Brno, Czech RepublicThe symbol of Brno — a 13th-century castle on a hill above the city, infamous as the 'Prison of Nations' where Napoleon sent political prisoners from across Europe. The castle now houses the City Museum; the casemates (underground prison cells) are extraordinary; the panoramic view of Moravia is unsurpassed.
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One of the most important buildings in architecture history — Mies van der Rohe's 1929-30 house for the Tugendhat family, a masterwork of functionalist modernism and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The onyx wall, the ebony wood partition, the open floor plan, and the disappearing floor-to-ceiling windows were all revolutionary. Book guided tours months in advance.
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Europe's second largest ossuary — discovered in 2001 under St James' Church, containing the bones of 50,000 people arranged in the church foundations from the 17th–18th centuries. Opened to the public in 2012 with a modern design by Petr Hrůša; more striking and less touristic than Paris's Catacombs.