activities, including the World Motorcycle Championship and the European Touring Car Championship.
Indoor and outdoor swimming pools, multi-purpose sporting halls and playgrounds, gymnasiums and winter sports stadiums serve for the leisure time activities of Brno residents.
More than 93,000 Brno residents actively engaged in sport take part in sporting clubs and organizations. (Source: Brno in Numbers 2006)
ACCOMMODATION SERVICES
There are 82 accommodation facilities in the City of Brno, of which 58 are hotels and similar facilities. (Source: Czech Statistical Office - Statistical Yearbook of the Southern Moravian Region 2007)
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