Southern Moravia – CzechWalks.com

City Brno

CZECHWALKS — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 16:52:53 +0000

Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic and the largest city in Moravia. Brno is also the administrative center of the South Moravian Region. Its population is around 400 thousand. Brno offers almost countless cultural opportunities, such as many theatres and various museums, galleries, libraries, cinemas, but also two interesting castles: Špilberk Castle – originally a royal castle founded in the 13^th century and Veveří Castle. But Brno has hundreds of splendid sights – Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, Abbey of Saint Thomas, Church of Saint James, Brno Ossuary, the largest Jewish cemetery in Moravia or functionalist Synagogue, those are not the only attractions for tourists in the city.

There is also one sight that is registered in the list of monuments protected as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO situated in Brno. The modern functionalist building, Vila Tugendhat was designed by the German architect Ludwig Miese van der Rohe for Fritz Tugendhat and his wife Greta and the building was finished in 1930. Since then, the building has been reconstructed several times.

Velehrad

CZECHWALKS — Sun, 04 Aug 2019 20:56:58 +0000

Velehrad is a village in Zlín Region, 6 kilometres away from Uherské Hradiště. The population there is around 1,3 thousand. One of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Czech Republic is located here. According to the lore, Velehrad used to be the capital of Great Moravia. This assumption was however not confirmed. There are many sights located in Velehrad, some even historically protected.

Velehrad – Basilica of St. Cyril and Methodius

A Cistercian monastery is the first Cistercian monastery that was founded in Moravia. It was burned and restored several times in the past. In 1990, the monastery was visited by Pope John Paul II. The Basilica of Assumption of Virgin Mary and Saints Cyrill and Methodius is the most important pilgrimage Basilica in the Czech Republic. The Church of Epiphany is a sacral chapel built at the end of the 13^th century. A column with the statue of Jesus Christ represents the man of pain. “King’s Table” is the memorial limestone known thanks to various legends and regarded as megalithic dolmen. There are also other cultural heritages, for example A column with the statue of Virgin Mary, A statue of St. John of Nepomuk or A column with the statue of St. John of Nepomuk.

Velehrad – Gallery of saints

Town Mikulov

CZECHWALKS — Sun, 04 Aug 2019 20:54:57 +0000

Mikulov is a town in South Moravia. Situated on the periphery of Pálava, Mikulov is surrounded by loads of vineyards. Splendid baroque castle dominates the town and is a residence to the regional museum. The museum offers the largest exposition of Czech viticulture and the unique giant wine barrel, one of the largest barrels in Europe. There is also a chateau library and some other interesting expositions.

Town of Mikulov

Mikulov is well-known for his wine. Situated in town, there are many gorgeous wine cellars, hotels and wine houses. But the wine is not the only tourist attraction. There are several religious sights, for example Romanesque Church of Saint Václav, Baroque Church of Saint John the Baptist or picturesque Saint Sebastian Chapel on the Holy Hill. But that is not all. An important part of Mikulov’s culture is the Jewish quarter. Jews first settled in Mikulov in the 15^th century and their culture became a very important part of the town. The Jewish cemetery, Synagogue and several other beautiful Jewish sights are also situated in Mikulov.

Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape

CZECHWALKS — Sun, 04 Aug 2019 20:46:03 +0000

Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape is with the size of 283 square kilometers the largest European cultural-natural complex. Located near Břeclav in the South Moravian Region, not far from Austrian borders, it consists of two monumental chateaux surrounded by splendid gardens (Lednice and Valtice), beautiful hunting lodges, gorgeous small buildings and unforgettable lookouts. The complex is registered in the list of monuments protected as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Principal villages for the unique complex are Valtice, Lednice and Hlohovec, all located in Břeclav district. There are many important buildings in the complex: Chateau Lednice, Chateau Valtice, Border House, Pond House, Pohansko, Hunting Lodge, The Colonnade, Belvedere, Rendezvous, St. Hubert Chapel, Temple of the Three Graces, New Farm, Apollo Temple, John’s Castle, Minaret, Obelisk and Lány. There are also other significant landscape units: forest of Boří and ponds of Lednice consisting of five ponds – Hlohovecký, Mlýnský, Nesyt, Prostřední and Zámecký.

As for the access within the area, there are several hiking trails, bicycle paths and other trails in the area. The complex is ideal for wine connoisseurs, sights lovers or cycling enthusiasts.