Guide

 

Tales

A Masterly Shot

A Masterly Shot

 

General Torstenson was not in a good mood, for one piece of bad news followed the other. At the onset of the siege he believed that he could do away with the mouse hole, as he called Brno, within three days, and that he would conquer the old and empty cold kitchen - Špilberk - in no more than a week. Now, after three months of siege by the Swedish troops, he could see that his vision would not come to fruition as easily as he had expected. On that day, Torstenson was once again troubled by gout. He lay stretched in a chair in front of his tent, telling himself he would offer three tons of gold if only he did not have to besiege the accursed city. To curb his temper, he had some wine poured. No sooner had he taken a grip of the tankard and was about to raise it to his mouth, than a shot sounded from Spielberg. Like a bolt from the blue a cannon ball knocked the tankard out of his hand. Torstenson turned pale and said: "That was really a masterly shot. Next time you shall bring me a smaller tankard, so that that person on the hill has a smaller target to aim at." It goes without saying that the news spread quickly, and the people of Brno were rightly proud of their Špilberk marksman with such outstanding aim. They say that his name was written in a book somewhere, but today that name has been lost.

 

 

 

The Black Madonna
            		  

 

As late as at the end of the last century almost every family in Brno had a copy of the painting of the Madonna and Child that had been originally displayed in the Church of St. Thomas. Painted in oil on wood, the painting is so dark that the Virgin Mary used to be called the Black Madonna of St. Thomas. Legend has it that the Black Madonna was painted by Saint Luke. Empress Helen, mother of Constantine the Great, then brought it from the Holy Land to Constantinople. A few centuries later King Vratislav gained possession of the painting and had it put into his treasure-house in Prague Castle, where it was stored until the reign of Charles IV. When Charles became Emperor he consigned the Margravate of Moravia to his brother John. Under his administration the land began to flourish, and Brno was not forgotten. After a short time he had St. Thomas`s church built and, adjacent to it, a monastery into which he invited the monks of the Augustinian order. The solemn consecration was also attended by Charles IV who loved his brother deeply and thus donated to him the painting of the Black Madonna for the church. The priceless work of art soon attracted people from far and wide, all wanting to venerate the image, not only for its beauty but also because they believed it was miraculous, and could help in times of illness and misery. During the Thirty Years' War, when the Swedes were making their final attack on Brno on 15 August 1645, women gathered in the Church of St. Thomas in order to take out the painting of the Madonna and the Child. They then carried it through the city, praying for salvation. The Virgin Mary did indeed come to their aid, for the city was saved. Under Joseph II the Augustinians, as well as other orders, were forced to leave their monastery in the city. They managed to obtain from the Emperor permission to carry away the most valuable possession of the Church of St. Thomas: the Black Madonna. Thus the painting moved along with them to the monasterial church in Old Brno were it has hung to this day above the high altar.

 

The Column of Zderad

At the end of Křenová street, on the bank of the River Svitava, there is a beautiful column. It appears to be in the Gothic style but the scholars still do not know when, by whom, and why it was built. Legend has it that the builder of the column was the Czech King Vratislav II, and the column was to commemorate the spot where Zderad of Švábenice was murdered in the summer of 1091. King Vratislav II had taken to the field in Moravia against his rebellious brother Konrad, and laid siege to the City of Brno. Searching for a place to pitch the war tents, the King's favourite, Zderad, stepped out and said: "I think, my King, thy son Břetislav ought to be encamped here, at the water's edge, so that he may bathe often." Some laughed, for they thought that Zderad was referring to an unpleasant story that had taken place some years before in a campaign against the Saxons. The young Prince had bathed then, despite warnings, alone in a river, and had been captured by the enemy. When Břetislav heard of this, he went pale and quickly went away. He decided that the knight should pay dearly for this affront. He discussed the matter with his friends and asked Zderad for a meeting the following morning. Not suspecting anything, Zderad arrived. But the King`s son was not waiting alone, for he had brought all his retainers. At his command they caught and killed kim. It was realized too late what had happened and Zderad, the King`s beloved Minister, was dead. When King Vratislav learned of this, he grieved heavily. He buried his friend in the family vault and built a beautiful monument where the atrocity had happened.

