Take a walk through the Garden of Europe in the Lednice-Valtice Complex!
There are not many places in the world which have received such care as the elegant area around the spectacular Lednice and Valtice chateaux. An absolutely unique park has been created here over the centuries, full of rare tree species, romantic little buildings, fishponds and beautiful little corners. The Lednice-Valtice Complex, which has been included in the UNESCO list, is known as the Garden of Europe to this very day.
The huge plots of land on both sides of the current national border between Moravia and Austria were cultivated by generations of Lichtensteins for the whole of their reign lasting 600 years. One of the most powerful families in Europe of that time, they created an elegant French garden and beautiful English park here in an absolutely ostentatious manner. They had romantic little buildings of many styles set into it as an example of the true life of luxury lived by the wealthy aristocracy at that time.
The perfect combination of architecture, nature and superb wine
Chateau Lednice gained its ostentatious neo-Gothic appearance thanks to conversion in the middle of the 19th century. At that time, it was used for summer meetings of the European aristocracy. The other chateau – Valtice – was the spectacular residence of the Austrian and Moravian Lords of Lichtenstein. It is known not only for its beauty, but also the long tradition of winemaking. Grape vines were brought here by the Roman legion of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who regarded the area of Pálava as suitable for cultivation of wine. You can thus enjoy not only a unique cultural experience, but also a glass of superb Moravian wine in the Wine Salon here.
Off to find a minaret? Off to find a minaret!
The park here, surrounding both chateaux, is one of the most luxurious landscapes in Europe. You can admire the landscaped countryside here with its many fishponds covered with water lilies, green forests, meadows full of flowers and rare tree species. To please and surprise the guests, Viennese architects incorporated many small romantic buildings into the landscape, which lend the place a unique character. You can thus climb to the top of a minaret that is 60 m high, which offers an unforgettable view over the whole complex, have a pleasant picnic by the “Rendez-vous” hunting chateau or take a trip on a boat right up to the ruins of “John’s Castle”. If you enjoy cycling, you can take a leisurely trip through the chateau park here by bike.
Where else to set out for?
Not far from the Lednice-Valtice Complex is the royal town of Mikulov, which is dominated by a chateau set on a rocky cliff and is inherently linked to high quality Moravian wine. You can also spice up your stay with a trip to the Moravian capital Brno, where you must not fail to visit Villa Tugendhat – the only Czech monument to modern architecture to be included in the UNESCO list.