BRNO JCITY
Whenever you need a place to stay, you turn home.
My home is Brno.
Cities. Magnificent, astounding, juvenile,
appealing, appalling, artistic, enchanting, scary, funny, cozy, grandeur, positive,
colorful, tiny, magical, inspiring, elite, extravagant, loved, musical,
overwhelming, unwelcoming, historical, unpredictable, impressive, transparent,
demonic, splendid, white, global, exotic, tempting, exciting, noisy,
irritating, refreshing, cold, sweet, lyrical, lazy, masculine, crowded,
captivating, nostalgic, communicative, daring, architectonic, international, prejudiced,
vicarious, vanguard, starry, ambiguous, educated, eventful, sunny, secretive,
huge, diverse, awake, hectic, gritty, rustic, blue, inviting, angelic,
sparkling, alive, unreadable, safe, unexplored, fashionable, truthful,
energetic, flattering, desirable, dangerous,
fairy, xenophobic, evolving, expressive, imaginative, warm, controversial,
forested, rich, unlimited, fluorescent, dreamy . Full of surprises. Full of adventures. Full of opportunities. Filled with hidden
streets and unknown artists. They have
the power to steal your heart and sweep you off your feet. Each city has a
soul. It talks to you. It either whispers for you to come back or it does not. It
either advises you to go for a walk and eat ice cream at midnight, or it feels
slightly mediocre. It is like a person in a way. It has to be the right fit for
you in order for you to enjoy it. You have to get to know it in order to be
influenced, to form an opinion. Although it may sound cliché, you cannot judge
a book by its cover. You have to peep into the small patisseries and walk
somewhere else than on the main street. You have to go deeper than the tourist
guides will take you, only to uncover the tiniest hint of culture and glamour
the city has to offer. So then what are they,
the major things that make a city what it is? What are the things that
define it? What makes people from all over the world want to visit Dubai? How
come everyone wants to eat a croissant for breakfast with the sight of the
Eiffel tower in front of them? What
makes New York spectacular and visionary for so many people? Moreover, what is so special about Brno, the
Moravian capital?
Firstly, the people. Of course. Think
about it. Who else knows a place better than the people living there? What
makes a greater impact on a city if not the people living in it? It is just
like in sport. Without players, there is no team. Without people, there is no
city. When I look around the city, I see a lot of them. I see them listening to
music, laughing with friends, hugging, kissing, eating fast food, waiting for
the bus, running to catch the tram, shopping, daydreaming in the park, being
silly, drinking, working, talking on the phone. They are fat, small, tall, short, blonde, stylish, and
poor. If you asked them where they usually spend their afternoons, their answers
would probably be something like this: The stylish one would say the shopping
mall, the fat one McDonalds or KFC, the
small one would be in the cinema, the tall person would answer the gym, the
poor guy would be sitting on a bench in the town square, the blonde one would
say the pub and the short one would be at home with family. Apart from a random
encounter on a dirty bus stop, you would probably never see these people
together. Why should you, their lives are so different, they pretty much have
nothing in common. They live in different worlds, yet at one place. They are
all part of the same city, and surprisingly that brings them together. For the
reason that they bring equal importance to it. The city needs someone studying
at the university just as much as it needs a homeless man at the railway
station. It needs people drinking in a bar and teaching in schools because it
could not work without them. The people
unconsciously need each other. Sellers need buyers, students need
teachers, police officers need criminals, bank officers need customers,
bartenders need drunkards, doctors need sick people. They could not exist without each other.
Nowadays everyone is complaining about long working hours but what would the
people do if they had nothing to do in their jobs? Would they complain
then? Anyhow, Brno needs them, all of them. The people are making sure the city is alive,
that it has not been forgotten and erased off the map. During my everyday life in Brno, I drive home
from school, and I sit on the bus listening to music. I find myself staring at the
people around me. I look at the expressions on their faces and their clothes,
wondering how their day was or where do they work. I wonder whether they own a
small flower shop or spend their day in the laboratory, trying to find cure for
cancer. I try to tell whether they look exhausted or happy. Afterward, I begin to wonder how can it be possible that
I go home the same way every day and I had not seen them before. I wonder if
they have just moved in and if so, do they like it here? Judging their clothes,
I imagine the house or flat they live in and when they are wearing a wedding ring, I try to picture them with
kids. I am glad they are not able to read my mind when I think this stuff. I
wish I knew how other people apperceive me. Do they even notice me? Sometimes I see a woman wearing a nice sweater
and I wonder if I should ask her where she bought it. Other times I see an
attractive guy and I wonder if I should come up to him and ask for his number,
like they do it in the movies. I have not done it yet but I wish I had enough
courage to do so one day. I saw a small girl crying once and as much as I
tried, I could not stop looking at her. After a while she looked up and I smiled at her, hoping it would not do any
damage. She smiled back. All of these people are like ants. Each one has a
different job in the anthill Brno but they somehow find a balance and coexist.
