Brno is the second city of the Czech Republic, but it behaves like the first city of Moravia, with its own dialect, its own pride and its own very good wine. About 370,000 people live here, a lot of them students, and the centre has the mixture of old and new you would expect: a medieval core below a hilltop castle, baroque churches, and a serious collection of twentieth-century modern architecture.
Spilberk, the castle on the hill, was for a while a fortress and then a notorious prison under the Habsburgs, and it now holds a museum. Down below, the cathedral of St Peter and Paul stands on the Petrov hill, and at noon its bells ring eleven, a custom said to date from a siege by the Swedes in the Thirty Years War, when a trick with the clock saved the city. Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics, lived and worked at the Augustinian abbey here, doing his pea experiments in the monastery garden. The Villa Tugendhat, designed by Mies van der Rohe and finished in 1930, is on the UNESCO list and is one of the best-known houses of the modern movement.
Motorcyclists know Brno for another reason: its racing circuit, which has hosted the Czech motorcycle grand prix for decades and is a short ride out of town. The old street circuit that ran through the villages outside the city was one of the great road courses of Europe before it closed in 1986. For touring, the wine country south of Brno is the draw. Villages with cellar lanes, vineyards in neat rows, and flat or gently rolling roads toward Mikulov and the Palava hills make a relaxed day.
Fuel is easy, with stations on every major road. Brno is a good place to eat, with solid Czech food and local wines by the glass at reasonable prices. Parking in the centre is limited, so look for a garage or ask your hotel. Traffic in the middle of town is dense during commuting hours, and the tram lines are slippery when wet.