 

The Maiden of Stone

At no. 16 in Orlí street, where the first Brno post office used to be, a strange sculpture in the back of the courtyard has been gripping the citizens` attention for more then a century. The sculpture is connected with an exciting story about Johanna, a beautiful maid with whom a son of a noble family had fallen in love. Since the maid was poor and no one knew her origin, she was made to work hard. The more the young gentleman loved her the worse she fared, for everybody was opposed to her. And, as is usual in these circumstances, anger and envy are your worst counsellors. When his mother realised that not even persuasion would help, reminding him that he was promised to another, wealthy, bride, she made other arrangements. She waited for her son and his father to go hunting into the surrounding forests and set about her task. She called the magistrate and accused the girl of being a witch and of having practised sorcery upon her son, for which she must be severely punished. In vain she struggled and begged. Realising that there was no hope, she ran out of the house into the courtyard, threw herself into the well, and all her problems were over. Just as they were pulling her out her lover returned, for a dark foreboding had driven him home. He arrived too late, though, and could not revive the beautiful Johanna. Because he had truly loved her he had her figure cut in stone, so that he was forever reminded of their love.

 

The Pulpit at the Dominicans

The Pulpit at the Dominicans

 

The exquisite pulpit in the Dominican church of St. Michael`s was made by Josef Winterhalter. The story goes that the master, who wanted to create something people would indeed be amazed at, had long been at his wit`s end. He would wander deep in thought but no good ideas came to him. Various thoughts came to his mind but when he tried to materialize them, they disappeared. One day, tired and dispirited, he fell asleep in his workshop. Upon doing so he glimpsed a graceful image in front of him. The bright figure of Archangel Michael, holding a gleaming sword in his right hand, stood there surrounded by white heavenly clouds. Down at his feet a dark circle of condemned angels were crouching. The dream was short but impressive, and the image stayed in front of the master`s eyes as he awoke. Now he knew he had found his theme and, without further ado, he started work. He created a work of art according to the vision that he had seen in his dream which has been admired by every visitor to the church up to the present day.

 

The Wheel Bet

The Wheel Bet
The  wheel hanging next to the dragon is said to be made by Birk, a wheelwright from Lednice. The following story is said to be based on fact: One sunny day in May 1638 some friends gathered in a Lednice inn to have a draught of wine after work, as usual. Jiří Birk was among them, a master-wheelwright who was famed for his skill far and wide. In the course of the gossip, Birk`s cheerful voice rang out, saying: "What do you bet, neighbours, that at six o`clock in the morn, at sunrise, I shall fell a tree in the forest, make a wheel, and a roll it to Brno within that same day, before they close the city gates?" They all mocked him and duly placed a bet of twelve thalers. They believed that the wheelwright could not possibly succeed, and that they would earn their money easily. Birk, however, was a real master of his craft. Before the bells on Brno`s towers had rung Ave Maria he had passed the Jewish Gate, passed through the Vegetable Market and had reached the Town Hall. There he presented the wheel to the amazed Mayor of Brno. Since the wheel was a true masterpiece the Mayor, Gabriel Schramm, had it hung in the town hall`s carriage way. Birk won the bet but the twelve thalers did not bring him good luck. Everyone believed that he had been helped by the devil, and so people started avoiding him. The orders dried up and the handy wheelwright died a poor man. However, Birk`s wheel, still hanging in the Old Town Hall, reminds us of him to this day.

 

Petrov Bells

Ringing the Petrov Bells
In the spring of the year 1645 the Swedish soldiers were encamped in Zábrdovice and on the King`s Meadow near Komárov. Torstenson had pitched his headquarters there, for he had been sure that he would gain a glorious victory in the space of less than one week. But for once he had been quite wrong, for his garrison had been standing outside Brno for over three months by then and the citizens were not giving up, defending the city tooth and nail. The Swedes had had many wounded soldiers and morale was low. Torstenson himself was in a most furious mood. His soldiers were the best, nonetheless he still had not defeated the people of Brno, so he was forced to make a decision. He summoned his officers to a suburban tavern and there he said to them: "Tomorrow we shall make our last attack on the city. Before the bells on Petrov strike noon, Brno must be ours. If not, we shall retreat." The publican who served the Swedish soldiers was able to understand much of what they were talking about, for he had served them for so long. When he heard what the Swedish leader was saying he knew that the people in the town had to learn the news as quickly as possible. He got into the city through a secret passage, went directly to Souches, the commander, and told him everything. Early in the morning of August 15th, the battle for life and death began. The defenders of the city and her inhabitants fought as bravely as they could. When the Swedes began to break through the walls in several places and pervade the city, Souches quickly knew what he had to do. He sent an aged bellringer to strike twelve o`clock in St. Peter`s cathedral. Though the cannon balls had seriously damaged the tower, the bellringer managed to climb it and, mustering all his strength, he pulled the rope. It was just eleven o`clock when the sound of the bell began to resonate from the tower down to the turmoil of the battle. It rang twelve times. Upon hearing the bell, the Swedes ceased fighting and prepared to withdraw. Before nightfall they were gone, and Brno and her people were saved. Since those times, in commemoration of the lucky salvation, the Petrov bells have always struck noon at eleven o`clock.

