The former town brewery originally occupied a complex of five buildings that formed the western tip of the block called Velký špalíček. The brewery, with the main part located at no. 20 Starobrněnská Street, was originally accessible from Dominikánská Street and was accessed by the gate of the courtyard from the present Šilingrova náměstí (Šilinger Square).
During the reconstruction of the brewery in 1775, another three buildings were gradually connected to it on Starobrněnská Street, where a municipal pub was also established. The brewery employees were accommodated on the upper floors of the building. The brewmaster František Ondřej Poupě, the author of the first textbook on the education of Czech brewers and brewing, also lived here.
The city brewery at the Brno Gate was the largest in Brno in the 16th century and contributed a great deal to the municipal coffers. This was also reflected in the size and extent of the multi-storeyed basement.
Directly below no. 20 is a square, early Renaissance cellar with four cross vaults converging on a central sandstone pillar. From the square cellar, staircases lead into other rooms under the street. From these, it is possible to enter a long corridor through the staircase that connects to the entrances of the cellars on the opposite street.
This baroque cellar, 24 metres long and 5.5 metres wide, with a brick barrel vault almost 4 metres high, was connected in the past with four buildings surrounding the square. In times of peace, this cellar probably served the needs of the city brewery. However, part of the space under the square was damaged during construction work, when a cement silo broke the original vault and dropped to a depth of ten metres.