7UNESCO
MONUMENTS
WITHIN EASY REACH
OF BRNO � trips
UNESCO Monuments
in the Czech Republic
UNESCO, the United Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is one of 14 international specialized UNO organizations.
In 1972 the UNESCO Conference approved the Convention of Protection of the Most Important World Cultural and Natural Heritage,
which came into force in 1975. As part of the world heritage various
cultural and natural monuments all over the world are considered
those which have been chosen by the UNESCO because of being
unique and included into the List of World Heritage. According
to the Convention the contracting states owning such particular
monuments are obliged to protect, mark and pass them to the future generations. Placing a monument on the list is considered to be
a special privilege and honour.
The former Czechoslovakia joined the Convention in 1990 and its
successor, the Czech Republic, took over all duties in question immediately after its constitution in 1993.
There have already been 12 places in the Czech Republic so unique
that they deserve being enlisted among the world cultural monuments of the UNESCO World Heritage.
These are:
Prague – the historical centre
Telč – the historical centre
Český Krumlov – the historical centre
Žďár nad Sázavou – the Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora
Kutná Hora – the historical centre
The Lednice-Valtice Area
Kroměříž – the Archbishop Chateau and the Květná and the
Podzámecká Gardens
Holašovice – a uniquely preserved village of South Bohemian
kind
Litomyšl – the Renaissance castle and the historical town centre
Olomouc – the Trinity Column
Brno – Tugenhat Villa
Třebíč – the Romanesque-Gothic Basilika of St. Prokopius and the
Jewish Town
Let us present on the following pages seven out of the twelve above
mentioned monuments and recommend you to visit them when
staying in the South-Moravian metropolis. They are located literally
within easy reach of Brno.
However, not only cultural but also natural monuments of the
Czech Republic are valuable and remarkable enough to be part of
the UNESCO List of World Heritage. Most of them are biospheric
reserves: The Krkonoše National Park, The Šumava (The Bohemian
Forest), the Třeboňsko, Křivoklátsko and Dolní Morava regions and
the Bílé Karpaty (the White Carpathians).
tugendhat vilLa Brno
This most important European building by architect Ludwig Mies
van der Rohe was placed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage
in 2001.
In the inter-war period the young married couple, the Tugendhats,
entrusted one of the most significant period architects with a design of a villa. Being not restricted by finances, he was able to use
the most modern technologies of the time. Using a steel skeleton
without supporting walls, the architect could create a concept of
an open living space connected with the natural environment. By
means of this project the author established criteria for modern living applicable until now and created an architectonic masterpiece
of functionalism.
The architect laid out the villa into three levels. The central floor
was made a living and representative part. The free space was
divided only by means of indications. A half-circle wooden wall
outlines the dining room and the unique onyx wall divides the
space into the living room and the study. Onyx, which is a variety
of chalcedony, will light up when touched by sunrays and glow in
the interior with warm colours. The living room is separated from
the garden only by glass panes of giant windows. Two of them can
be shifted through the floor into the lower level and connect the
house with the garden.
BRNO
Tugendhat Villa in Brno
tugendhat vilLa Brno
Heating the living part of the house was made in a very progressive
way. The warm air was brought there through ventholes in the floor
and through the walls of the heating room placed on the ground
floor where also stores, a washroom and a photolab were placed.
On the upper floor bedrooms and children´s rooms as well as
nanny´s room were situated.
The interiors of the house including metal door fittings, lights and
switches were also designed by Mies van der Rohe. He also designed
particular pieces of furniture specially for the villa, e.g. the “Brno”type chairs and armchairs produced until now.
In 1938 the Tugendhats emigrated to St. Gallen in Switzerland. During the Second World War the house was seized by the Gestapo and
devastated when Brno was being liberated. Fortunately, the architectonic substance of the building remained untouched by the following repairs and unsuitable adaptations.
Contact data
Tugendhat Villa
Černopolní 45, 613 00 Brno
tel. / fax: 545 212 118
e-mail: [email protected]
www.tugendhat-villa.cz
Opening hours
Wednesday–Sunday 10–18
Reservation in advance necessary!
The villa will be open to the public until December 31, 2008, after
that a long-term reconstruction will follow.
Transportation in Brno
Trams number 3, 5, 11 from the tram stop Česká to the tram stop
Dětská nemocnice (Children´s hospital), a 5-minute ride
The Interior of the Villa
tugendhat vilLa Brno
Other Tourist Attractions in Brno
Zemanova kavárna (The Zeman Café)
The original Zeman Café from 1925 in the park in Koliště Street ranks
to the first strictly functionalist buildings in former Czechoslovakia.
