City Courtyard, now Barceló Brno Palace Hotel (Městský dvůr)

The courtyard where Mendel once lectured is now a hotel

From 1870, members of Přírodozkumný spolek (the Biology Club) used to meet here, and it was also the site of public lectures. Mendel was the club’s deputy chair and one of its most active members.

The city courtyard is located on what is now Šilingrovo náměstí (Šilinger Square), originally known as Svinský trh (the Pig Market). As the name suggests, pigs and cattle were sold near the square until the 19th century. When the Brno gate and city walls were torn down in 1852, new vacant areas emerged here. The square was the site of the very first block of flats in Brno. This Renaissance Revival building by the Viennese architect Franz Fröhlich was later called the City Courtyard or City Palace. It now houses the Barceló Brno Palace Hotel.