The places associated with Jan�ček are now more accessible to visit than they have ever been before. Although the composer had associations with Prague, and it is an easy point of access to the Czech republic, an obvious first port of call would be Brno. More details about Brno can be found by clicking here.

Visiting Brno:

Travelling to Brno is easiest via Ryanair from the UK (they fly direct from Stansted to Brno) or via the train from Vienna (which is quicker than Prague). Reserving a seat is advisable, and the traveller must remember their passport for crossing the Austro-Czech border. Accommodation in Brno is reasonably inexpensive in comparison to Prague, though prices rise during the Trade Fairs, when it is best to avoid the Moravian capital. Travelling to Brno is easiest via train from Vienna (which is quicker than Prague). Reserving a seat on the train is strongly advisable, and the traveller must remember their passport for crossing the Austro-Czech border. Accommodation and generally all daily food and living costs in Brno are comparatively inexpensive in comparison to Prague and Vienna, though prices rise during the Trade Fairs, when it is best to avoid the Moravian capital. The route from Vienna to Brno is emboldened on the map below.

The train journey to Brno is only hampered by details of immigration, but that is dealt with on board by one round of Austrian guards and then a round of Czech guards. Brno is small enough to see in a day, though it can be used as a base to take in other places of interest, as many national trains pass through the Brno's hlavn� n�dra�� (central railway station). The composer's house is closed at the moment for essential renovation work. Other points of interest are the two surviving theatres, though the Stalinist Jan�čkovo divaldo, which is now the main opera house (and the city's and country's largest), is only of interest for the statue outside. The old 'German' theatre is well worth a look. It is built in the same heavy Italian Renaissance style as many other central European opera houses, Prague's Narodn� divaldo and Vienna's Staatsoper. Brno's theatre was, however, the first to have electric lighting.

The main Moravian Museum itself is rather a muted affair, and only worth a wander if you have a particular interest in the pre-history of Moravia. Otherwise things to see include to outside of the composer's little house (closed until 2004), the Organ School he founded, the Besedn� dům and the Cathedral. More time also affords a look at the Augustinian monastery where the composer grew up.

The city is also full of record and book shops. You can find various ones on Masarykova (which is the street at right angles to the train station), which continues after the n�mĕst� svobody (main square) as Česk�. Barvič a Novotn� on Česk� has an excellent music department on the second floor, with an antikvari�t (second hand) section full of opera scores. There are CDs here, as well as in V�gner, a department store just over the road. However just before you get to the main square on the right there is a bookshop on the right hand side of the road called Academia which has many books on Czech composers. There are the usual proliferation of Supraphon recordings, but also some titles which are unavailable outside the Czech Republic.

Trips to Jan�ček's Moravia are organised by the Martin Randall Travel Agency (0208 742 3355) and Andante Travels (01722 713800) offer escorted cultural tours of the Czech Republic. It is just as easy, however, to organise a trip yourself, though all holidays have to be taken via Prague or via Vienna which pushes up the cost. Go airlines fly to Prague, though their fares are not much cheaper than the cost of flying into Vienna with either British Airways or Austrian Airlines. Travellers from outside Europe would also find going via Austria a much simpler option.

Visiting Outside Brno

Outside Brno, where Jan�ček spent most of his life, are the towns and villages mentioned above. Other than driving to many of the destinations, the comprehensive Czech railway system is a more than viable mode of transport.

Hukvaldy is the most hard of access of all the destinations outside Brno. The village is 6km east of Př�bor (where, incidentally, as well as being the nearest train station, is where Sigmund Freud was born). Places to stay can be found via the information centre in Hukvaldy as well as by clicking here. Alternatively you can stay in the local city of Ostrava (itself not hugely inspiring). From there you can also visit Southern Poland. In Hukvaldy you can buy a guide book which indicates where the composer's family and friends lived and several walks you can take through the landscape.

Luhačovice, although not nearly as grand as Mari�nsk� L�znĕ (Marienbad) in Bohemia, was the composer's favourite spa, and where he met Kamila St�sslova. The spa town has both a train and bus station, and it is much easier to find accommodation here than in Hukvaldy. There is an annual Jan�ček festival in the town.

As ever, the internet is important and the following links may also be useful:

Visit Central Europe

The Czech Centre London

Czech Center New York

Czech Railways

Many of the places mentioned above appear in Jan�ček's correspondence, and many were, of course, places of influence, and, in the case of Brno and Prague, the cities where his operas were performed.