It was demolished in 1964. Its replica was put into operation on the
100th anniversary of its architect, Bohuslav Fuchs´s birth in 1995.
Avion Hotel
The Avion Hotel in Česká Street, finished in 1928, is probably the
most important functionalist structure by Bohuslav Fuchs. The architect excellently solved the complicated layout of the hotel on
a 8.35 m narrow and 34-m-back-running site .
Brno Exhibition Ground (www.bvv.cz)
Several exhibition halls designed by outstanding Prague and Brno
architects were built for the Exhibition of Contemporary Culture
in 1928. Among the most distinctive functionalist buildings rank
the monumental A-hall, the Brno Exhibition Hall and the Moravia
Exhibition Hall. The Exhibition of Contemporary Culture was even
in its time believed to be a milestone in the development of Czech
architecture.
Commercial Bank
The Commercial Bank (the original Moravian Bank) in náměstí Svobody (Liberty Square), is one of the structures of prime functionalism
designed by architect Bohuslav Fuchs together with Ernst Wiesner. It
was built between 1929 and 1930.
Janáček-Theatre
It was built by architect Jan Víšek in the period of 1957–1966 during
the revival of modern art traditions. Its author was able to ignore the
Soviet patterns in architecture in the era of the fading away socialist
realism and his project of the then National Theatre was victorious.
The Interior of the Villa
The Lednice-Valtice Area
The Lednice-Valtice Area ranks among the largest artificially shaped
landscape complexes in the world. Thanks to its exceptional natural,
cultural and historical values this area was entered on the UNESCO
List of World Heritage in 1996.
The Lednice-Valtice Area stretching on almost 300 hectares is lined
by the state border with Austria in the South, and flanked by the Protected Landscape Area and biospheric reserve Pálava in the West.
The natural border of the area is outlined by the Dyje River in the
North and in the East.
The rich Liechtenstein family originating in Austria, who gained their
first properties in the South of Moravia in the 13th century, started reshaping the local landscape into a remarkable urban complex. The
family was seated there for centuries and gradually took ownership
of the whole present-day area.
The Liechtensteins succeeded in harmonizing the aesthetics of the
artificially shaped landscape with the adjoining bottomland forests
and the agricultural landscape. They situated their grand residences
and a number of smaller structures with elegance into this harmonic natural setting.
Shaping the area was based on traditions followed in English parks.
Structures in Baroque style are connected here with the Lednice
Chateau adapted in neo-Gothic style and with small structures built
BRNO
LEDNICE
VALTICE
The Minaret
The Chateau and the Park in Lednice
The Lednice-Valtice Area
in Classicism and the Romantic style of the 19th century. These are:
the Little Hunting Castle, the Minaret, Apollo´s Temple, the Pond
Castle, the New Courtyard, the Border Castle, the Three Graces´
Temple, John´s Castle, the Obelisk, and the Rendes-vous.
Lednice Chateau
Built on the site of the original medieval stronghold, a later Renaissance castle was reconstructed in Baroque style in the 17th century.
The contemporary appearance of the chateau originated in the
neo-Gothic reconstruction in Tudor-Gothic style in the period of
1846–1858. The original Baroque appearance is preserved only in
the nearby standing riding-hall and stables. The Romantic neoGothic style was also given to the interiors richly decorated by outstanding examples of woodcarving mastery. The visitor´s attention
also deserve the spindle-shaped self-supporting staircase in the library, the coffered lime wood ceiling in the Blue Hall, the relief of the
family tree made in ivory or the marble fireplaces.
Contact data
Státní zámek Lednice
691 444 Lednice
tel.: 519 340 128,
e-mail: [email protected]
www.zamek-lednice.info/zamek.php
Opening hours
April–October September May–August Lunch break 9–16, open on Saturdays and Sundays
9–16, closed on Mondays
9–17, closed on Mondays
12–13
The Chateau of Lednice
The Lednice-Valtice Area
Valtice Chateau
Originally a castle founded probably as early as in the 12th century,
from 1387 to 1945 it was the Liechtensteins´family property. Rebuilt
several times, adapted in Renaissance style in the second half of the
16th century, it went through a long-term Baroque reconstruction after the Thirty Years´ War. Three chateau wings were built and a garden founded. At the same time the space between the chateau and
the town was set into a court of honour with farm houses, a theatre
and a riding hall. During the 18th century the chateau garden and
park were adapted and in the mid-19th century John I. of Liechtenstein had the landscape of the whole Valtice area reshaped.
