Špilberk Park

A large park located on the hill under the castle of the same name

There are several approaches to Špilberk Castle, all of which involve climbing quite a steep hill mainly through a large park with full-grown trees. The approach from Šilinger Square leads along Pellicova Street, named after the famous Italian poet who was imprisoned in Špilberk, to the southern edge of the park. You can find several interesting places on the park’s southern slope. At the foot of the hill, you can stretch your muscles in an outdoor gym while the children have fun at the playground. A bit further up the hill is a remarkable sculpture of local poet Jan Skácel by artist Jiří Sobotka. You can look through this oversized sculpture of the poet’s face made of steel tubes and thus, symbolically, see the Old Brno neighbourhood through his eyes. Also on the southern slope is a lookout gazebo from 1885 and a pétanque court. At the north-western edge of the park, not far from another children’s playground, shines the gilded cupola of the Orthodox Church of St Wenceslas. A memorial to Christian d’Elvert, the park’s founder, is located on the northern slope, as is a memorial to local music composer and choir master Pavel Křížkovský. Another memorial, dedicated to the Italian Carbonari held in the 19^th century in the ‘prison of nations’, as Špilberk was once called, is located on the eastern slope.