Wander & Wonder Travel Newsletter

Hey StoryHunter

Summer is upon us, and many travel to sandy beaches or famous (overcrowded) cities.

But why not choose something completely different?

Why not go for a place with more space, stranger churches, and perhaps a dragon hanging in the Old Town Hall?

Why not choose a city like Brno this summer?

This Czech city is filled with old crypts, quiet courtyards, steep hills and curious legends.

And this summer, during the event ‘Brno and its Churches’, visitors are given special access to overlooked churches and sacred sites, that are usually off limits.

It’s the perfect time to stray away from the crowded tourist trail and dive into something more undiscovered and… strange.

Read on to learn about:

🦴 The remains of 50,000 people

🕐 The Astronomical (Bullet) Clock

🏃‍♂️‍➡️ The labyrinth beneath the Vegetable Market

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Destination of the Week

What makes Brno so fascinating is that it never settles into just one identity.

There’s the old and gothic side of Brno – like the Špilberk Castle, which looms above the city and once gained a grim reputation as the most feared prison in the Habsburg dynasty.

Then there’s the modern side – like the Villa Tugendhat, which is an UNESCO-listed modernist house.

And then there’s the unexpected side og Brno – like the Capuchin Crypt, where you’ll find naturally mummified bodies beneath the monastery.

The more you look, the stranger and more compelling it becomes.

Don't Miss

Hidden beneath the Church of St James, you’ll find the remains of no less than 50,000 people.

They are all placed in the St James Ossuary - a place for storing human skeletal remains – and it is one of the largest ossuaries in Europe.

The dead were moved here over centuries as the overcrowded cemetery outside the church filled up.

If you venture down here, you should expect dim corridors, vaulted chambers and the unnerving sense that an entire forgotten city lies beneath the streets above.

Did You Know?

Brno’s so-called Astronomical Clock is not famous for telling time beautifully - it is famous for being wonderfully strange.

It´s standing on Freedom Square, and the six-metre-high black granite monument looks more like a bullet than a clock.

Every day at 11 a.m. it releases a glass marble into one of its four holes – if you’re lucky, you can catch the marble and keep it as a souvenir.

The reason for the odd timing is pure Brno legend:

During the Swedish siege of 1645, the Swedish general said he would withdraw if the city did not fall by noon.

 So the smart citizens of Brno made the city’s bells ring noon an hour early - and it tricked the attackers into retreating.

The Trendy Traveler Tip

When the summer heat in Brno starts to feel too intense, head underground to the Brno Market Labyrinth beneath the Vegetable Market.

Hidden several metres below the square, this maze of medieval cellars and passageways offers exactly what you want on a hot day: cool air, darkness and a welcome break from the sun.

But it is not just practical.

The labyrinth is also one of the city’s stranger attractions, with old storage rooms, an alchemist’s laboratory and a feeling of endless hallways.

It is the smartest way to cool down - and one of the most atmospheric.