Contact data
Statní zámek Valtice
Zámek 1
691 42 Valtice
tel.: 519 352 423
e-mail: [email protected]
www.zamek-valtice.cz
Opening hours
May–August September October 9–18, closed on Mondays
9–17, closed on Mondays
9–16, open on Saturdays and Sundays
Transportation from Brno
By car:along motorway D1 direction Bratislava, take exit 41 for
road number 422 direction Podivín, Lednice. Total distance – 56 km
By bus:Brno, ÚAN (the Central Bus Station) – Lednice town
square
By train:Brno – Břeclav, changing trains for Valtice
Historical diesel trains:
Brno – Lednice in the season from April to September
The Chateau of Valtice
The Lednice-Valtice Area
Tourist Attractions in the Neighbourhood
of the Lednice-ValtiCe Area
Mikulov (www.mikulov.cz)
Mikulov is literally packed with historical sights, the number of
which is 112 of those registered ones. Among the most significant
ones are the Gothic-Renaissance St. Wenceslas´ Church, the Renaissance, Baroque and Classicist houses in the square, the Dietrichstein
family´s Tomb, the Jewish Town and the late-Baroque chateau,
originally a Gothic castle from the first half of the 13th century.
Na Turoldu Cave (www.caves.cz)
In the stone quarry behind the last houses of Mikulov the entrance
into the cave “Na Turoldu” can be found. It is a world marvel, having been created in Jurassic limestone and lacking the typical dripstones. The walls are decorated with small cavities filled with crystals of calcite.
Svatý kopeček (the Holy Hill)
A partly preserved Way of the Cross from Mikulov will bring you to
the Holy Grave. In the most prominent place the Chapel of St. Sebastian and a bell tower are placed. The Holy Hill is a nature reserve
with rare thermophilic flora.
Mikulčice(www.mikulcice-valy.info)
Three kilometres south-east of the village Mikulčice on the banks
of the Morava River there used to be an ancient Slavonic fortified
settlement in the period from the 6th to the 10th centuries, one of
the main centres of Great Moravia. Apart from making a tour
round the foundations of 12 churches, a great nobleman´s palace, remnants of the fortification, three bridges and more than
2 500 uncovered graves, the visitor can see two permanent exhibitions of archeological finds.
The Pohansko Region
Only 4 km south of Břeclav there are remnants of a significant Great
Moravian fortified settlement called Pohansko.
The Border Chateau
Archbishop Chateau
and Gardens Kroměříž
The Archbishop Chateau in Kroměříž with its complex of beautiful
gardens was entered on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in 1998.
The origin and development of the earlier castle and later chateau,
which were used as bishop and archbishop residences, is closely
connected with the history of the Archbishopric in Olomouc.
There used to be an ancient fortified settlement on the site of the
contemporary chateau even in the time of the Great Moravian Empire. A Gothic castle was built in its place in the 13th century. In the
beginning of the 16th century it was rebuilt in Renaissance style. It
was heavily damaged by the Swedish army during the Thirty Years´
War. Bishop Karl II. of Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn decided to replace it
by an ostentatious early-Baroque palace.
The chateau interiors are richly decorated. A large number of original period furniture and art collections have been preserved until
today. Worth seeing are the throne hall, the assembly hall, the vassal hall as well as the hunting hall, the tsar hall and the old library.
The chateau library can boast paintings by prominent European
painters of the 15th–18th centuries. Represented are masters such as
Tizian, Lucas Cranach Senior, Hans von Aachen, Paolo Veronese or
Jan Brueghel Senior. The local collection of paintings is the second
most valuable of its kind in the Czech Republic.
KROMĚŘÍŽ
BRNO
The Archbishop Chateau
Archbishop Chateau
and Gardens Kroměříž
Attached to the chateau is the beautiful Podzámecká zahrada (the
Garden under the Chateau) and the breath-taking French-style
Květná zahrada (the Flower Garden) with an exceptionally valuable
historical park architecture.
The Garden under the Chateau originally supplied the chateau with
fresh vegetables and flowers. Later it was set in Renaissance and Baroque styles to be turned into a 64-hectare romantic English park in
the 19th century. The Flower Garden in its geometrically symetrical
shape has a square and a circle mazes nad walls of trimmed trees
and bushes. The visitors will also
be attracted by the Lion Fountain and the Tritone Fountain.
