Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Czech Republic.

This area is known for its beautiful gardens, palaces, and other architectural wonders. It's a popular tourist destination and for good reason!

Spreading over a huge area, the complex comprises multiple municipalities of South Moravia, such as Valtice, Hlohovec, the rural area of Břeclav, and Lednice. Designed and built by a single family, the complex uses a mixture of Neo-Gothic, Neoclassical, and Baroque architecture in a unique way. As a result, it received recognition as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the last 1996.

If you're looking for an interesting and beautiful place to visit, be sure to check out Lednice-Valtice. Also, read this article and learn everything that you need to know about the site before visiting it, including its geographic location, historical significance, and cultural importance.

Geographic Location

We know that all architecture enthusiasts want to visit this cultural landscape at least once in their lifetime. That's why we are providing this section so that you learn everything about the geographical location of this site before you visit.

First of all, this brilliant work of landscape architecture is situated in southern Moravia, Czech Republic, and is near the borders of Austria and Slovakia. When it comes to transportation, there are multiple options available for you. However, traveling by car is always recommended. This heritage site is situated 161.5 mi (260 km) away from the capital, Prague (estimated to be a car drive of two and a half hours). From Brno, it is only 37.2 mi (60 km) away (about an hour by car). The site also shares the same amount of distance from the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava, and the capital of Austria, Vienna.

Apart from this, you can always choose to travel by train. Breclav has an amazing train connection with the other cities in the country. You can get on a train headed towards Valtice or Lednice. Also, you will find a bus stop near Břeclav railway station. The journey will not be very long, and the fare will be reasonable.

Once you reach the place, you can walk around the sights; even though the site is gigantic, it won't take more than two days to cover everything that is there to see. A rough estimate says that you would have to walk about 12.4 mi (20 km) to visit most of these places and to complete your journey from Lednice to Valtice.

History And Cultural Significance

The settlement of the House of Liechtenstein started in 1249 when they obtained a castle in Břeclav District (Lednice, to be precise). From then till 1939, for 700 years, the Lednice Castle remained the principal residence of Liechtenstein.

Between the 17th and 20th centuries, the Dukes of Liechtenstein combined and transformed all their properties into a single large, decorated park. The work of transforming the area continued throughout the 19th century, but during this time the dukes transformed the properties into a traditional English landscape park. While the castles and smaller buildings were built mixing neo-Gothic and Baroque architecture, the English landscape architecture heavily influenced the decoration of the countryside.

Around 1715, a landscaped road and ally was constructed between two chateaux and later was named after Petr Bezruc, a renowned Czech poet. From this time onwards, the pine forests started covering a significant area of this cultural landscape.

Early in the 20th century, the region was incorporated into the map of new Czechoslovakia. Later, just before World War II, the House of Liechtenstein had a conflict with Nazi Germany over the latter's attempt to annex Czech territory. As a result, the German soldiers confiscated the properties of the Liechtenstein family, forcing them to move to Vaduz around 1939. However, the family launched multiple legal actions after the war, but by then the ownership of the property had already passed onto the government of Czechoslovakia which refused to return the huge estates to the exiled landowners.

Even though descendants of the Liechtenstein family again made several legal attempts after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the properties were never returned to them and are still owned by the Czech state.

World Heritage Site

This beautiful site, which comprises two castles (the Valtice Castle and Lednice Castle), a picturesque village, and the heavenly countryside, is one of the greatest architectural works in central Europe.

In 1996, UNESCO decided to incorporate this cultural landscape into their World Heritage Site list based on the following distinctions; this cultural landscape successfully mixes the indigenous elements of nature with the highly successful styles of classical architecture to produce the best work of human creativity, its use of English principles in building the landscape and different classical architectural styles (Neoclassical, Baroque, and neo-Gothic) in the construction of castles has made the site a model throughout the Danube Region, designed and created by a single family during the century of enlightenment and the Romantic period, this huge of architecture is one of the greatest examples of a cultural landscape.

When it comes to conservation, the National Heritage Institute, a state-funded institution, finances the maintenance and conservation expenses of the castles (Valtice Castle and Lednice Chateau) and their grounds. The World Monuments Fund also listed the conservatory of Lednice Park and the garden follies in the 1998 World Monument Watch.

Other Miscellaneous Facts

It is only natural that such a large heritage site cannot be completely described in a few sections. So, here are some other facts related to this cultural landscape that we feel every architecture enthusiast should know.

Here is a list of things (buildings and other architectural or natural forms) that make this site so popular. The first one is 'Rendevous' or Diana's Temple. It is is hunting lodge that was constructed in the 1810s in the form of a Neoclassical arch.

The second one is the Colonnade at Rajsna. This Neoclassical colonnade was built between the 1810s and 1820s and is situated on the top of a hill ridge above Valtice.

The next one is Border House. It is a classicist chateau that was built on the former borderline between Moravia and Lower Austria in the 1820s.

Standing on the shore of one of the Lednice ponds, Apollo Temple is a Neoclassical hunting lodge that was constructed in the 1810s.

The next one on this list is Novy Dvur. It is a Neoclassical farm whose construction finished in 1809. Originally this farm was used for sheep husbandry, but at present, it is used for horse breeding.

The Temple of Three Graces contains allegorical statues of Muses, sciences, and the Three Graces. It is a semicircle gallery that was built in the 1820s.

The Minaret is an observation tower that was built in the style of the Moorish Revival. The tower measures 203 ft (32 m) in height and is located in the garden of Lednice Castle. It is said that in addition to the entire landscape, the Malé Karpaty Mountains and the Pálava Hills can also be seen from the tower on clear days. Even though it is known when the construction started, the tower was completely prepared in 1804.

The next and one of the most important ones is the Valtice Castle. Even though the castle is very old, it received its present appearance in the 17th and 18th centuries through very expensive reconstructions.

Finally, Lány (built in the early 19th century) is an empire-style hunting lodge. The obelisk was constructed to mark the peace treaty of Campo Formio. John's Castle is a folly of artificial ruins built in the Gothic Revival style, and St. Hubert Chapel also followed the same style and was dedicated to the patron saint of hunters.

FAQs

What is the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape known for?

The Lednice-Valtice cultural landscape is known for containing some brilliant pieces of architecture, like castles and observation towers, mixed with natural forces of beauty like the river Dyje, pine forests, and riparian forests.

Where is Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape located?

The heritage site is located in the Czech Republic, in southern Moravia.

What is the significance of the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape?

It is a site where you can a mixture of Neoclassical, neo-Gothic, and Baroque architecture. The properties had been owned by the Liechtenstein family for more than 700 years until the Germans confiscated them. As a result, this site is not only known for its beauty and architectural uniqueness but is also filled with much historical and cultural significance.

When and why was the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape declared a World Heritage Site?

The landscape was incorporated into UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1997 based on three distinctions. These are; the unusual mixture of different architectural styles and the English romantic principles that dominate the landscape have made this estate a model throughout the Danube region, the exotic and indigenous natural elements and the presence of famous classical architectural styles came together to produce one outstanding work of human creativity, and this site is an example of how rich and influential families used to design and construct a cultural landscape during the Romantic period and the century of enlightenment.