The direct ancestor of Brno, at the…
August 1243 CE
The direct ancestor of Brno, at the confluence of the Svratka and Svitava rivers, in the eastern foothills of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, was a fortified settlement of the Great Moravia Empire known as Staré Zámky which was inhabited since the Neolithic Age to the early eleventh century.
In the early eleventh century, Brno had been established as a castle of non-ruling Prince from the House of Přemyslid, and Brno had become one of the centers of Moravia along with Olomouc and Znojmo.
Its name comes from the Celtic “brynn,” meaning "hill town.” A chapel was founded in the eleventh century on the Petrov hill; since then, the chapel has undergone many changes which after centuries resulted in the current Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul.
The Spilberk Castle was founded in the thirteenth century, originally as the major royal castle in Moravia.
Brno receives the large and small city privileges from the King in 1243, and thus it is recognized as a royal city.