Contact data
Sněmovní náměstí 1
767 01 Kroměříž
tel. / fax: 573 502 011
e-mail: [email protected],
www.azz.cz
The Interior of the Rotunda
in the Flower Garden
The Archbishop Chateau
from the Garden under the Chateau
Archbishop Chateau
and Gardens Kroměříž
Opening hours
Archbishop Chateau
April and October
only weekends 9–16 + group reservations
May, June and September
9–17 except Mondays and days following a holiday
July and August 9–18 except Mondays and days following a holiday
Podzámecká zahrada (the Garden under the Chateau)
Open all the year round, in summer 7–19, in winter 7–16
Květná zahrada (the Flower Garden)
Open all the year round, in summer 7–19, in winter 7–16
Transportation from Brno
By car: along motorway D1 direction Olomouc. Take exit
number 230 Vyškov to road number 47 direction
Kroměříž. Total distance – 67 km.
By bus: from Brno, ÚAN Zvonařka (the Zvonařka Central Bus
Station ) to Kroměříž
By train: Brno, hlavní nádraží (the main station) to Kojetín,
change trains for Kroměříž
The Colonade in the Flower Garden
The Flower Garden
Archbishop Chateau
and Gardens Kroměříž
Tourist Attractions on the Route
from Brno to Kroměříž
Bučovice Castle (www.bucovice-zamek.cz)
Bučovice Castle ranks among the pearls of Moravian Renaissance
architecture. Visitors will be attracted by the noble arcades in the
courtyard and the tour round the halls with rich stucco and painting decorations on the ceilings.
Nesovice (http://nesovice.cz)
In the village part called Nové Zámky there is an unfinished Renaissance castle representing an entirely unique experiment to apply the structure of an Italian town castle in local environment. It is
closed to the public at present.
Pustiměř (www.pustimer.eu)
Near St. Peter and Paul´s Church there are remnants of the stonework of the 11th century St. Pantaleon´s Rotunda.
Střílky (www.korycansko-zdounecko.cz/strilky)
Střílky can boast a late Baroque cemetery with interesting sculptural decorations.
The Colonade in the Flower Garden
Garden under the Chateau
Trinity Column Olomouc
The Trinity Column is the largest group of Baroque statues arranged
in one complex in the Czech Republic at all. It differs by its artistic
value, rich figurative decorations and its height of 35 metres from
other comparable monuments in a very significant way. For this reason it was put on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in 2000.
The idea of building a plague column in the Upper Square (Horní
náměstí) in Olomouc as a sign of thanksgiving for the ending of the
plague outbreak in the town and celebration of faith and the catholic
church is ascribed to Wenzel Render, the master stonemason. He started the work in 1716 and built the first floor with the cylindrical chapel.
The work was continued by other artists and masters until 1754. Neither Render, nor his successors, Franz Thoneck, Jan Václav Rokytský and
Augustin Scholtz, lived long enough to witness the consecration of the
masterpiece. It was finished by Rokytský´s son, Jan Ignác.
The magnificent sculptural decoration was begun by Philip Sattler.
After his death the work was overtaken by Andreas Zahner, the remaining sculptures were finished by his disciple, Franz Scherhauf.
Simon Forstner, a goldsmith from Olomouc, is the author of the
monumental group of the Holy Trinity together with Archangel
Gabriel on the top of the column. Forstner also created a smaller
group of St. Mary´s Assumption on the front wall of the polygon.
Both groups of statues, made from copper, are gold-plated.
OLOMOUC
BRNO
The Trinity Column
from the East
Trinity Column Olomouc
Statues of 18 larger-than-life saints are placed on three floors above
each other on the corners of the polygon. On the upper floor are saints
related to Jesus Christ´s earthly life. The middle floor is lined by statues of Moravian and Bohemian saints, to name but Constantine and
Methodius, St. Adalbert, and St. John of Nepomuk. On the lowest level
there are statues of St. Wenceslas, St. Florian, St. John of Kapistrana,
St. Aloysius of Gonzaga and the statues of 12 torch-bearers. The decoration is completed by the reliefs of the 12 Apostles.
When finished, the column was ceremonially consecrated by the
Bishop of Olomouc and Cardinal Troyer. Empress Maria Theresa accompanied by her husband, Francis I. of Lotringen, was present at
the ceremony.
