Valtice, a town situated at the border area with Austria, is a place where history meets wine making traditions. The family of Lichtensteins made Valtice into their residence and by developing viticulture they determined the future position of the town.

Today vine growing, wine making and the presentation of wine are going through a Renaissance period. Vine growing areas and individual villages compete in attracting the connoisseurs and lovers of wine. Valtice is no exception and so some time ago the town accepted the title “The Capital of Wine”. Valtice accounts for the second largest area of vineyards in the Czech Republic.

The town of Valtice is located at the border area with Austria, on flat land but at the foot of the Valtice hills. Valtice is situated in the old settlement zone, at the basin of the Dyje river. This area was already permanently inhabited during the early Stone age. Valtice castle is first mentioned in 1193. At that time the Valtice area belonged to Passau bishops who colonised this originally Slavic region after the Great Moravian Empire had collapsed. At the end of the 14th century a long Lichtenstein era began in Valtice. They maintained their main residence here till 1945. This family, originally from Styria, gradually became the most affluent and wealthiest clan in Moravia and one of the most significant ones in the whole of Europe. Valtice, Feldsberg in German, was a part of Lower Austria. After WWI, however, its status changed when Valtice was joined, according to the St.Germain peace treaty, to Czechoslovakia. One of the reasons was also the rail line running from Břeclav to Znojmo through Valtice.

Valtice is one of the natural centres of the Lednice-Valtice area which was included in the UNESCO National Heritage List in 1996.

This area of about 200 square kilometres is seen as the largest composed region in Europe and perhaps in the World. Such a close location of two landscape elements under the protection of UNESCO (the other one being the Biospheric Natural Preserve of Pálava) is truly unique. The Lednice-Valtice area was created during the reign of the Lichtensteins and is made up of chateau residences in Lednice and Valtice with many gardens, smaller monuments and hunting lodges which have been carefully incorporated into the countryside together with many groves and lakes.

The Chateau dominates the town
The most remarkable architectural site in Valtice is its chateau – and in area it is one of the largest chateaus in the country. It is seen as a significant example of early baroque architecture in Central Europe. Its chapel has one of the most beautiful interiors of Central-European baroque style and with its exceptionally good acoustics it is widely used to host many concerts and musical events. Chateau gardens in the French style of the reign of Louis XIV. with strict geometry of flower beds were gradually built here but in the 19th century they were turned into an English style park. Today, only about an area of 20 hectares of this park area remains. The park is decorated with various mythological statues, we can find a man made cave here but also many types of rare timber species.

The Church of the Assumption of St Mary is the second most important historical building. In the years of 1631-1671 it was built by the duke Charles Eusebius Lichtenstein and still today this early baroque building draws attention to its size of 48m in length, 28m in width, 34m in height and with spires 60 meters high.
Another remarkable complex of local baroque architecture is the Monastery of Merciful Brothers with the Church of St.Augustin and the hospital. The Brothers were invited by the duke Charles I. of Lichtenstein to come from Italy in 1605 to start their first hospital north of the Alps here. In the 17th century a surgeon and botanist Norbert Boccius worked in Valtice and put together 17 unique botanical collections still valued by experts today.

Romantic Valtice
At the beginning of the 19th century the Lichtensteins had many unique romantic sights built in Valtice and its immediate surroundings. With the beautiful views of countryside the empiric chateau Belvedere served as a place for summer outings and it was also where many peacocks and pheasants were kept. The Colonnade, also called Reistna, is found right next to the border crossing to Austria on top of a hill called Homole (291 metres above sea level) – the highest point in the Lednice-Valtice area. It resembles a famous Gloriet built at Schönbrunn in Vienna. A classicist chateau called The Temple of Diana (also Rendez-vous) was constructed in the shape of the Triumphal Arch which used to be built for victorious army leaders in ancient Rome.

Valtice and wine
The two words which have been inseparable for hundreds of years. The first vines were brought here by Roman legions of Marcus Aurelius and when the Slavs arrived vineyards were already incorporated into the countryside. The Lichtensteins and the Seefelds were at the centre of a later boom in viticulture.
Viticulture is going through its renaissance period at the moment. The town of Valtice together with local wine makers organise wine themed events every year and their significance goes far beyond the borders of the town and region. With 560 hectares of registered vineyards on the deeds of the town and with the tradition of Valtice wines and the art of local wine makers, Valtice truly deserves its title The Capital of Wine.

Valtice is alive with culture
An extensive cultural programme offers mainly baroque concerts in Valtice church, a summer school of historical music followed by concerts of its “graduates”. You can visit a type of a food festival (Hody) were many locals wear their traditional folk costumes or attend a theatrical performance. And don’t forget to bring your bicycles, the Lednice-Valtice area is best explored on the saddle of your bike.