Treasures of Moravia - Great houses and gardens in the heart of Europe

Fly mid-morning from London Heathrow to Prague and drive south into Moravia. First of two nights in Třešť.

Perched high above a gorge close to the Austrian border, the great oval Hall of Ancestors (1688) at Vranov is one of the most impressive Baroque creations in Central Europe, the work of the greatest architect and painter in the region at the time, Fischer von Erlach. The Renaissance chateau in Uherčice, recently restored after decades of neglect during the Communist era, features unique stucco decoration in its Oval Hall, created by Baldassare Fontana. The grand Banquet Hall, famed for its impressive acoustics and excellent wall paintings, is among the most impressive secular interiors in Moravia.

Telč is a tiny town with the loveliest square in the Czech Lands, lined with Renaissance and Baroque façades above a meandering Gothic arcade. The castle here was extended in stages during the 16th century with a series of halls of brilliant, eccentric decoration around elegant, arcaded courtyards; a jewel of the Northern Renaissance. Further south, on a vast estate straddling the Austrian border once owned by the Liechtensteins – the richest magnates in the Habsburg Empire – Lednice has a superbly crafted Gothic Revival mansion, magnificent Baroque stables by Fischer von Erlach and a landscaped park dotted with architectural follies. Overnight in Lednice.

Valtice, the wine capital of Moravia, is also home to perhaps the grandest of the Baroque country houses in the Czech lands, serving as the main seat of the Liechtensteins until 1945. The palace contains one of the most sumptuous interiors in Moravia – a unique chapel by Antonio Beduzzi (1726). Visit also the marble-lined Spanish stables, the vast Winter Riding Hall and the painstakingly accurate reconstruction of an 18th-century theatre complete with authentic stage machinery. Continue to Brno, the second largest Czech city and present capital of Moravia. First of four nights in Brno.

Morning visit to Villa Tugendhat (subject to final confirmation), a superb house by modernist architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich. Free afternoon or an optional walk through the core of Brno. One of the loveliest and most interesting cities in the former Habsburg Empire, Brno is a showcase for historic buildings of many centuries and scene of a rich cultural life.

Bučovice has a splendid Renaissance mansion with an arcaded courtyard and stucco interiors of a quality virtually without equal in northern Europe. At nearby Buchlovice, a charming Italianate Baroque villa, a magnificent domed two-storey hall is adorned with superb stucco by Baldassare Fontana. The house is complemented by a formal garden and an extensive landscaped park containing rare tree species from North America and Asia.

First documented in 1285, the Gothic-Renaissance Pernštejn Castle stands as one of the best-preserved medieval castles in the Czech Republic. Visit the entrance hall with its remarkable diamond vault, the Knights’ Hall, and the newly restored terraced garden dating back to the early 19th century. The chateau at Lysice combines a Baroque exterior with primarily 19th-century interiors, including a Neo-Renaissance library. The chateau garden, which reopened in 2024 after extensive renovation, has an orangery, a historic fighouse with an 1880s sliding roof, and a spectacular garden colonnade.

Drive to the pilgrimage church of St John Nepomuk (1722), a Baroque-Gothic creation by the maverick architect Santini-Aichel and among the most bizarre and fascinating buildings of the 18th century. Continue to Prague for the flight to Heathrow, arriving early evening.

A number of the visits are by special arrangement. It is possible the order of visits may vary from the description above.