I wonder how other people perceive the city. Do they see it the same way I do? The citizens living in Brno at the moment have
an important job. Everyone is familiar
with the current situation in Europe, with the wars happening in the world and
the refugees seeking home and safety. Their paths might lead them here and it
is important for us to take the right attitude towards them. I am not saying
they are all saint, but if they do have the will to adjust to our culture and
act civilized, we ought to let them. However, there is a big difference between
someone who is trying to save his family and someone who is looking for a way
to escape paying taxes. Those are the ones that want to take advantage of our
social system and rob us of money. There
are also those who want to hurt us, because they have been taught this way in
their religion. However, we should not put them all on one pile or look the
other way when we see someone with a different skin tone than ours in the
public transportation. There are families, running for their lives and I
believe if that is the case, and our paths with them collide, it is our duty to
help or at least give them a chance before we judge. We cannot simply act
racist towards different people only for the reason that they are different. We
should try to look at it from their point of view, make ourselves vulnerable by
putting ourselves in their shoes. We all know the feeling of being new
somewhere, or the feeling of everyone staring at you, judging you. Furthermore,
there is a lot of foreign students in Brno, and I think they should get equal
opportunities to get involved and achieve greatness as the people who are
local. Origin does not matter. I believe that people are the living past,
present and future of the city, all at once. The idea is that the world is
giving to Brno, and Brno is giving to the world.
Every city has its architecture. It
is like a signature. It is something everyone notices when they go to visit a
new city. Houses, theaters, universities, cathedrals, monuments. Some cities
have the power to turn something as ugly as the incinerator into a colorful
building shaped like the Charles Chocolate Factory. Suddenly, it is a nice
building to look at. So then, why is architecture so relevant? By reason of
history. It shows how people lived. Architecture
mirrors the history of Brno in the alluring form of arts. The charm of modern
and functionalistic architecture shapes the city into its original self. It is
elegant yet common, provocative yet
playful, sharp yet unnoticed. It creates
the gate through which architects display the environment we live in. It symbolizes freedom of expression and
creativity. Its purpose is to make you feel something and get inspired.
However, two people, an old lady and a teenager, looking at the same building,
would not feel the same thrill. It is
identical to a poem written by Shakespeare, each of us understands it
differently. The emotion you get from a certain place does not identify with
how others sense it. Additionally, people use architecture to describe society
and its needs. Brno lets us peek into the art and spirit of previous
generations. The most significant architectonic monument in Brno is Vila Tugendhat,
which is the only statue to be a part of Unesco World Heritage Site in the
Czech republic. It attracts a lot of engineers and tourists from around the
globe. It is said to be the most well-preserved example of Ludwig Mies van der
Rohe’s early functionalism. Furthermore,
it is one of the world’s most important manifestations of villa
architecture. The people have given Brno special charisma over the years with
their artistic talents. You can openly see
the evaluation of the city from the Gothic period, through renaissance and
romantic period to modern architecture. The Church of St. Jacob and St. Thomas,
Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, Špilberk
castle, Brno Exhibition Centre, Hotel Avion, Crematorium, Villa Neumark and Eisler
villa are only a few examples of remarkable constructions in the city. Essentially,
every building in Brno has captured a fraction of fine arts. It does not matter
whether it is a church or a school. Each one reflects their very own style and
makes different impression on people. Brno is wealthy thanks to its
architecture. It is interesting both in museums and universities which makes it
well educated and culturally growing. The city offers Museum of toys, Technical
Museum, Brno Observatory and Planetarium, Mendel Museum, Moravian Gallery, Fait
Gallery and many others. Furthermore, each year Brno organizes an event called "the Museum Night" during which all
the museums are open and free for public. The universities should not go
unnoticed either. There are the Mendel and Masaryk university, University of
Technology, Academia STING, the JAMU University, University of military
leadership and many more. Oh and speaking of important buildings have you heard
of the Moravian Manchester, the once known phenomenon? It is an old nickname that Brno deserved thanks
to its textile industry. It has helped with the rise of modern functionalism in
the city. There is soon to be an exhibition of the development of the textile
company and the urban transformation of Brno.
What is history good for? It helps
us to acknowledge our mistakes and gives us the chance to learn from them. Since
the medieval times of Brno in the 13th century, there have been mentions in the
historical records of people who have influenced its development. Wealthy
people who have bought houses in Brno, people who built new houses or buildings,
those that sat in the city council, handicraftsmen, writers, painters, artists,
scientists, founders, poets, architects, composers, singers, demonstrators, soldiers, benefactors, sportsmen, politicians, tradesmen,
judges, businessmen, priests, mayors. All these people richened Brno with their
literary pieces, attainments, discoveries or perhaps groundbreaking and revolutionary
opinions. Fragments of their fate were obtained from archival, historical and
archeological sources. All of the
information we have gathered reflects rich and complex history of Brno. Somehow
the older the city is the more it has to offer. The more things there are for
you to learn about it and the more surprises for you to uncover. The history of
Brno is full of incredibly talented and accomplished people whose paths somehow
led them to Brno. It talks about Gregor Mendel, about where he lived, when was
he born, what experiments he did and how he contributed to the evolution of
genetics. Today, there is a university carrying his name. It is a way to show
appreciation. Leoš Janáček, the musical composer, has his memorial and the most
visited theater in Brno is in his name. Jiří Maheh has his library in the city.
There are dozens, perhaps thousands of names I could mention. But the name does
not matter as much as the legacy they have left behind.
.
I have mentioned
architecture, people, and history as the major things I have concluded make Brno into what it is.
However, simply said, they are actually all one and the same, hidden in
different forms. All of the three things listed above are affected or in a
way connected with people in Brno.
Architecture was designed and later on built by people. History is basically a
long list of important names and events they were responsible for. People,
people, people. Ever since the day Brno was founded, they have shaped it. And
they continue to do so until this day. Since this is you reading this, let me
tell you a secret: They will do so forever. Kind of wonderful, is it not?
This story was
about how with different people, Brno changes. It was not about Mendel and his
experiments on pea plants. Everybody knows what his laws state. However, we do
not know what the city is going to look like tomorrow. This story was about it
and me.
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