Leoš Janáček MemorialSmetanova 14, Brno

When the organ school moved to its new headquarters in the Chleborád Villa in 1907, Janáček as director had a relatively long distance to walk from his home in Old Brno to the school. He didn’t ride the electric railway because it was German. The Union for the Improvement of Church Music in Moravia, as the founder of the school, therefore decided to build a small house for the director in the school garden in place of the wooden stable.

The house was designed and built by Alois Horák. Janáček, his wife Zdenka and housekeeper Maria Stejskalová moved into the house in 1910 and spent the last eighteen years of his life there. The new house, comfortable for its time, became the setting for all of Janáček’s masterpieces – the operas The Excursions of Mr Brouček, Katya Kabanova, The Cunning Little Vixen, The Makropulos Affair and From the House of the Dead, the orchestral works Taras Bulba and Sinfonietta and the cantata Glagolitic Mass. Today it houses the Leoš Janáček Memorial, part of the Moravian Museum, with a well-preserved original study including Janáček’s piano, which the master received as a wedding present and composed all his works on.

The exhibition The Life and Work of Leoš Janáček is located at the former organ school, in the garden house where Leoš Janáček lived from 1910 to 1928. It includes Janáček’s original study with a piano, and in another part of the house there is a modern exhibition that provides basic textual and pictorial information about the composer’s life and reminds us of his most famous works. There is also an opportunity to listen to music samples and watch video documentaries. The Leoš Janáček Archive is listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Opening hours:

Wednesday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Transport

Address: Smetanova 14, 602 00 Brno

Public transport

The Leoš Janáček Memorial is located in the city centre, where public transport is well provided, so you can easily reach the building from all parts of Brno. A basic ticket costs CZK 20 for a 15-minute ride and can be bought at yellow vending machines at bus stops, via text message or by placing a payment card to a terminal directly in public transport vehicles. The building is located about 15 minutes walk from the Náměstí Svobody square.

Stops:

Smetanova (1 min. walk), buses 32, 34, 36
Grohova (4 min. walk), trams 3, 10, 12
Antonínská (7 min. walk), trams 1, 6

Public transport timetables

Parking

The Leoš Janáček Memorial is located in the city parking zone B, which means that on weekends parking is FREE and on weekdays parking fee is 30 CZK / 60 min with the possibility of pre-payment. FREE parking is only available once per calendar day and you must register in the zone (except on weekends and public holidays). You can use a mobile app to pay. Find more information on parking in Brno and the app to download here. You can also book parking in advance at the nearby Continental Hotel or use the paid parking at the Albert shopping centre at Veveří 40.

Information for the disabled

Wheelchair access

The Leoš Janáček Memorial can be made wheelchair accessible with assistance. For more information, please contact the Moravian Museum at the following address: mzm@mzm.cz or by phone: +420 515 919 808. Toilet is wheelchair accessible.