ATTRACTIONS BRNO REGION

Brno Dam and Lake

The dam was built for flood control on the Svratka River between 1938 and 1941. The original name for the dam and reservoir was Kninicky in memory of the old village, which was flooded by the lake.

The lake is 10 km long and up to 800 m wide with a capacity of 25 million cubic meters of water. It became a very popular recreational area for the Brno region.

There is motor boat fleet for tourists, motels and hotels, restaurants and sport facilities. You can take a boat trip to Veveri Castle; originally a royal castle from the early 13th century, it became a popular hunting castle. It has been the state property since 1925 and it is open for public partially.

Lednice - Valtice area

Between the 17th and 20th centuries, the ruling dukes of Liechtenstein transformed their domains in southern Moravia into a beautiful landscape.

It put together Baroque architecture and the classical and neo-Gothic style of the castles of Lednice and Valtice with countryside fashioned according to English romantic principles of landscape architecture. At 200 sq. km, it is one of the largest artificial landscapes in Europe.

Moravian Karst

The Moravian Karst is the most important karst area of the Czech Republic. It is a nature reserve with an area of approximately 100 km², 5 km wide and 24 km long. It is explored since centuries and is one of the so called classic karst areas, which means it was known and described early in the 19th century.

It is a beautiful heavily-wooded hilly area north of Brno, carved with canyons and covered with some 400 caves, created by the underground Punkva River. Traces of prehistoric humans have been found in the caves.

4 of the caves in this area are accessible to the public. Other sights include the numerous dolines, loosing streams, karst springs and some wild caves.

Punkva Cave offers some great caving and i s located at the lower end. The water of the river leaves the cave where the boats leave the cave. The water then flows down Pusty zleb (deserted valley) vanishing once again but reappearing only a hundred meters down the valley.
The Macocha Abyss is the upper end of this cave, with water flowing through the impassable debris of its bottom.

A siphon at the far end leads to Nova Amateurska , the biggest part of this cave system. The Amateurska has numerous entrances, most of them from the plateau going down between 50 m and 120 m to the level of the river. The main entrance is an artificial tunnel from Pusty zleb, which allows easy access to the main passage.

This passage branches into 2 passages, one leading north to Sloup, the other one leading northeast to Ostrov. The branches end at siphons, most of them followed by other caves which also belong to this drainage system. At the upper end of the whole system are numerous ponors at the border between limestone and the surrounding impenetrable rocks.

Other great nearby caves include Katerinska, Balcarka and Sloupsko-Sosuvske.

Litomysl

The old town of this Bohemian city is classified as a UNESCO cultural heritage site and just a quick look at the incredible Renaissance main square makes clear why.

The beginnings of Litomysl go back to about the end of the 10 th century. In 1259 it was granted a town privilegium. The history of the town is very rich and the town was rebuilt several times.
Fires often caused much damage, especially the major ones of 1775 and 1814 and a catastrophic flood in 1781 also affected the town significantly. The houses destroyed by these natural disasters were reconstructed in Late Baroque style and from the beginning of the 19 th century in Empire style.

Bedrich Smetana was born here in 1824, a famous composer of Czech music. This is the reason for the annual holding of the International Opera Festival Smetana's Litomysl. After the Prague Spring festival, this is the second oldest musical festival organized in the Czech Republic. Its tradition dates back to 1949.

Another tourist attraction is Litomysl castle. The construction of the castle was finished in 1582. It was originally a Renaissance arcade-castle of the type first developed in Italy and then adopted and greatly developed in central Europe in the 16th century.

Its design and decoration are particularly fine, including the later High-Baroque features added in the 18th century. It preserves intact the range of ancillary buildings associated with an aristocratic residence of this type.

In the area of the castle is a unique and special small theatre with an auditorium for 150 people.

Olomouc

Olomouc, one of the most important historical and business centres of the Czech Republic is situated in the centre of Moravia. The fifth largest city of the Czech Republic lies on the river Morava within 80 km from Brno. The most important sight is the Holy Trinity Column on the Upper Square.

