There are several places in Southern Moravia that are certainly worth going to, namely Brno, Olomouc, Znojmo, and the Valtice-Lednice landscape area. There are also a lot of places I've never been to that look very nice: http://www.vyletnicile.cz/en/
Brno's greatest virtue is that it's cheap and easy to get to. While you're there check out the Cathedral (it dominates the skyline), Špilberk Castle (or at least the hill on which it sits), St. Thomas's Abbey (where Mendel grew his peas), and just stroll around the town. Brno is not beautiful or amazing but it does have enough to be engaging and to warrant multiple visits.
There is also the Villa Tugendhat. I like architecture in an armchair sort of way but I can't understand how this building managed to obtain UNESCO world heritage status.
Eat: L'Eau Vive (restaurant), Petrov 2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brno
Near Brno is Slavkov u Brna, better know in English by its German name: Austerlitz. Although the battle actually happened a few kilometers from the village and a highway runs through the battleground, if you're interested in military history it might be worth a visit. I keep meaning to go but haven't yet.
http://www.slavkov.cz/en/
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| The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul was built between 1904-5 |
There is also the Villa Tugendhat. I like architecture in an armchair sort of way but I can't understand how this building managed to obtain UNESCO world heritage status.
Eat: L'Eau Vive (restaurant), Petrov 2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brno
Near Brno is Slavkov u Brna, better know in English by its German name: Austerlitz. Although the battle actually happened a few kilometers from the village and a highway runs through the battleground, if you're interested in military history it might be worth a visit. I keep meaning to go but haven't yet.
http://www.slavkov.cz/en/
Olomouc is a little under 3 hours from Bratislava. Guidebooks like to praise it, saying it has the beauty of Prague but in a small town and without the tourists. Nonsense. It's nothing like Prague. It's pretty but not beautiful. There are old neo-classical buildings (crumbling of course) and the nature around is nice. Its main calling card is the UNESCO world-heritage Marian Plague column.
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| Here it is. This and stinky cheese say "Olomouc!" |
Outside the town hall (behind and to the left of the column in this picture) is the astrological clock. They've had an astrological clock since the early 1400s which they updated every hundred years or so (I'm borrowing this from wikipedia). The retreating German army shot it to bits and communists remade it with socialist figures instead of saints. The clock itself, while not beautiful, is attractive and you should certainly see if you're there. It is also amusing. It's hard to imagine that its makers weren't making fun of themselves. It looks very like mockery.
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| Intentional kitsch or in earnest? |
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| Nice fountain, nice fishes, nice fishes |
After you've sat around and drunk beer and eaten the local cheese (tvarůžky), which is dry, almost fat free, and stinks to hell, why not take a walk around the town? There are some nice fountains and nice churches, one of which you can walk up for a nominal cost and survey the town.
Olomouc FUN FACT: "One of Olomouc's famous sons was the film-maker Edgar G. Ulmar, who was born in Olomouc in 1904, but who always preferred to give Vienna as his birthplace". Thanks, wikipedia.
I am, of course, being a bit unfair to Olomouc. Poor Olomouc. Go see it for yourself, it's worth a day. The pictures are nice, aren't they?
Znojmo is also a bit under 3 hours from Bratislava. It has a beautiful town hall. You can climb it and see the countryside around, or, should you prefer going down, Znojmo also has well-developed catacombs which you can tour. I've never explored the catacombs so I can't recommend or dissuade.
FUN FACT #1: Here is Znojmo's mascot.
A little way past the town hall and uphill, you come to the gothic St. Nicholas' Church, the city castle, and brewery in your foreground. Between the castle and the brewery is a rotunda whose interior is covered with 11th century frescoes. In the background the town drops rockily into the Dyje River. It's a nice view.
The town itself, like a lot of places in Central Europe, is crumbling faster than it's being restored. Enjoy the views, enjoy the local beer -- two of the Czech Republic's fortes.
FUN FACT #2: Znojmo describes itself as "City of Virtue" on its website. Here's the link.
This is a wine-growing region, if that's your thing.
Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape: Once upon a time, the princely family of Liechtenstein owned large parts of Moravia. Not being content with the natural landscape, they decided to transform over 200 sq. kilometers into a giant baroque/neo-gothic "cultural landscape", meaning they built palaces, follies, and, out of spite, a 62 meter high minaret, which you can climb.
The focal point is Lednice (Lednice means 'refrigerator' in Czech). That's where you'll find the main castle behind which is the park with the minaret, various follies, and an island inhabited by storks. A castle tour you have to pay for but it's free to walk around landscape. That probably explains why there were a lot Czech riff-raff tourists around.
In order to get to Lednice you may need to go through Valtice. While at first it looks like a boring village, it has an impressive church and castle (Liechtenstein, of course) and is worth spending a few hours in in its own right, especially if you like wine.
All in all, I was impressed with Lednice-Valtice. It is a nice combination of culture, natural beauty, and value. It's a much better decision that Schloss Hof and I would highly recommend it.
Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lednice–Valtice_Cultural_Landscape
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/763/
Kroměříž and Třebíč - Although both of these places look attractive and have UNESCO World Heritage status, I've never been to either. Here are links, should you want to explore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroměř%C3%ADž
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Třeb%C3%ADč
Other:
http://www.moravskykras.net/en/moravian-karst.html
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| Town hall, Znojmo |
FUN FACT #1: Here is Znojmo's mascot.
A little way past the town hall and uphill, you come to the gothic St. Nicholas' Church, the city castle, and brewery in your foreground. Between the castle and the brewery is a rotunda whose interior is covered with 11th century frescoes. In the background the town drops rockily into the Dyje River. It's a nice view.
The town itself, like a lot of places in Central Europe, is crumbling faster than it's being restored. Enjoy the views, enjoy the local beer -- two of the Czech Republic's fortes.
FUN FACT #2: Znojmo describes itself as "City of Virtue" on its website. Here's the link.
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| Znojmo at its best |
Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape: Once upon a time, the princely family of Liechtenstein owned large parts of Moravia. Not being content with the natural landscape, they decided to transform over 200 sq. kilometers into a giant baroque/neo-gothic "cultural landscape", meaning they built palaces, follies, and, out of spite, a 62 meter high minaret, which you can climb.
In order to get to Lednice you may need to go through Valtice. While at first it looks like a boring village, it has an impressive church and castle (Liechtenstein, of course) and is worth spending a few hours in in its own right, especially if you like wine.
All in all, I was impressed with Lednice-Valtice. It is a nice combination of culture, natural beauty, and value. It's a much better decision that Schloss Hof and I would highly recommend it.
Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lednice–Valtice_Cultural_Landscape
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/763/
Kroměříž and Třebíč - Although both of these places look attractive and have UNESCO World Heritage status, I've never been to either. Here are links, should you want to explore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroměř%C3%ADž
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Třeb%C3%ADč
Other:
http://www.moravskykras.net/en/moravian-karst.html