According to the period sources the total expenses on the Trinity Column reached the incredible amount of 150 000 guilders. The citizens
of Olomouc have always been immensely proud of this masterpiece,
especially of the fact that it was made exclusively by artisans and
artists from their own town.
Contact data
Informační centrum Olomouc (Information Centre Olomouc)
Horní náměstí – radnice (Upper Square – Town Hall)
77911 Olomouc
tel.: 585 513 385
fax: 585 220 843
e-mail: [email protected]
www.tourism.olomouc.eu
Opening hours
Inside chapel: April–September 9–14
Transportation from Brno
By car: along motorway D1 direction Olomouc. Total distance 80 km
By bus: Brno, ÚAN Zvonařka (the Central Bus Station Zvonařka) –
Olomouc
By train: Brno, hlavní nádraží (the main station) – Olomouc,
hlavní nádraží (the main station)
The Upper Square, the Trinity Column and the Town Hall
Trinity Column Olomouc
Tourist Attractions on the Route
from Brno to Olomouc
Slavkov (www.slavkov.cz)
Except the ostentatious Baroque castle with a court of honour the
town offers Jewish monuments. In the very neighbourhood of the
castle there is a golf ground. (www.gca.cz)
Mohyla míru (the Peace Memorial)
The Peace Memorial built in the period between 1910 and 1912 on
a hill near the village of Prace commemorates all the victims of the
Battle of Three Emperors near Slavkov in 1805. The permanent exhibition housed in the nearby museum makes the visitors acquainted
with the course of the battle and its historical context.
Žuráň Hill
The top of Žuráň Hill, from which Napoleon was controling the battle, offers the visitor a view of the rolling landscape of the battlefield of Slavkov.
The relief map shows the positions of each of the fighting armies.
Santon Hill
Not far from the village of Tvarožná Santon Hill rises, which was
an important supporting point of the French army´s left wing. The
chapel on the top bears memorial plagues with the names of the
commanders of the French and the Russian troups that encountered each other not far from here.
Stará Pošta (the Old Post Office) (www.staraposta.cz)
The original building of the post office where Napoleon I. spent the
night after the Battle of Slavkov. Nowadays it houses a boarding
house, a restaurant and a museum exhibition.
Olomouc, the Historical Town Centre
The Historical Town Centre
Telč
Located in the South-West of Moravia, the town of Telč is one of the
most important Bohemian town reserves.The unique urban complex of the historical town centre was put on the UNESCO List of
World Heritage in 1992.
The historical core of the town, protected by the Štěpnický and the
Ulický defence ponds and the gates of the original mural system,
has kept its distinctive character of the era of Zacharias of Hradec for centuries. The medieval royal water stronghold from the
13th century protecting the crossroads of merchant roads got its
today´s appearance during the 16th century´s reconstruction. Zacharias of Hradec, an admirer of Italian Renaisssance architecture,
had his castle residence reconstructed in the same architectonic
style and made it one of the most valuable treasures of Renaissance
architecture in Czech-speaking countries. The historical halls of the
chateau with wooden coffered ceilings – the Blue, the Golden or the
Knight´s Halls, make the visitor astonished with their ostentatious
decorations, period furnishing and valuable collections. The former
burgrave´s residence houses a museum with ethnographic collections and an exhibition presenting the history of the town. A garden
designed in an interesting way and a park in English style are attached to the chateau.
TELČ
BRNO
The Town Reserve
The Historical Town Centre
Telč
Among the most charming attractions of the town is the town
square lined by a unique complex of historical houses built on narrow and far-into-background-running sites of original wooden
houses destroyed by a 14th-century fire. The typical arcades of the
houses were being built during the 15th century. The Renaissance
facades of the houses appeared in the 16th century but a lot of
them were gradually adapted so that the majority show features
of Baroque and subsequent architectonic styles. The town square is
adorned by two fountains and a Marian Column built in 1720.
The oldest architectonic sight of the town is the 49 m tall, late-Romansque tower of the Holy Spirit from the early13th century. The
adjacent church was rebuilt in the end of the 15th century in Gothic
style. The relics of the late-Gothic bulwark with the Great and the
Small Gates close the South-Eastern border of the town. Other places
of interest in Telč are the area of the former Jesuitic College with the
Church of Jesus´ Name and the parish church of St. James, the foundation stones of which were laid in the 14th century.
