Today, only a handful people know that Brno’s Orlí [“Eagle”] Street has carried its name since the 19th century. The whole street was named after a famous inn, housed in number 7. The symbol of the inn, the eagle, returned to the street last Friday. Photo: @BrnoDaily
Brno, Jun 18 (BD) – Emperor Josef II (1741-1790), the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa, allegedly enjoyed this very inn on his trips to Brno. As a sign of satisfaction, the emperor gave the inn his permission to display, besides the house sign, his coat of arms. This coat of arms featuring an eagle was designed by Ondřej Schweigland and it was placed above the entrance to the inn.
In the last decade of the 19th century, under the so-called Brněnská asanace [“Brno decontamination”], new streets were created (today’s Rašínova and Květinářská streets) and numerous old buildings were torn down (238 houses were pulled down). The old inn was one of them while the eagle was still marking the spot. (The eagle was placed on the new house, see the picture below.)
Photo: Orlí Street. Credit: MČ Brno-střed.
However, in 1918 independent Czechoslovakia was created came and the symbols of the old monarchy had to disappear.
Consequently, the eagle was moved to the backyard where it stayed until this year. After one hundred years, however, this symbol, which gave the name of the whole street, returns to the front of the house as an important symbol of Brno’s cultural memory.
It was revealed on Friday, June 15, at 12:30 at Orlí Street number 7.
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