Eerie Brno

Just a short post today, but an creepy post it will be.

I discovered that there is a WW2 bomb shelter in Brno, that is now designed as a nuclear shelter. This I had to find. It was a 15 minute walk from the hostel, near the castle. Now the pathways in and around the castle wind and twist and Google Maps and I were having a break up moment. I threatened to start using MapQuest, but Google knew I was bluffing. Google always knows what we are thinking. My 15 minute walk turned into a 30 minute childlike stomp but in the end Google had my back. I have learned that I need to turn my phone away from me when trying to use that damn app. Otherwise, left is right, up is down and I yell at my phone while in public.

The shelter has the badass name the 10-Z Bunker.  It is historical and still real world practical as it would still be a very capable shelter if Brno came under attack again, although for 600 people.  In this case the dark humor of the Slovakians was quite funny. There are excellent photos of inside the bunker on the Website, I took quite a few but they do not do it justice. Make no mistake, this is the real deal and it was used during the raids on Brno during the The Bratislava–Brno offensive conducted by the Red Army in 1945. This battle and this town that the Red Army Liberated from the Nazi's is another in a long list of WW2 events that most people in the West know nothing about, myself include.

A bit of dark yet very real humor on the Entrance sign

The Bunker Entrance

Now for something a little bit different (Think of that in a Vincent Price voice).  The Capuchin Crypt of Brno was an odd place to spend an hour although some of the people residing there have not left since the mid 1600s, so I was lucky with the hour and the ability to leave.

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17th century in the basement of the Capuchin Monastery. The photos above are exactly what they look like. The ones above were behind glass doors. These are the bodies of clerics and monks with a simple burial, their heads resting on a stone block. In other parts of the cavern are the bodies of locals and religious dignitaries including St Clementaine, an ancient Roman noblewoman. The bodies below I could get up close and have a real study. Creeeppy shit. The one on the left has been here since 1685. That is some serious, "go to your room and think about what you did" time.

Another beauty day in Brno and this was a funny way to spend the morning. I have been to crypts before in Mexico, Egypt and various location in France. Why crypts and cemeteries fascinate me is beyond reason. I can spend hours wandering around cemeteries but that is for another time. For now my short time in Brno is coming to an end. For a small quiet town, it packed a nice punch.