Great Houses and Gardens of Moravia
Moravia in the Czech Republic is still a largely undiscovered part of Central Europe, and yet it abounds in wonderful buildings, rich in historical associations and scenic beauty. For a long part of the mighty Habsburg Empire, Moravia’s proximity to the heart of the monarchy in Vienna meant it became a favourite area for the wealthy aristocracy to build their magnificent summer palaces and the 18th and 19th centuries saw a huge building boom after the Ottoman defeat at Vienna in 1683. However, the Renaissance was also a period of rich cultural activity, resulting in some of the finest 16th century buildings of Central Europe. The great Mies van der Rohe, one of the pioneers of modernist architecture, has also contributed to the diverse architectural treasures of the region. His iconic Vila Tugendhat in Brno was completed in 1930 and remains an exemplar of minimalist chic. This new Art Pursuits tour encompasses great houses of all periods, some with important gardens or designed landscapes and often set in countryside of great natural beauty, offering a fascinating introduction to this overlooked corner of the world.
Your Tour Includes
- Scheduled return flights (economy class) with British Airways to Prague and return from Vienna to London Heathrow
- Private coach transfers and excursions
- Two nights’ bed and breakfast in the four star Hotel U Hrabenky in Telc and four nights’ bed and breakfast in the four star Hotel Galant, Lednice
- Five dinners and four lunches
- Guided visits to sites listed in the programme
- Services of a Lecturer and Local Tour Manager
- Detailed programme and study notes
- All entrance fees, taxes and gratuities for coach drivers and waiters
- Take a boat ride through the UNESCO-listed Valtce-Lednice complex, one of the finest landscaped parks in Europe
- Spend two nights in the enchanting Renaissance town of Telc – its historic centre is one of the most beautiful in Europe
- Enjoy a special dinner in one of the garden pavilions of the enchanting Milotice Chateau
- Visit Villa Tugendhat, modern masterpiece of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Itinerary
Please choose your preferred 7 day itinerary
Mid-morning flight with BA from London Heathrow to Prague and transfer by coach to our four-star hotel in the enchanting little Renaissance town of Telč, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, where we will spend the first two nights of our tour.
A morning devoted to exploring Telc, one of the finest small towns of Central Europe with its beautiful unspoilt square of gabled Renaissance and Baroque houses. The Renaissance castle is particularly fine and has outstanding carved and painted Renaissance interiors. An afternoon excursion will take us to �dár nad Sázavou, one of the finest monastic complexes in Europe. The former abbey buildings are the home of the eminent Kinský family, whose property was restituted after the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Santini-Aichel, one of the most exciting and original architects of the period, remodelled the mediaeval monastery church in the early 18th century and built the amazing hilltop pilgrimage chapel of Zelená Hora (Green Hill) designed symbolically in the form of a five-pointed star and now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
After checking out of our hotel, we travel out of the town to Vranov château, spectacularly sited on a cliff above the river Dyje, the masterpiece of the great Austrian architect, Fischer von Erlach and an Unesco World Heritage site. After lunch, we travel to Uhercice, a majestic Renaissance-Baroque house, and the subject of one of the most significant restoration projects in the country. Continue to Lednice to check into our four-star hotel for the remaining 4 nights of this tour.
This morning we visit Castle Lednice, the Romantic Gothic Revival summer palace of the Liechtensteins, containing splendid original furnishings, and enjoy the great landscape park with its many 18th- and 19th-century follies. The entire Valtice-Lednice complex is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and forms one of the finest designed landscapes in Europe. A relaxing boat ride will take us to the Oriental minaret and there will also be time to explore the garden. In the afternoon we see 18th-century Milotice, with its theatric exterior and magnificent painted Ancestor’s Hall. A special group dinner will be in one of the enchanting garden pavilions with views over the park.
After breakfast we set out to visit Buchlovice, a charming Italianate villa and externally one of the most beautiful houses of Moravia, set in outstanding gardens. We continue to Bucovice, a late Renaissance château containing some of the finest Renaissance interiors in Central Europe.
After breakfast drive to Brno to see the iconic Vila Tugendhat, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the masterpiece of Mies van der Rohe. Recently superbly restored, it is the most important example of 1930s Modernism in the Czech Republic. In the afternoon we see the monumental palace of Slavkov, with superb plasterwork by Italian artists. Here the peace treaty between France and Austria was signed after the battle of Austerlitz which was fought in the surrounding fields. The evening will be spent enjoying a wine-tasting in a South Moravian vineyard before our last night in Lednice.
After breakfast, check out of our hotel and transfer to Vienna airport for our flight to London Heathrow.
- Scheduled return flights (economy class) with British Airways to Prague and return from Vienna to London Heathrow
- Private coach transfers and excursions
- Two nights’ bed and breakfast in the four star Hotel U Hrabenky in Telc and four nights’ bed and breakfast in the four star Hotel Galant, Lednice
- Five dinners and four lunches
- Guided visits to sites listed in the programme
- Services of a Lecturer and Local Tour Manager
- Detailed programme and study notes
- All entrance fees, taxes and gratuities for coach drivers and waiters
