Maria Theresa Day

A day full of events for children and adults in Brno! Castle folk festival devoted to Queen of Bohemia and Hungary Maria Theresa.

On Sunday 6th June 2010, sounds of drums and fanfares will make ring in the large courtyard of Špilberk Castle. Maria Theresa with her husband the Holy Roman Empress Francis I will visit the courtyard and will greet residents of the city and gift poor little children the same way as 260 years ago. The general Daun will also arrive on horseback to salute monarchs and a theater club will play a performance in view of the imperial couple.

A military exercise on a gun bastion, where shots of firelocks in support of artillery will sound, will be a part of the celebration. Craftsmen will offer their wares, among them there will be pots and wooden spoons, fur or mead, for children a sweet hunk or Turkish honey. After a lunchtime break a great tournament of boys and girls will start in a variety of historical games and the winning pair will join Maria Theresa and her husband for afternoon festivities.

Spilberk Castle was founded in the 13th century to protect the city. Originally a royal castle and later the settlement of the Moravian Margraves was rebuilt into a sizeable Baroque fort in the 17th century. Casemates in the lower part of the fort served since 1783 as a prison. Since the mid-19th century Špilberk Castle served as barracks and a prison for political prisoners. Since 1960, it is a seat of the Brno City Museum.