 

Brno Dragon

The Brno Dragon
What is the true story of the Brno dragon? Nobody knows for sure. In Trutnov it is said that the "dragon" was killed in his den by the servants of Sir Albrecht Trut when they were establishing the town in 1006. A few years later Prince Oldrich summoned an assembly to Brno to appoint his son as Margrave of Moravia. Many noblemen were present at the occasion. One of them was Sir Albrecht Trut who came with all his entourage, bringing the stuffed "dragon" as a gift for the Prince. The Prince is said to have had it hung by three chains in the entrance gate of the Town Hall for all to see. There are other rumours that the dragon was brought back by the crusaders from one of their crusades, and others have heard that it was presented to the gentlemen of the Town Hall by a Turkish Sultan. The people of Brno, however, are convinced that the dragon was never in fact brought to the city by anybody. He is said to have lived in Brno upon the River Svratka in his cave, tormenting the people from both near and far. When he was hungry, the dragon devoured whatever was available. People were scared of the beast but did not know how to get rid of him. The councilmen pledged a grand reward of one hundred gold coins but nobody took up the offer. One day a journeyman-butcher, who roamed throughout the world, entered the Blue Lion Inn. Everyone in the inn was talking only about the dragon. The journeyman listened, and then he said: "I shall rid you of that dragon. Just fetch me a large ox-pelt and a sack of unslaked lime." The people of Brno were suspicious of him, but brought what he wanted. The butcher sewed the lime into the ox-pelt, loaded it onto a wagon, and disappeared. When he arrived at the point in the river where the dragon had his lair, he put the pelt on the ground and waited. After a short while, the dragon crept up and took up the pelt. Having devoured it all, the dragon washed it down with the water of the River Svratka, and went to have a rest. This proved to be a mistake, for the lime began to boil inside and the dragon kept on expanding until he burst. Joy knew no bounds in Brno. The butcher got his reward and continued to wander the world. Since then the citizens of Brno have never again had to fear any beast.

 

The Indecent Little Man

The Indecent Little Man
On the south-facing side of the Church of St. James, if you have a good look high up to the end of the Gothic arch, you will notice an oddity: the indecent little man. It is said that their lordships up on Petrov Hill and those down at St. James`s had never been the greatest of friends. Thus when the two churches were being built everyone was waiting for things to happen. At Petrov they had more money, but at St. James`s they had a better master builder who had worked abroad on the construction of Strasbourg Cathedral. He was well acquainted with his job and his work was done quickly. He was also a great joker, and was a favourite of both his assistants and the burghers of Brno. The construction of St. Peter`s church was lagging behind. Down in the city jokes were made, saying that the Church of St James would be completed before anything had been built on Petrov Hill, which made the people of Petrov very angry. Because they were more powerful, they saw to it that the stone-mason of St. James`s quit his job and left Brno. Down in the city the gentlemen reluctantly told him the news. The master agreed to leave but asked for one wish to be fulfilled: "Allow me to complete the window that I am working on at present." When he had completed the window and uncovered it, everybody was surprised, for they realised that the master-stonemason had gained sweet revenge upon those on Petrov. Above the window, at the convergence of the arches, a little man can be seen displaying his bare buttocks towards those up on Petrov Hill who had driven him out of the city.

