Old Town Hall Brno (Stará radnice): Tower, Dragon and Visitor Basics
Brno's Old Town Hall (Stará radnice) is a 30–60 minute stop in the center of Brno, and the passageway with the Brno Dragon and cart wheel costs nothing to walk through. Budget longer if you climb the 63-meter lookout tower or add the exhibitions on the first floor. This guide covers what sits where on Radnická, what the tower ticket includes, when the building opens by month, and which sights are within a few minutes' walk.
What the Old Town Hall is and why it earns 30–60 minutes
The Old Town Hall is the oldest secular building in the modern city, dating to the 13th century, and the municipal council worked here until 1935 before moving to the New Town Hall on Dominican Square. On 1 July 2024 it became a National Cultural Monument. Today it functions as a cultural venue with a tourist information center, exhibition spaces, Renaissance halls, a courtyard used for concerts and theater, and a lookout tower.
The honest split is between the free and the ticketed. The ground-floor passageway, where the dragon and wheel hang, and the Renaissance arcaded courtyard are open to anyone walking in off Radnická. The tower and the Master Mason Anton Pilgram exhibition sit behind one ticket, and the Quiet Heroism exhibition is a separate purchase. Decide which of those you want before you reach the tower door, because tickets are sold only there.
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Where it sits: Radnická 8, steps from Zelný trh
The building occupies Radnická 8 in the historic core, with the Memory of Nations Institute and the Quiet Heroism entrance at Radnická 10. Zelný trh, the vegetable market square, is immediately beside it, and the nearest public transport stop carries the same name, Zelný trh. From Freedom Square the walk is short and flat, which makes the town hall an easy first or last stop on a circuit of the center.
Treat Radnická as a lane rather than a destination street: you approach from the market side, pass under the Gothic portal, and are already inside. That layout rewards a short, deliberate visit rather than a planned half-day.
The passageway and courtyard: dragon, wheel and the crooked pinnacle
Three of Brno's enduring legends are gathered at the entrance: the Brno Dragon, the cart wheel, and the leaning pinnacle above the Gothic portal. The dragon is in fact a crocodile, which the people of Brno took for a fairy-tale beast, and the tilting middle turret is traditionally credited to the builder Anton Pilgram as a jab at the council that refused to pay him.
Look also at the carved stone head on the rear wall, which legend ties to a councilman said to have plotted to admit Hussite troops into Brno in July 1424 and was walled up as a warning. The courtyard behind, with its late 16th-century Renaissance arcade built by Italian craftsmen, is free to enter and is the quietest part of the complex.
The lookout tower: 173 steps and a 63-meter view
The tower rises 63 meters and the climb is 173 steps, rewarded with views over the historic center in every direction. There is no guide: you go up on your own, and the last entrance is 30 minutes before closing, so a late-afternoon arrival can be turned away at the stair. The 63-meter tower with its Renaissance roofs is the single best reason to buy the ticket.
Inside: Crystal Hall, Fresco Hall and the Treasury
On the first floor the same ticket opens a self-guided walk through the Crystal Hall, the Fresco Hall and the Treasury, the historic rooms that once served the council. The route is unguided by default, so the visit moves at your pace and rewards a few minutes reading before you start. Guided tours of the building are booked separately through TIC Brno, the operator of the town hall, rather than included with the tower ticket.
The Master Mason Anton Pilgram exhibition on the same floor covers the builder, sculptor and stonemason behind the town hall's Gothic portal, and it is included with tower admission. Pair it with the rooms rather than treating it as a separate stop; together they fill the middle of an hour.
The Quiet Heroism exhibition at Radnická 10
Quiet Heroism, run by the Memory of Nations Institute, guides visitors through the 20th century in the words of eyewitnesses; you enter through the Café paměti národa at Radnická 10. It is ticketed separately from the tower. A combined 'Digital history' ticket covers Quiet Heroism here and the Fiery Horse and Dragon exhibition at the New Town Hall: standard 290 CZK, reduced 190 CZK and family 750 CZK, with the Quiet Heroism portion valid for a chosen time and date and the New Town Hall portion valid for one month.
The fixed time slot is the practical constraint: book it around your tower climb rather than the other way round, since the tower admits visitors continuously within opening hours.
Tickets in CZK: tower, exhibitions and discounts
The tower and the Anton Pilgram exhibition share one ticket: adults 90 CZK, children up to 15, students, seniors and visitors with a registered disability plus a necessary assistant 50 CZK, and a family rate of 200 CZK for up to two children. Children up to 6 and holders of the BRNOPAS tourist card enter free, and Family Pass and Senior Pass holders get 10 percent off. Tickets are sold only at the entrance to the lookout tower, in cash or by card.
Budget the separate Quiet Heroism ticket on top if 20th-century history is your reason for coming; otherwise the 90 CZK tower ticket is the whole cost of the visit.
Opening hours by season and last entrance
The tower and the Pilgram exhibition keep a month-by-month schedule. January to March they open Friday to Sunday only, 10:00–18:00; April daily 10:00–18:00; May daily 10:00–20:00; June to September daily 10:00–22:00; October daily 10:00–21:00. November runs Sunday to Thursday 12:00–19:00 and Friday to Saturday 12:00–21:00, while December splits further: Monday to Thursday 14:00–20:00, Friday 12:00–22:00, Saturday 10:00–22:00 and Sunday 10:00–20:00.
The tourist information center on the ground floor keeps its own hours, daily 9:00–18:00, and is the place to ask about the building if you arrive outside the tower schedule. A winter visit on a weekday can therefore mean a passageway and courtyard visit only, which is still free.
Nearby: Zelný trh, Dominican Square and the cathedral
Zelný trh, the vegetable market that gives the stop its name, sits directly alongside the town hall, and Dominican Square with the New Town Hall is a short walk away. The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul on Petrov hill is close enough to combine with a tower climb, and Masarykova Street leads back toward the main shopping axis of the center.
For a companion stop of the same scale, the Brno Ossuary at Kostnice u sv. Jakuba is a short walk through the center and pairs naturally with a market-and-town-hall morning. Bigger draws such as Špilberk Castle sit on the hill above and need their own slot.
If you are planning Brno in depth, functionalist architecture is the other anchor of the city: Villa Tugendhat in Brno is the standout and requires timed tickets booked ahead.
Free passageway or tower ticket?
If you have 20 minutes, walk the passageway and courtyard, see the dragon, the wheel and the leaning pinnacle, and move on to the market. If you have an hour, buy the 90 CZK tower ticket at the tower door, climb the 173 steps, and add the Pilgram exhibition and historic halls on the way down. Only add Quiet Heroism if a fixed time slot fits your day.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a crocodile in Brno?
The creature hung in the Old Town Hall passageway is a crocodile that the people of Brno took for a fairy-tale dragon, which is how the Brno Dragon legend formed. You can see it, along with the cart wheel and the crooked pinnacle, without buying a ticket.
Do I need to book the Old Town Hall tower in advance?
No advance purchase is needed for the tower: tickets are sold only at the entrance to the lookout tower, in cash or by card. Guided tours of the building are booked separately through Go To Brno.