Contact data
Informační středisko Městského úřadu Telč
(The Information Centre of the Municipal Authorities in Telč)
Náměstí Zachariáše z Hradce 10, 588 56 Telč
tel.: 567 112 407, 567 112 408, fax: 567 112 403
e-mail: [email protected], www.telc-etc.cz
View of the Square
The Holy Spirit Tower
The Historical Town Centre
Telč
Opening hours at the chateau
April and October May–September November–March Lunch break Renaissance halls 9–16 9–17
closed 11.45–13.00
Halls of residence
closed
9–17
closed
Sight-seeing tours out of season available by appointment with castle management.
Transportation from Brno
By car: along motorway D1 direction Prague. Take exit Brno-Kývalka for road number 23 direction Telč. Total distance – 95 km.
By bus: Brno, Benešova třída, the Grand Hotel – Jihlava, changing
buses direction Telč
By train: Brno, Main Station – Kostelec u Jihlavy, changing trains direction Telč
Tourist Attractions on the Route Brno – Telč
Automotodrom (the Motor Racing Circuit)
(www.automotodrombrno.cz)
The Brno Motor Racing Circuit is hidden in the woods west of the
town. Every August it hosts the World Motorcycle Championship.
Rosice Chateau ( http://zamek.rosice.cz)
The most valuable architectonic sight of Rosice is the chateau with
Renaissance arcades in the courtyard and an Empire facade.
Museum of Industrial Railways (www.mpz.cz)
The Museum of Industrial Railways is being constructed in the
neighbourhood of the former Jindřich II. mine next to the road from
Babice to Zbýšov.
The Chateau Garden
The Jewish Town
and the Basilica
of St. Procopius Třebíč
The complex of St. Procopius´ Basilica, the Jewish Town and the
Jewish Cemetery in Třebíč has been a part of the UNESCO World
Heritage since 2003. The Jewish Town of Třebíč is the only Jewish
sight out of the territory of Izrael which has been put on the UNESCO
List of World Heritage.
Once Třebíč used to be a significant centre of Jewish culture in Moravia and the remarkably preserved Jewish Town has remained a witness of coexistence of the Jews and the Christians. The first Jewish
inhabitants may have come to Třebíč as early as the 13th century.
However, the biggest number of Jewish settlers came in the second
half of the 17th century.
The unique Jewish Town will make the visitors walk along its winding
lanes, dark corners, arched passages and romantic small squares. It
numbers up to 120 residential houses. It also includes the buildings
of former Jewish institutions, e.g. the town hall, the school, the rabbinic residence and the poorhouse. The synagogue in the rear has
been completely reconstructed. Its interior is decorated by unique
wall paintings from the beginning of the 18th century.
TŘEBÍČ
BRNO
The Former Benedictine Monastery
with St. Prokopius´ Basilica
The Jewish Town
and the Basilica
of St. Procopius Třebíč
The Jewish Cemetery was founded on the Northern slope of Hrádek
Hill in the 17th century and it counts 3 000 tombstones placed in
a full-grown park. A part of the cemetery is a ceremony hall from
1903 with a uniquely preserved interior where burial ceremonies according to the old Jewish traditions take place even nowadays.
The origin of St. Prokopius´ Basilica is related to the history of the Benedictine Monastery in Třebíč. The cathedral, originally dedicated to Virgin Mary´s Assumption, was newly dedicated to the Czech Saint, Prokopius, after its reconstruction at the beginning of the 18th century.
The cathedral was probably being built in the period between 1240
and 1260, almost continuously, without any significant interruptions,
in the so called transitional architectonic style. The overall concept of
a three-nave cathedral is Romanesque in style but it also shows the
new elements of the taking over Gothic architecture. An example of
the coexistence of the two styles is the purely Romanesque structure
of the big apsis and the cross vault in the crypt under the chancel. One
of the most valuable elements of the cathedral is the North entrance
portal dating from the first half of the 13th century. The cathedral, ravaged during the seige by the Hungarian troops in 1468, consequently
falling into disrepair, was subsequently repaired several times. However, from the mid-16th century it was used predominantly for secular
purposes. In the era of John Joseph of Wallenstein it was profoundly
reconstructed by the architect František Maxmilián Kaňka in 1725–
1733. The devastated vault was replaced by the Baroque net vault
and two western towers were built up in the Baroque-Gothic style. The
final reconstruction of the basilica took place between 1924 and 1935
to architect Kamil Hilbert´s design.
