Zelný trh (; English: 'Vegetable Market' or 'Cabbage Market') is a

square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

and traditional

marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It is located in the historic centre of Brno on an area of about .

The square

Among the landmarks of the square are Dietrichstein Palace from the early 17th century, which is the seat of the Moravské zemské muzeum (Moravian Museum), and the building of the Reduta Theatre from 1608, which is the oldest theatre building in Central Europe. Under the square is an underground labyrinth of passages and cellars from the Middle Ages.

Parnassus Fountain

In the middle of the square is the Parnassus Fountain, named after

Mount Parnassus Mount Parnassus (; , ''Parnassós'') is a mountain range of central Greece that is, and historically has been, especially valuable to the Greek nation and the earlier Greek city-states for many reasons. In peace, it offers scenic views of the c ...

. It is a large Baroque fountain created in 1690–1695, when it replaced an older Renaissance fountain from 1597. It has a six-pointed star plan and is decorated with many allegorical figures and mythical animals. In the middle of the fountain is a rocky cliff on top of which is an allegorical statue of Europa. In the cliff is a cave with

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

. Allegorical figures on the outside of the cave represent

Babylonia Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. The fountain was designed by

Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian whose Baroque architecture profoundly influenced and shaped the tastes of the Habsburg Empire. His inf ...

and created by Tobias Kracker and Anton Riga.

The market

Zelný trh has been in use since 1190, earlier than the city was established. Originally, it was a general market. Later, it specialised in vegetables and fruits. Since 1255, it was known by the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''forum superius'' and a century later by 1340, it was called Krautmarkt – Zelný trh. It has operated for 850 years in one place and for 700 years under the name Zelný trh. It was never interrupted, continuing through the communist time when all other private enterprise was outlawed. The market is the largest in Brno and the oldest continuously operating market with vegetables and plants in

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

. The market contains many shops that sell vegetables, fruit, meat (now rabbits only and smoked), fish (in Christmas time only), flowers, plants, seeds,

seedling A seedling is a young sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (embry ...

s, breads (bakery products), Moravian kolach,

spice In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

s, nuts, eggs,

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

, and Moravian traditional spices and herbs items. The market also has many small restaurants and street-food stalls.

Labyrinth under Zelný trh

Under the square is a system of underground corridors and cellars. The cellars originally served for food storage, beer brewing, maturing of wine in barrels, and as shelter in times of war. They were founded in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, but most of them dates back to the Baroque era. The cellars were not all connected together until 2009 when they underwent a major reconstruction, and since 2011 they are opened public. They are 6 to 8 metres under the surface.

Gallery

BrnoZelnak.jpg, Zelný trh in 1827 Bedrich Franz Slavnost Boziho tela v Brne 10.6.1841.jpg, The daguerreotype of Zelný trh from 1841 Brno, Zelný trh (1894).jpg, Zelný trh in 1894 Zelný trh Brno, April 2020.jpg, The market in April 2020 Zelný trh - panoramio.jpg, Stalls in front of the Moravian Museum Brno Underground - Cabbage Square - Well II.JPG, The underground

References

External links

Labyrinth under Zelný trh
– Tourist information Centre in Brno {{Authority control Brno Fountains in Europe Street culture Food markets