You can also find many churches and monasteries in Olomouc, like St. Wenceslas Cathedral, St. Nicholas Church, St. Moricz Church or Monastery Hradisko.

The Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary on the Holy Hill (Svaty kopecek) is one of the most significant and most visited pilgrimage sites in the Czech lands. On April 11, 1995 it was officially raised to the status of a Basilica Minor by Pope John Paul II.

Other beautiful sights worth visiting are Premysl's Castle, the Town Hall with a astronomical clock or Archbishop Palace.

Trebic

The district of Trebic is situated in the southwest tip of Moravia, on an area of 1,520 km². Its northern part is covered with Bohemian-Moravian Uplands; a picturesque and mountainous landscape, rich in forests, fields and ponds.

In the southern part there are romantic valleys of the Oslava, Rokytna, and Jihlava Rivers. There is a calm, colorful and plain area fertile in fruit.

Trebic, the administrative and cultural centre of the district with a population of 40,000, is located on both sides of the Jihlava River. Modern housing estates, industrial enterprises, sport facilities, a swimming-pool, and a camp have been built.

In the down-town there are lots of offices, health centres, cinemas, a number of restaurants, cafes and historical attractions.

The most unique among them is the Romanesque-Gothic Basilica of St. Prokop dated from the 13th century, which represents evidence of the important past of the town. It belongs to the area of the Castle, which arose in 1468, after the total reconstruction of the former Benedictine Monastery originated from the 12th century. In one part of the Castle, there is now the West-Moravian Museum exhibiting permanent expositions of Bethlehems, Moldawites, and pipes. Unique as well is the former Jewish Town with 2 Synagogues and the large Jewish cemetery with well preserved Renaissance and Baroque tombs.

Telc

This charming 13th century UNESCO world heritage town was originally founded as a settlement around a Romanesque church. During its rule by the lords of Hradec, a castle and ponds were built, and after a huge fire in 1530 most of the town's houses were rebuilt in Renaissance style.

Dominating the centre of town are the Renaissance castle, the towers of St. James Church and the Baroque Holy Name of Jesus Church. Among the square's charming Renaissance houses, don't miss the town's smallest house in the south-east corner, an object lesson in the use of space.

The castle belongs among the jewels of Moravian Renaissance architecture. The original interiors have been preserved in very good condition. Many of them are representative examples of the outreach of Italian art into the country, which was influenced often by the environment north of the Alps.

The Gothic castle was built in the second half of the 14th century. Towards the end of the 15th century the castle fortifications were strengthened and a new gate-tower built. By the middle of the 16th century the medieval castle no longer satisfied Renaissance noblemen and the castle was altered in the Renaissance style. The facade decorated with graffito and the state apartments and living quarters received stucco ornamentation together with trompe l'oeil paintings and chiaroscuro in 1553.

The most splendid rooms, for example the Blue and Golden Halls of 1561, were created in the newly built palace opposite the castle, which was lined by an arcade to the Renaissance park. A memorial chapel adjoined the castle where the lords of Hradec built themselves a marble mausoleum. This is where the last descendant of the Vitkovec of Jindrichuv Hradec was buried.

Mikulov

Picturesque but totally underrated, Mikulov and its castle are located on a hill in the centre of the flat wine-growing region of Palava, a UNESCO-designated biospheric reservation. One of South Moravia 's highlights, Mikulov has some very impressive monuments, but it should come as no surprise that Mikulov is most popular for its excellent white wines.

It's very close to the border with Austria and is a perfect stop to or from Vienna. The castle, perched over the west side of the town, has been restored after being burned by the Germans in WW II. The museum includes local archaeology and natural history, paintings and weapons, but the best displays are on regional folk traditions and wine making. In the cellar is the largest wine barrel in central Europe.

Mikulov used to have a strong Jewish community and still has a synagogue, though it was damaged during WW II and neglected during Communist rule. There's also a 15th century Jewish Cemetery. The town's main square has many Renaissance and Baroque houses and churches, including the Town Hall, the graffitoed Canon's Houses and the Dietrichstein Family Vault.

Hiking enthusiasts will enjoy the good walks in the surrounding hills, with ruined castles and superb views of the Mikulov area.