Contact data
Informační a turistické centrum Malovaný dům
(the Information and Tourist Centre Malovaný dům)
Karlovo nám. 53, 674 01 Třebíč
tel.: 568 847 070, tel.: 568 610 021
e-mail: [email protected]
www.trebic.cz/unesco
The Romanesque Crypt under the Basilica
The Jewish Town
and the Basilica
of St. Procopius Třebíč
Opening hours
Zadní synagoga (the Rear Synagogue)
Monday–Sunday 9–12 and 13–17
The Jewish Cemetery
Daily from Sunday to Friday
Saturday, on Sabbath, closed from Friday night to Saturday night
May–September 8–20
October, March, April 8–18
St. Prokopius´ Basilica
Open all the year round
Saturday–Monday 13–17, Tuesday–Friday 9–12 and 13–17
Transportation from Brno
By car: along motorway D1 direction Prague. Take exit 182,
Brno-Kývalka, for road number23 direction Třebíč. Total
distance – 60 km
By bus: Brno, ÚAN Zvonařka (the Central Bus Station Zvonařka) –
Třebíč
By train: Brno, hlavní nádraží (the main station) – Třebíč
The Vault in St. Prokopius´ Basilica
The Jewish Town
and the Basilica
of St. Procopius Třebíč
Tourist Attractions on the Route
from Brno to Třebíč
Dolnokounický zámek
(Dolnokounický Chateau) (www.zamekkounice.cz)
Hidden under the Renaissance exterior, this is a unique castle of kastel type. A lot of late-Gothic and Renaissance architectonic elements
have been preserved in this structure.
Rosa Coeli (www.dolnikounice.cz)
An unparalleled ruin of a Premonstratensian Convent in Dolní
Kounice, which came into existence in the period between 1181
and 1183. Other significant monuments in the town are the newly
adapted Synagogue, the Jewish Cemetery and the pictoresque St.
Anthony of Padua´s Chapel on a hill above the Jihlava river.
Ivančice (www.ivancice.cz)
The most striking building in the town is the Gothic Church of Virgin
Mary´s Assumption with a tower from the break of the 16th and the
17th centuries. The most interesting ancient house in the square is
the Gothic-Renaissance Old Town Hall. It houses an exhibition dedicated to the most famous native of the town, Alfons Mucha.
Řeznovice(www.kostel-reznovice.isidorus.net)
A remarkable Romanesque building in Brno region is the Church of St.
Peter and Paul in Řeznovice, built in the second half of the 12th century.
The Interior of the Rear Synagogue
Tombstones in the Jewish Cemetery
The Pilgrimage Church
of St. John of Nepomuk
Žďár nad Sázavou
The Pilgrimage Church at Zelená Hora near Žďár nad Sázavou is
probably the most distinctive work by Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel,
the Czech architect of Flamish origin. The church, surrounded by
a cloister, was built in the Baroque-Gothic style, a unique architectonic style combining the Baroque with the Gothic means of
expression. It was built in 1719–1722 in connection with the intended canonization of John of Nepomuk.
The church was constructed on the outline of a five-pointed
star. The symbol of five repeats several times in the building.
The area has five entrances, five chapels and five altars in the
interior, five stars and five angels decorate the main altar. The
magic number of five symbolizes the five wounds of Jesus Christ
as well as the five letters in the Latin “tacui” – I was silent. A legend has it that the Saint did not give away the confession secret
of Queen Sophia, King Wenceslas IV´s wife, even when being
tortured in a cruel way. The King had him thrown into the river
where a five-star gloriole appeared in the place where the Saint
had drowned.
ŽĎÁR
NAD SÁZAVOU
BRNO
The Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk
The Pilgrimage Church
of St. John of Nepomuk
Žďár nad Sázavou
A play of light and shadow, typical also of this building by Santini,
shapes the interior of the church. The central space of the church is
flooded by light coming through bent arches from outside and in
spite of its robustness the whole shrine has an airy appearance. Due
to the effects of light, no ornaments or opulent Baroque frescos are
needed to decorate the space
The church and a small cemetery are surrounded by a cloister, shaped
in a ten-pointed Marian star, protecting the pilgrims against nasty
weather. The relation between the ten-pointed Marian star and the
five-pointed John´s star refers to the connection of the former monastery in Nepomuk to the monastery in Žďár where the monks fled from
a devastating fire of the former. Their previous home was kept alive at
least in the name of Zelená Hora (the Green Mountain).
This masterpiece of Santini´s work at Zelená Hora was put on the
UNESCO List of World Heritage in 1994.
