Life in the other Czech capital

Brno, south Moravia

When Mark Tredway met his future wife, Andrea, in his native Johannesburg, he had no idea their courtship would lead him not only to the Czech Republic, but also to one of its arguably underrated municipalities in the shadow of Prague.

As a South African, Tredway, 30, says he also couldn't have imagined that one day he'd become a permanent Brno resident and establish his own Czech-based advertising firm there. After a brief detour through the capital, he looks back on his December 2007 decision to relocate to Brno fondly as one that has since shaped his life as an expatriate.

"It seemed Brno held a lot more opportunity for me as an expat. … The costs were lower, the environment was friendly, and there was a greater level of acceptance than I could experience during our time in Prague," he said. "Though Brno doesn't have quite the same level of antiquity that Prague does, it gives you more chances to think outside the box."  

Tredway is just one of a growing number of expats opting to forgo Prague in favor of settling in the country's second-largest city.

While Brno, the capital of Moravia, is not known as one of Central Europe's more beautiful cities or an especially popular haven for foreigners, authorities say the number of English-speaking immigrants is growing by leaps and bounds, generally attracting an older, more family-oriented crowd than the capital, with many drawn by the lower cost of living.

In November of last year, that expanding community inspired the launch of a new Web site, the Brno Expats Forum (Brnoexpats.com), which includes classified advertisements, information on local businesses and a discussion board.

After hosting a series of social networking events that will continue in the coming months, founders say it's been a smashing success so far.

"Up until now, I don't think people realized there were really as many expats in Brno as there are," said Web site co-founder and UK native Joe Atkinson, 50.

City Hall estimates the city's legion of English-speaking residents to be hovering around 10,000 and counting, he said. "It also seems to be very diverse. … There are technology experts, English teachers and a few self-employed entrepreneurs."

Unlike Prague - where many recent arrivals from the United States or the United Kingdom say they find themselves trapped in a huddle of fellow immigrants - Brno's English-speaking population remains small by comparison. As a result, many believe they are getting a much more authentically Czech experience than if they were based in the capital.

"Prague is certainly a lovely place, but, for me, it's a great place to visit over the weekend," said Web site co-founder Gary Vasey, 49, another UK native who worked in Houston for 15 years. "I think you often lose the legitimate day-to-day lifestyle of a Czech town [living in Prague]. When you come to a place like Brno, you're forced to mingle with the real natives, who all have their own traditions and culture."

'Another planet'

While some expats, like Tredway, have established permanent Czech residency and plan to base themselves in Brno indefinitely, others - like London native Pippa Ovey, who arrived in the city in July 2008 with her husband, Dick, a British Army general, and their 2-year-old son, Richard - see it as a transitional phase and expect to stay for a maximum of two years.

Ovey, 42, says setting a specific time frame has made her appreciate the experience of living in Brno even more. "We don't feel the same pressure or stresses that we did when we lived in England," she said. "From a familial standpoint, it's been just wonderful. Eating out is reasonable, and it's brilliantly placed in terms of travel."

While many of their Prague-based counterparts continue to grapple with the Czech language to varying degrees of success, most Brno-based expats say they've benefited linguistically as well, which has been advantageous as well as somewhat isolating.

"For the first few years I was living here, there were maybe only two or three English-speaking people in my immediate vicinity," said Ian Parke, 57, who has lived in Oslavany, a village outside of Brno, with his girlfriend, Radka, for nearly eight years and works in town as a squash coach. "You really need to have some command of Czech in order to get by. When you meet English speakers, it's typically by coincidence."    

Most Brno expats also agree that, while salaries are considerably lower on average than in Prague, the city - driven largely by technology companies like IBM and Honeywell as well as education, with its university city reputation - has yet to truly feel the effects of the global economic crisis.

"In terms of the economy, it's almost as if we live on another planet," Vasey said. "The malls and pubs are always consistently busy. It's as if the crisis has passed us by in many ways."  

Curtis Wong can be reached at
cwong@praguepost.com