Kobližná Street

Kobližná connects Malinovsky Square with Freedom Square

The street is named after a medieval term for making doughnuts (in Czech, ‘koblihy’), a craft once heavily practiced here. The historical name of this important commercial street disappeared only once, from 1961 to 1990, when it was replaced with the name of the first human in space and called Gagarin Street. A city sewer used to flow down Kobližná Street towards the moat on the eastern side of the town and then further to the Ponávka Stream. Měnínská brána (the Měnín Gate) was originally located on the corner of Kobližná and Jánská Streets before it was moved in 1348 to its current location.

Several significant buildings are located in this street today. Obchodní dům Centrum (the Centrum Department Store), which was initiated by Tomáš Baťa and was originally designed as a 23-storey skyscraper, stands where Kobližná opens to Malinovského náměstí (Malinovsky Square). Based on a design by Vladimír Karfík, it was intended to be the tallest building in Europe, but due to the unstable bedrock under the foundation, the number of planned floors was reduced before construction began. The department store was built between 1930 and 1931. It acquired its current appearance in 1966. On the upper part of the street, not far from Náměstí Svobody (Freedom Square), are Palác šlechtičen (the Palace of Noble Ladies), which today houses the Ethnographic Institute of Moravské zemské muzeum (the Moravian Museum), and Schrattenbachův palác (the Schrattenbach Palace), which has served as the headquarters of Knihovna Jiřího Mahena (the Jiří Mahen Library) since the 1950s.

In the early 20th century, tram tracks were laid in this street and it was possible to travel by tram there until 1958.
Today, it is a favourite spot for buskers.

Nearest stop of public transport: Malinovského náměstí