The romantic chateau Lednice is situated in the extent natural area on the embankment of the river Dyje. Originally there was a Gothic fortified settlement, mentioned already in 1222, which Prince Přemysl donated to the Lichtenstein family. Lednice had been their residential place till the end of World War II with one short break. In the 16th century the settlement was rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau. In the late 17th century the Viennese architect J.B.Fischer rebuilt it in the Baroque style. The Neo-Gothic reconstruction in the Tudor style from 1846-1858 gave the recent outlooks to the chateau. The author of the reconstruction was Jiří Wingelmüller. Baroque walls remained mostly preserved, facades got a new face, many new architectural elements were added, such as battlements, balconies, parlours, chimneys, little spires and others. Also the interiors got Romantic Neo-Gothic outlook with rich wood- carving. Besides the chateau exposition there is the Agricultural Museum with a unique head of a mammoth.
The Valtice Chateau is situated at the place of the castle of the Passau bishop from the late 12th century. In 1395 the Lichtenstein family bought also this place, rebuilt the castle several times and in the 16th century the castle was rebuilt in the style of Mannerism. During the Thirty Years War the Swedish military forces damaged the chateau several times and the damaged objects were later completely rebuilt into the recent Baroque residence. The reconstruction lasted up to 1730 and several renowned artists of that time , such as J.B.Fischer of Erlach, A. Ern and J.K.Ern, D.Martinelli and others, participated in it.
The Lichtenstein family had been creating a unified landscape complex from the two chateaus for centuries. Between the two residences an alley was planted. The Lednice Chateau complex was complemented by ostentatious buildings of the riding-school, minaret in the Moorish style by architect Josef Hardtmuth and a glasshouse according to the model of the London winter garden. In the 19th century in the period of Romanticism the Lednice-Valtice complex got the recent outlook. In the English park several Romantic buildings were built, such as The Apollon´s Temple, the Temple of the Three Graces in the Empire style, and at the former Czech-Austrian border the Border Chateau. In 1996 the Lednice-Valtice complex was included in the UNESCO list of the world cultural and natural heritage.
