I left Czechoslovakia at 3.5 years old, and remembered almost nothing. But my mother thought her homeland was the most beautiful country anywhere. So tours back home as an adult were very impressive, starting with Lednice.
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Lednice traced its Czech history back to a 1222 document of Bishop Robert when it was a Gothic fort. The Gothic fortress stood above the town of Dyjí which guarded the river crossing and the trade route. Later Lednice manor became the property of the noble Lichtenstein family from Styria in SE Austria; it stayed in their ownership for until 1945, when Lednice castle became a state property. In the SE corner of the Czech Republic, it is visited by c400,000 guests annually. Later the Liechtensteins also built Valtice Chateau, 8 ks away on a fine road. The two chateaus area is a very large landscape c300+ square ks.
During the C16th, Lednice became a Renaissance chateau. Karel Liechtenstein served as the representative leader of Moravia in the early C17th and was given the title of Prince. When the Czech Protestant nobility rebelled against the Catholic Habsburgs, the Liechtensteins supported the monarchy, so they were not punished when the Protestants lost. The family became very wealthy via planned marriages and the careful purchase of confiscated property after the Battle of Bílá Hora 1620, becoming the richest noble clan in all of Moravia.
The family demolished the original medieval water fortress and ordered a rebuilt Renaissance castle in its place, which was later modified in the Baroque style, and a large park. The current neo-Gothic design was from 1846–58, designed by court architect Jiří Wingelmüller and used as the Liechtensteins’ summer residence.
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The castle’s most fascinating part is the spindle-shaped staircase. It came from a single oak tree, commissioned by Liechtenstein’s Prince Alois II, a fan of English Gothic, and was created by the Viennese firm of Karl Leister during the castle’s neo-Gothic reconstruction, 1851. The carved details of the spiral stairs have plant and animal motifs, based on Burgundian and English Gothic. The staircase goes up to the castle library where the wood panelling is very special, accompanied by dark blue wallpaper. Even the woodwork on the door is exquisite.
The Chinese Lounge is a delight, with royal blue furnishings and a Chinese lantern. Its walls are covered with early C18th hand-painted wallpaper made from Chinese paper, showing an idyllic landscape with bright figures. The Red Smoking Lounge has wine-red wallpaper and lavish furnishings, including stunning chandeliers. The Family Hall displays simple elegance, including a fine porcelain collection. See the elegant desk in Princess Frances’ Bedroom and great Neo-Gothic chairs with complex back patterns. The Turquoise Hall, named for its turquoise wallpaper, features carved wood décor as well as a superb chandelier. The Liechtensteiners loved to travel, to Italy, France and Africa, as seen in the objects they brought back. Because the family removed many furnishings in WW2, most of the original interior décor was salvaged.
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Around the castle and in the Chateau Park, the family commissioned many romantic buildings that fitted into the landscape, including Temple of Three Graces, Temple of Apollo, a romantic 1817 chateau; Reistna and Chapel of St Hubert. The 92 ms long, cast-iron greenhouse with arched roof was progressive when it was built in the mid C19th and still tourable. Valtice’s chapel is a fine example of Central European Baroque design.
Another park highlight is a Moorish-style Minaret (1797-1804), designed by Josef Hardtmuth and decorated with Arabic inscriptions. It includes lower arcades, 8 oriental rooms on the upper floor, and a 3-storey tower and gallery serving as a site for the Liechtensteiner collections from their travels. A helmet and half-moon crown the breathtaking structure, the ?oldest preserved observation tower in the Czech Republic. Steps lead up 3 storeys, making it possible to look right round from the Minaret top, enjoying the beauty of the park and lakes with remote islets.
Sailing through the Lednice estate was noted with the discovery of gondola drawings on which the Liechtensteiners once sailed on the Dyja River. After the modernising of the channel, the first ships could sail. A modern company has now continued the gondola legacy of the Liechtensteiners. Travel the Dyja River on 2 routes: one from the Moorish Waterworks to the Minaret (25 mins) and one from the Minaret to Jan Castle (40 mins). Jan’s Castle is a romantic castle whose artificial ruins were created in the early C19th to Josef Hardtmuth’s plans.
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Lednice was recognised in 1996 by UNESCO on its World Cultural and National Heritage List. The basic tour goes around the Representative rooms while further options are the Private Princely apartments, Children's room & Museum of marionettes. All tours offer visitors a great experience.
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Lednice, in English Tudor neo-Gothic style
During the C16th, Lednice became a Renaissance chateau. Karel Liechtenstein served as the representative leader of Moravia in the early C17th and was given the title of Prince. When the Czech Protestant nobility rebelled against the Catholic Habsburgs, the Liechtensteins supported the monarchy, so they were not punished when the Protestants lost. The family became very wealthy via planned marriages and the careful purchase of confiscated property after the Battle of Bílá Hora 1620, becoming the richest noble clan in all of Moravia.
The family demolished the original medieval water fortress and ordered a rebuilt Renaissance castle in its place, which was later modified in the Baroque style, and a large park. The current neo-Gothic design was from 1846–58, designed by court architect Jiří Wingelmüller and used as the Liechtensteins’ summer residence.
Spindle shaped staircase, leading from the library
built in 1840s. Facebook
Library
Histouring
The Chinese Lounge is a delight, with royal blue furnishings and a Chinese lantern. Its walls are covered with early C18th hand-painted wallpaper made from Chinese paper, showing an idyllic landscape with bright figures. The Red Smoking Lounge has wine-red wallpaper and lavish furnishings, including stunning chandeliers. The Family Hall displays simple elegance, including a fine porcelain collection. See the elegant desk in Princess Frances’ Bedroom and great Neo-Gothic chairs with complex back patterns. The Turquoise Hall, named for its turquoise wallpaper, features carved wood décor as well as a superb chandelier. The Liechtensteiners loved to travel, to Italy, France and Africa, as seen in the objects they brought back. Because the family removed many furnishings in WW2, most of the original interior décor was salvaged.
Turquoise Hall with wallpaper and carved wooden decor
Blue Room
Histouring
Another park highlight is a Moorish-style Minaret (1797-1804), designed by Josef Hardtmuth and decorated with Arabic inscriptions. It includes lower arcades, 8 oriental rooms on the upper floor, and a 3-storey tower and gallery serving as a site for the Liechtensteiner collections from their travels. A helmet and half-moon crown the breathtaking structure, the ?oldest preserved observation tower in the Czech Republic. Steps lead up 3 storeys, making it possible to look right round from the Minaret top, enjoying the beauty of the park and lakes with remote islets.
Sailing through the Lednice estate was noted with the discovery of gondola drawings on which the Liechtensteiners once sailed on the Dyja River. After the modernising of the channel, the first ships could sail. A modern company has now continued the gondola legacy of the Liechtensteiners. Travel the Dyja River on 2 routes: one from the Moorish Waterworks to the Minaret (25 mins) and one from the Minaret to Jan Castle (40 mins). Jan’s Castle is a romantic castle whose artificial ruins were created in the early C19th to Josef Hardtmuth’s plans.
Greenhouse and gardens
Minaret across the park and lake
Visit World Heritage
Lednice was recognised in 1996 by UNESCO on its World Cultural and National Heritage List. The basic tour goes around the Representative rooms while further options are the Private Princely apartments, Children's room & Museum of marionettes. All tours offer visitors a great experience.
Czech Republic map
with Lednice on the southern border near Austria
CZ Euro Tour
By Czech born Joseph