Valtice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvalcɪtsɛ] ; German : Feldsberg) is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. It is known as part of Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
The village of Úvaly is an administrative part of Valtice.
Valtice is located about 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of Břeclav and 50 km (31 mi) south of Brno. It lies on the border with Austria and borders the Austrian municipality of Schrattenberg. Valtice lies in the Lower Morava Valley lowland. The highest point is the hill Chrastiny at 292 m (958 ft) above sea level.
Valtice Castle, then part of Duchy of Austria and called Feldsberg, was probably founded in the 11th century. [2] The first written mention of the village of Feldsberg is in a 1192 deed (as Veldesperch); held by the Lords of Seefeld, it was located close to the border with Moravia. Probably between 1192 and 1227, Feldsberg became a town. In 1270, lords of Seefeld died out and the estate, divided into six parts with different owners, changed hands several times. Between 1387 and 1395, the House of Liechtenstein gradually acquired the entire estate. [3]
During the Hussite Wars, the Liechtenstein were on the side of Sigismund. In 1426, the town was burned out by the Hussites. [3] The town was again devastated by the troops of the Bohemian king George of Poděbrady in 1458 as well as in the Austrian–Hungarian War by the forces of King Matthias Corvinus in 1480. The renewal and prosperity occurred in the first half of the 16th century, during the rule of Hartman I of Liechtenstein. [4]
In the mid 16th century, the citizens converted to Protestantism; however they were subjected to the measures of the Counter-Reformation under the rule of Karl I of Liechtenstein, who himself had converted to Catholicism in 1599. During the Thirty Years' War, the town was again plundered by the troops under the command of Gabriel Bethlen in 1619, by the troops of Henri Duval Dampierre in the same year, and later conquered by Swedish forces under General Lennart Torstensson. [3]
After the war, the town became the principal seat of the Liechtensteins. Prince Karl Eusebius had rebuilt the castle and had built a new parish church, finished in 1671. He also issued an order to establish forests east from the town. His descendants continued his work. His son and later his nephew had extended the castle and had the monastery of the Brothers Hospitallers built. The overall appearance of the town changed greatly between 1648 and 1781. [3]
Until the end of World War I, the town belonged to Lower Austria. According to the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the town and its surroundings were annexed by newly established Czechoslovakia and was renamed Valtice. The main reason was the requirement that the entire Znojmo–Břeclav railway line, a branch of the former Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway, remain inside Czechoslovak territory. The Liechtenstein princely family lost its privileges with the collapse of Austria-Hungary. Valtice served as the Liechtenstein's residence continuously until 1939. The town was occupied by Nazi Germany upon the 1938 Munich Agreement and incorporated into the Reichsgau Niederdonau . After World War II the remaining German population was expelled and the castle was confiscated by the Czechoslovak government; all claims for restitution have been rejected. [4] [5]
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Valtice lies in the centre of Mikulovská wine subregion. The town is known as a centre of wine making in Moravia. Both the National Wine Centre and the Wine Salon of the Czech Republic reside in the Valtice Château.
The I/40 road from Břeclav to Mikulov passes through the town.
Valtice is located on the Břeclav–Znojmo railway line. It is served by two stations and stops: Valtice and Valtice město. [8]
The annual Valtice Wine Market wine exhibition is held in the château riding hall at the beginning of May.
Valtice contains one of the most impressive Baroque residences of Central Europe. It was designed as the seat of the ruling princes of Liechtenstein by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach in the early 18th century. Together with the neighbouring manor of Lednice, to which it is connected by a 7 km (4 mi) long lime-tree avenue, Valtice forms the Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [9]
The main features of the Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape located in Valtice are the castle surrounded by an English park with a colonnade in the Neoclassical style, and the Temple of Diana from 1812 designed by Joseph Hardtmuth.
Znojmo is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants. Znojmo is the historical and cultural centre of southwestern Moravia and the second most populated town in the South Moravian Region. The historic centre of Znojmo is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
The South Moravian Region, or just South Moravia, is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia. The region's capital is Brno, the nation's 2nd largest city. South Moravia is bordered by the South Bohemian Region to the west, Vysočina Region to the north-west, Pardubice Region to the north, Olomouc Region to the north-east, Zlín Region to the east, Trenčín and Trnava Regions, Slovakia to the south-east and Lower Austria, Austria to the south.
Lednice is a municipality and village in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants. It is known as part of Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Chrudim is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest town of the region. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
The Thaya is a river in the Czech Republic and Austria, a right tributary of the Morava River. It flows through the South Moravian Region in the Czech Republic and through Lower Austria in Austria. It is formed by the confluence of the German Thaya and Moravian Thaya rivers. Together with the German Thaya, which is its main source, the Thaya is 311 km (193 mi) long. Without the German Thaya, it is 235.4 km (146.3 mi) long. In the Czech Republic, the Thaya is the seventh longest river in the country with a length of 196.2 km (121.9 mi).
Břeclav is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants.
Mikulov is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,600 inhabitants. The historic centre of Mikulov is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Hustopeče is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,400 inhabitants. It is known for fruit and wine growing.
Uničov is a town in Olomouc District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
The House of Liechtenstein, from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the throne. The dynasty's membership, rights and responsibilities are defined by a law of the family, which is enforced by the reigning prince and may be altered by vote among the family's dynasts, but which may not be altered by the Government or Parliament of Liechtenstein.
Wine in the Czech Republic is produced mainly in southern Moravia, although a few vineyards are located in Bohemia. However, Moravia accounts for around 96% of the country's vineyards, which is why Czech wine is more often referred to as Moravian wine. Production centers on local grape varieties, but there has been an increase in the production of established international strains such as Cabernet Sauvignon.
Moravský Krumlov is a town in Znojmo District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
The Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape is a cultural-natural landscape complex of 283.09 square kilometres (109.30 sq mi) in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It comprises the municipalities of Lednice, Valtice and Hlohovec, and the rural area of Břeclav.
Břeclav District is a district in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Břeclav.
Bulhary is a municipality and village in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. Bulhary is partly located within the Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hlohovec is a municipality and village in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,300 inhabitants. Hlohovec is located within the Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mikulovská is one of four Czech wine regions within southern Moravia, Czech Republic. The Mikulovská wine region, containing 30 wine villages, is famed for producing white wines grown in the limestone soils, particularly in and around the area of the Pálava Landscape Protected Area. Historically a centre of viticulture and winemaking in Moravia, Mikulovská is home to the historical town of Mikulov, and the Czech National Wine Centre and Wine Salon of the Czech Republic, located at Valtice Castle.
Břeclav railway station is an important international railway junction in the Czech Republic, located in the town of Břeclav in South Moravia, close to the borders with Austria and Slovakia.
Wilfersdorf Castle is located in the Weinviertel in the town of Wilfersdorf, in the Mistelbach district. The castle and its estate have been continuously owned by the Liechtenstein family since 1436. It always served as a summer and hunting seat of the reigning princes. Today it also houses a cultural and exhibition centre as well as the property management offices of the princely estates in Weinviertel. It is renowned for its princely cellars. A well-known white wine is produced here on 38.5 hectares of vineyards.