Quiet living in Brno
Street noise is the most common reason people move out of a flat. Where Brno is quietest, how to read noise in the data and what the ground's radon index says.
How we measure noise
We use Brno's strategic noise map, which shows traffic noise as the all-day level Lden. For each address we look at the loudest point at the building, usually the street façade, and check whether Lden is 60 dB or more there. For a neighbourhood we show what share of its addresses that is. Lden counts evening and night noise more strictly, so it comes out higher than daytime noise and more addresses count as noisy than daytime noise alone would show.
The quietest neighbourhoods
The fewest noisy addresses are in Bystrc (19 %), Medlánky (24 %) and Žebětín (25 %). These tend to be neighbourhoods on the edge of the city, away from through roads.
The quietest neighbourhoods of Brno
- 19 % noisy addresses Bystrc Brno-Bystrc
- 24 % noisy addresses Medlánky Brno-Medlánky
- 25 % noisy addresses Žebětín Brno-Žebětín
- 27 % noisy addresses Soběšice Brno-sever
- 29 % noisy addresses Jundrov Brno-Jundrov
- 30 % noisy addresses Kohoutovice Brno-Kohoutovice
- 33 % noisy addresses Pisárky Brno-střed
- 36 % noisy addresses Bosonohy Brno-Bosonohy
- 38 % noisy addresses Nový Lískovec Brno-Nový Lískovec
- 39 % noisy addresses Komín Brno-Komín
The noisiest neighbourhoods
The most noisy addresses are in the dense neighbourhoods around the centre and those by the D1 motorway and the main exit roads, where trams and busy roads run right between the buildings. A quiet flat can still be found there, you just have to look harder, ideally with windows onto the courtyard.
Brno’s noisiest neighbourhoods
- 90 % noisy addresses Trnitá Brno-střed
- 89 % noisy addresses Brno-město Brno-střed
- 89 % noisy addresses Starý Lískovec Brno-Starý Lískovec
- 83 % noisy addresses Horní Heršpice Brno-jih
- 82 % noisy addresses Zábrdovice Brno-střed
How to spot a quiet flat
- Windows onto the courtyard are the best protection. A bedroom facing a street with trams is bearable only with good windows.
- Come when the traffic runs. A viewing on a Saturday morning tells you nothing about the noise on a weekday.
- Trams vs cars. A tram line is heard mainly when trams brake, on bends and at switches.
- Airport and railways. The noise map we use shows road traffic; for a flat near a railway line or around the airport in Tuřany, ask the neighbours.
Radon in the ground
Radon is a natural radioactive gas from the ground that you can neither see nor smell. It gets into a building through gaps in the floor and stays mainly in the cellar and on the ground floor. The Czech Geological Survey maps the ground's radon index in three levels. Of Brno's addresses, 56 % stand on ground with a low index and 44 % on a medium one.
The highest share of addresses with a low index is in Brněnské Ivanovice (100 %), Chrlice (100 %) and Dolní Heršpice (100 %). For a flat on a higher floor, radon from the ground is more of a rough guide. For a family house or a ground-floor flat on a medium index, a long-term measurement makes sense; the National Radiation Protection Institute offers one.
The exact address decides
A neighbourhood is an average. A flat in a side street and a flat on a four-lane road can sound completely different in the same neighbourhood. Before you sign, check the flat's own address: we show the noise at the building, the ground's radon index, air quality, parks and the catchment school.
Frequently asked questions
Which neighbourhood in Brno is the quietest?
By the noise map, the smallest share of addresses with all-day traffic noise over 60 dB is in Bystrc (19 %), Medlánky (24 %) and Žebětín (25 %).
What does Lden noise mean?
Lden is the average noise level over the whole day, with evening noise counted 5 dB and night noise 10 dB stricter, because it disturbs more. That is why it comes out higher than daytime noise alone, and the figures cannot be compared directly with the daytime health limits.
Is there radon in Brno?
By the Czech Geological Survey's map, 56 % of Brno's addresses stand on ground with a low radon index and 44 % on a medium one.
Is a flat facing the courtyard quieter?
Yes, often much quieter. The noise map shows the noise at the loudest façade of the building, which usually faces the street. Windows onto a courtyard or garden can be tens of decibels quieter.