Lednice is a village in South Moravia, it contains a palace and the largest park in the country, which covers 200 km2.The first historical record of this locality dates from 1222. At that time there stood a Gothic fort with courtyard, which was lent by Czech King Václav I to Austrian nobleman Sigfried Sirotek in 1249.
The chateau began its life as a Reaissance villa in the 17th century it become a summer residence of the ruling Princes of Liechtenstein. In 1846-58 it was extensively rebuilt in a Neo-Gothic style. Aristocracy used this fairy-taleisch building just as a cottage. They came here in early spring, but for winter they returned to central site in Valtice. The Lichtensteins were proud of their numerous art collections and they displayed their trophies from Africa and Asia. The surrounding park is laid out in an English garden style and contains a range of Romantic follies by Joseph Hardt-muth, including the artifical ruins of a medieval castle on the bank of the Thaya / Dyje River (1801) and a solitary sixty-metre minaret.
Lednice –Valtice Cultural landscape ( 60km from Brno) part of this landscape is the largest preserved Riparian forest in Europe and a great number of various mansions and castles, forest temples, colonnades and schulptures.
More information: www.lednice.cz/en; www.czechtourism.com
