Brno Architecture Manual (BAM)
An online guide to Brno's architecture: 865 buildings and monuments, 45 walking trails, a map and pages on architects — in English, Czech and German.
What it is
Brno Architecture Manual, or BAM, is a free online database of architecture in Brno, the Czech Republic's second-largest city. It's run by the City of Brno and the House of Arts of Brno and launched in September 2011. Besides the website, BAM exists as trail markings on the streets, printed maps and guides — so it's something you can take out into the city, not just read on a screen.
The database currently lists 865 objects and 45 trails. You can browse buildings alphabetically or filter them by period and building type. There's a section on authors — architects and visual artists — each with their own page. Search, a map view and a favourites list round it out. The site is available in English, Czech and German.
Why we picked it
Most people know Czechia through Prague, and Brno gets skipped on the way to Vienna. That's a shame: the city is known for interwar functionalism and modernist architecture, and BAM presents it systematically — not as a couple of postcard sights but as a dense fabric of streets, apartment buildings, schools, villas and monuments. Examples on the site range from the Stein Villa and the Episcopal Grammar School to the Monument to Worker Demonstrations of 1869, ordinary apartment buildings and a Red Army memorial — different eras, different meanings.
The trails are our favourite part. They're ready-made walks: "Central Brno", "Centre Trail 1946–1989" for postwar architecture, "Zábrdovice and Černovice 1918–1945" for interwar neighbourhoods, and an excursion to the Brno dam and reservoir. They turn the database into a way to get to know the city on foot. Every object has a code like C012 or D211, which makes it easy to match with street signage and the printed maps.
Everything is linked: from a building you can jump to its architect's page and see what else they designed, from a trail to the objects along it, and the map shows what's nearby. It becomes a web you can wander for hours from home before seeing it all in person.
Where to start
- Open "Trails" and pick "Central Brno" as a first walk.
- Try "Centre Trail 1946–1989" to see what the city built under socialism.
- In the objects list, filter by period and compare interwar buildings with postwar ones.
- Visit architect pages to see what else a favourite designer built.
- Planning a trip? Add buildings to favourites and build your own route.
Who it's for
Modernism fans, urbanists, architecture students, photographers hunting for good facades, and travellers who want to see more of Czechia than Prague. The English version is complete, so no Czech is needed.
Quick answers
Who runs BAM? The City of Brno and the House of Arts of Brno; it launched in 2011.
How big is it? The site lists 865 objects and 45 trails.
What languages is it in? English, Czech and German.
