Biskupský dvůr, Museum complex in Brno-střed, Brno, Czech Republic

Biskupský dvůr is a complex of several buildings around a park-like courtyard beneath the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Brno. The oldest Gothic part has partially exposed brickwork, narrow pointed and rectangular windows, and a square tower whose second floor holds a chapel with frescoes of saints' lives. A Renaissance arcade and a one-storey arcaded loggia were built into the complex.

The provostry is documented as early as 1352, when the Gothic building belonged to the Brno chapter. In 1588 Olomouc bishop Stanislav II Pavlovský bought it and had Antonio Gabri rebuild it; Cardinal František z Ditrichštejna completed the work after 1600. The Museum Francisceum, forerunner of the Moravian Museum, moved in in 1818, a year after its founding.

The name comes from Olomouc Bishop Stanislav II Pavlovský, who bought the Gothic provost's residence in 1588 and had it rebuilt. The courtyard was resurfaced in 2009 and is now used for public gatherings, including theatre performances. Look for the pavlovnia trees, which grow at only a few other places in Brno.

The complex stands at Muzejní 1, just below the Cathedral of St Peter and Paul, and its courtyard was fully repaved in 2009, so the grounds now host theatre performances and large gatherings. Several Moravian Museum departments and exhibitions occupy the buildings, including the freshwater fish aquarium and the mushroom advisory service.

In the courtyard grow several specimens of the princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa), a fast-growing tree that survives in Brno at only a few other sites, such as the paradise courtyard of the neighbouring Capuchin monastery. The Mercury Fountain group by Ignác Bendl, moved here in 1858 from náměstí Svobody, stands in the upper part of the courtyard.