Contact data
Zelená Hora - památkový areál (the memorial area)
591 02 Žďár nad Sázavou 2
tel.: 566 622 855
sightseeing tours: 724 758 993
e-mail: [email protected]
www.npu.cz
Opening hours
May – September 9–17, closed on Monday
April and October 9–17, open on Saturdays, Sundays and on
holidays
other days only reservation in advance for groups of at least 10 people
The Dome of St. John of Nepomuk´s Church
The Pilgrimage Church
of St. John of Nepomuk
Žďár nad Sázavou
Transportation from Brno
By car: along the motorway D1 direction Prague. Take exit 162
in Velká Bíteš for road number 37 direction Žďár nad Sázavou. Total distance – 77 km.
By bus: Brno, ÚAN Zvonařka (the Zvonařka Central Bus Station) –
Žďár nad Sázavou
By train: Brno, hl. nádraží (the main station) – Žďár nad Sázavou
Tourist Attractions on the Route
Brno - Žďár nad Sázavou
Porta Coeli (www.muzeumbrnenska.cz/predklasteri.htm)
In Předklášteří the visitor will be captivated by the three-nave basilica
built in the transitional Romanesque-Gothic style. The most beautiful part of the church is the richly decorated portal bearing the same
name as the monastery – Porta Coeli (Gate to the Heaven)
Jeskyně Blanických rytířů
(the Cave of the Knights of Blanice) (www.rudka.cz)
An artificially carved cave with sculptures by Stanislav Rolínek. Due
to his untimely death in 1931, the decoration of the cave has never
been finished. Guided tours only.
Kořenec (www.korenec.cz)
A village located high in the Drahanská vrchovina (the Drahanská
Highlands). The museum demonstrates the village life and the local
firefighting equipment. Other attractions of the place are a windmill and a golf ground (www.sokrates-golf.cz).
Pernštejn (www.hrad-pernstejn.cz)
A robust Gothic castle in the neighbourhood of Nedvědice. It was
built into its today´s appearance by the Lords of Pernštejn in the
15th and the 16th centuries.
Night View of St. John of Nepomuk´s Church
the Mikulčice-Kopčany
Archeological Park
The Candidate for a UNESCO-Listed Monument
(www.mikulcice-valy.info)
Stretching three kilometres south-east of the today´s village of
Mikulčice, there used to be a Slavonic clay fortified settlement
near the Morava River, in its time one of the main centres of Great
Moravia, which may even have been the capital town of the then
empire. An important centre of power, culture and religion, it was
probably one of the places where the Apostles, St. Constantine and
St. Methodius, were fullfilling their tasks.
Its 10-hectare area makes it the largest preserved Slavonic archeological site in the Czech Republic. Apart from a tour round the finds
of foundations of 12 churches, a nobleman´s palace, the relics of
massive fortification, three bridges and more than 2 500 uncovered
graves, visitors can go through two permanent exhibitions of archeological finds dating to the 7th -9th centuries A.D.
The area is protected as the Mikulčice-Valy National Cultural
Monument. In 1963 the Memorial of Great Moravia was established on the premises.
In the connection with the fortified settlement in Mikulčice the
church of St. Margaret of Antiochea was built on the Slovak bank of
the Morava river near the village of Kopčany. It is also regarded as
the oldest existing ecclesiastic structure in central Europe.
The South-Moravian preservationists are trying to achieve putting the
Mikulčice – Kopčany Archeological Park
on the UNESCO List of World Heritage.
The nomination documents have been
handed over in Paris and the decision
will be taken in summer 2009.
BRNO
HODONÍN
mikulčice
Mikulčice - foundations of a church
827 km Hamburg
560 km Berlin
PL
D
440 km Poznan
245 km Wroclaw
D8
Praha
Ostrava
Olomouc
Plzeň D5
Jihlava
D1 Brno D1
590 km München
734 km Frankfurt
SK
D2
A
52
110 km Wien
300 km Linz
850 km Venezia
1 225 km Rome
120 km Bratislava
355 km Budapest
Žďár nad
Sázavou
Olomouc
Telč
Brno
Kroměříž
Třebíč
Lednice
Valtice
Mikulčice
www.jizni-morava.cz
Published by: South-Moravian Tourist Authority, Radnická 2, CZ - 602 00 Brno
Texts by Sdružení České dědictví UNESCO, Photographs: © Sdružení
České dědictví UNESCO, Production: Propag servis Brno, Advertum, Published in 2008