In southern Moravia, near the Austrian border, you will find a fairy-tale landscape. It features many ponds and a lazily flowing river, a landscape strewn with centuries-old trees, several castles and hunting lodges. The landscape, which with an area of about 300 km2 is one of the largest landscapes in the world, lies between the towns of Lednice, Valtice and Břeclav. And this year, it is exactly 25 years since this landscape, which is called the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What you can find in the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape
The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape in southern Moravia, just a short drive from Brno, consists of a vast park and the many monuments built there by the aristocratic Liechtenstein family. In addition to the castles in Lednice and Valtice, you will find a number of small buildings in the landscaped area. One of them is the 23-metre-high Obelisk, reminiscent of the peace deal between France and Austria signed in 1798, as well as John’s Castle (Janův hrad), the Minaret and the Hunting Lodge, which previously served as a gamekeeper’s lodge. The shores of the Lednice ponds are then decorated with several interesting buildings including the Apollo Temple, Pond House, Border House and Nový Dvůr. About halfway between Lednice and Valtice, you will meet the Chapel of St. Hubert, which is dedicated to this patron saint of hunters. Near Valtice, you can admire the Temple of the Three Graces with the famous statue of three women, the Belvedere, Lány Castle, the Rajsna Colonnade and Rendez-vous. As you can see, this area isn’t lacking in impressive structures.
Landscape concept and inscription into UNESCO
With its historic buildings, garden architecture, ponds and a network of cycling trails, the Lednice-Valtice Area is considered to be the largest man-made area in Europe. The history of the area dates back to the 12th century, when the Seefeld family laid the foundations of the castle around which Valtice was built. The beginnings of Chateau Lednice date back to around 1220, but the current neo-Gothic appearance dates back to the 19th century. The royal family of Liechtenstein began conceptually building the landscape during the 18th century and continued with this effort throughout the 19th century. The whole area is conceived as an English landscape garden, which not only served as the resting place for the royal family, but was also designed as a landscape intricately linked to nature. In the 1990s, the landscape components were evaluated as having such a high value that they deserved more than just the highest degree of protection at the level of the Czech Republic, and in 1995 it was thereby declared a Landscape Monument Zone at the international level. Therefore, on 7 December 1996, the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage List.
How to make the most of your visit
The whole area is so extensive that pedestrians enjoy only one of its parts per visit. Therefore, it is best to mount a bike and use the dense network of cycling trails that run through the entire area. This is the only way you can manage visiting all the sights within a few short days and enjoy unforgettable views of the region. The cycling trails are grouped into the so-called Liechtenstein Trails, of which there are six in total. You can take the Royal Trail, for instance, which is the backbone connection between Moravian and Austrian monuments and follow in the footsteps of a powerful royal family, or you can choose the Břeclav Trail, which is suitable for the youngest of cyclists in terms of profile and length. The trails are clearly marked and you have many opportunities to buy some refreshments or just stop and take in the wonderful, slightly undulating landscape along the way.
Lednice-Valtice music festival 2021
This year, however, it is not just castle tours, parks and cycling that await visitors in South Moravia. In autumn, the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape will resound with classical music! This year's 6th Lednice-Valtice Music Festival will be the largest European showcase of the work of Antonio Vivaldi that has taken place in recent decades. Vivaldi's work will be presented by top ensembles from Italy, France, Spain and the Czech Republic, thus recalling the 280 years that have passed since his death. This autumn festival of music will take place from 2-16 October 2021. The festival connects the world of classical music with the unique architecture and landscape of the Lednice-Valtice Area in a beautiful, one-of-a-kind way. You have much to look forward to this year! In addition, the organisers have prepared a festival prologue for 23 September 2021 in the Liechtenstein Garden Palace in Vienna, which will make its exceptionally valuable art collections accessible to concert goers.
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