 

The Neglected Tower

The Neglected Tower
When the Swedes withdrew from Brno they left behind many ruined churches, palaces and houses. Even the church on Petrov needed a thorough repair. The worst thing was that the tower, the pride of the church, had been lost. Since the chapter had never been rich, the wealthiest burghers decided to grant the money for the construction. They each had a good income from their wine cellars and so they calculated that if half of the money from the wine sales went towards an ornate new tower, it would do no harm to them. The saying in this situation is apt: Do not shout until you are out of the woods. At the begining of October 1675, a special envoy brought a letter from the Emperor, announcing to the aldermen of Brno that Her Majesty Lady Eleanor, Queen of Poland, would be coming to the city. The aldermen were not too pleased by this, for they knew that the Queen would have to be received with the necessary honours, and that this would cost a hefty fortune. In the middle of November the Queen arrived in the city. She was young, beautiful, and friendly, and she instantly enchanted the burghers. Everyone pandered to her every wish, and one banquet followed the other; it is no wonder that the Queen lingered for four months rather than the originally planned few days. Then all kinds of strange gossip began to be passed around, about noblemen who had fallen in love, about fights on nearby fields, and the such-like. Anyway, one day the aldermen of Brno were suddenly asked for an equipage and some passenger coaches and, before they realized anything, the Queen was gone. Life continued as before, as did the municipal accounting, which proved to be bad. All the money, including that from the wine cellars, had been used up, all of it having been spent on the banquets and on the cheerful life of Lady Eleanor; only a few thalers remained for the construction of the tower. This was just sufficient to make small repairs to the ruined tower and make to a small roof upon it. When, at the beginning of this century, the Cathedral on Petrov gained two tall towers, the old one was not demolished. It is said that as long as this tower stands, so will the city of Brno itself, and if it disappears, the whole city will disappear along with it.

 

The Twisted Pinnacle of the Old Town Hall

The Twisted Pinnacle of the Old Town Hall
When the Old Town Hall was being built, the aldermen sent for a well known stone-mason who had served his apprenticeship with the most famous masters of Prague, wanting him to build a perfect and unique town hall. Pilgram, which was the master`s name, was promised a wage of three pounds of silver for himself, some other money for his workers and for the building material. Then he began work. After a period of time Pilgram asked for an advance payment from the aldermen. They were uncomfortable with this, and did not want to give out a single groschen before the Town Hall was completed. This enraged the master. First he tried to come to terms with the decision of the Lords but, realising that he would not succeed, he changed his mind. He instructed his stone-cutters to make the highest pinnacle on the portal crooked. People from all over the city came to have a look at the twisted pinnacle. The aldermen then called upon him and ordered the immediate repair of the pinnacle. Pilgram however merely smiled and said: "Dear Lords, your words have been just as crooked as the pinnacle on the portal, and so no one can ever rectify it. For ever it shall reveal to the world how perfidious you were." Before they could say Jack Robinson he was gone. In vain they searched for him far and wide, and it is said that he left for Vienna where he demonstrated his skills in St. Stephen's Cathedral. The fine portal is still admired by all those who pass the Town Hall. Many do not know, however, why the central pinnacle is twisted.

 

What Was Happening at the New Town Hall
 

The whole of the west front of the Dominican square is taken up by the Baroque building of the Land House, nowadays the New Town Hall. It used to be said that on certain days the halls on the second floor would be brightly lit, and those who were unafraid could see strangely dressed people there walking about wringing their hands. They were said to be the Moravian Lords who, before the battle of the White Mountain, had deliberated whether or not they should take part in a rebellion against the Emperor. Moreover, the second outer gate of the building, the one furthest from the church, was not allowed to be opened. Whoever did so would be punished. Once, however, two girls who cleaned the rooms of the town hall did not take this advice, for they wanted to see for themselves whether these stories were true. Having secretly taken the key, they set off in the night for the gate along with their boyfriends. When they finally succeeded in opening it, an icy wind blew upon them and the boy who first opened the gate received two blows to the head and fell to the ground, unable to move. That was enough for all of them, and nobody has tried to repeat this act ever since. Others talked about the heavy steps that could be heard from the beautiful corridor around the garden when a member of the town hall staff was to die. A very strong man in ancient clothes would step out of the corridor, so huge that he would walk as if his feet were made of stone, making booming sounds with every step. Coming out of the corridor he would take a walk about the courtyard, sometimes looking through the porter`s window. Then he would return to the corridor and disappear somewhere within. The clerks also knew that on certain days of November nobody was allowed to stay in the offices after six o`clock in the evening. Woe to anyone who stayed late! Something unseen would start to wander through the rooms, throwing papers off the desks and hats from their stands. Terrible sounds and moaning would resonate, and the doors would even open by themselves. Once there were many such rumours, but today they are widely forgotten.