Castle Lednice

Lednice's history dates back to 1222, when it was a Gothic fortress. At the end of that century, Lednice became the property of the Liechtenstein family, a noble clan that also owned nearby Mikulov and would much later build Valtice Castle, which was owned by the Liechtenstein family from 1395 to 1945. Lednice would be their family estate for about 700 years and would become their summer residence.

In the 16th century Lednice became a Renaissance castle. In the early 17th century Karel Liechtenstein was the representative leader of Moravia and received the title of prince. When the Protestant Czech nobility rebelled against the Catholic Habsburgs, the Liechtensteins supported the monarchy and were not punished when the Protestants lost. The Liechtensteins prospered thereafter, becoming the wealthiest aristocratic clan in all of Moravia.

At the end of the 17th century, Lednice Castle underwent Baroque renovations, but its current appearance comes from the neo-Gothic transformation that took place from 1846 to 1858, when Prince Alois Liechtenstein was heavily influenced by English Gothic architecture. Because the Liechtensteins were able to remove many furnishings during World War II, most of the original interior decorations have been recovered.

Lednice State Castle has been state-owned since 1945. It is managed by the Ministry of Culture through the Prague Institute of National Heritage, Kroměříž regional office.

 The castle is one of the most visited monuments in the Czech Republic. Rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style in the 19th century, it created a residence surrounded by one of the largest parks in Europe (nearly 200 hectares), in which visitors find the palm tree greenhouse, Venetian fountain, Roman aqueduct, Chinese pavilion, artificial minaret ruins, and Johns Castle. Due to a unique connection with the surrounding monuments of human nature, the entire Lednice- Valtice was constituted a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.