The book History of Brno has been expanded by a volume dedicated to architecture and art

Brno - The book series "History of Brno" has been expanded with a new volume dedicated to artistic and historical monuments. It was released as the third in order; however, within the seven-volume edition, it occupies the concluding position. The History of Brno is being created at the initiative of the city council, which has allocated up to 15 million crowns for this so far most extensive endeavor dedicated to the history of the city. The series should be complete by 2018.

The new volume describes specific places concerning their urban development, architecture, and artistic monuments. A significant focus is placed on Petrov and Špilberk, as well as the Brno underground, squares, monasteries, and former peripheries. According to the authors, the book can also be used as a guide—provided that readers do not mind the weight and volume of the 885-page volume on coated paper.

The book also dispels some myths and misconceptions. For instance, the legend of the mysterious lake beneath Petrov is associated with the flooded cellars of the former pub U Fajfky, where working wells are located. During the exploration of the cellars, modern explorers had to use a boat and navigate under a vault adorned with karst decoration, which was formed by the infiltration of surface waters.

Another Brno legend describes how Emperor Joseph II personally allowed himself to be briefly imprisoned in one of the cells of the Špilberk prison, and then permanently abolished this punishment in its strictest form, where condemned individuals survived only a few weeks or months. "The reality is quite the opposite; Joseph II personally established this form of punishment at Špilberk and confirmed sentences of this type," wrote historian Jiří Vaněk in the chapter dedicated to the castle. The conditions of serving the sentence were mitigated only by Leopold II.

So far, volumes dedicated to the earliest history and the Middle Ages have been published in "The History of Brno." Historians are currently working on the period of the estates state and Habsburg absolutism, the industrial revolution, and the 20th century. They will also provide a comprehensive view of the history of later annexed municipalities. The volume numbered seven has been published as the third in order due to the varying degree of processing of sources for individual epochs.

The last published book on the history of the city came out at the turn of the 60s and 70s in two volumes. However, they were dated. Moreover, they paid little attention, for example, to ecclesiastical institutions and marginal parts of the city.