Lednice Castle

Fortunately, the castle at Lednice, less than 10 kilometers northwest of Valtice, was open and the tour included informative English-language handouts.

All three of us were blown away by the stupendous beauty of the castle, its grounds and furnishings.

The princes of Liechtenstein began summering here sometime during the Renaissance but 19th century renovations turned it into a neo-Gothic jewel. The English garden looked vibrant even in fall.

Such exquisite attention to detail.  Like the greenhouse filigree

. . . canine gargolyes

. . .  stone carving on the hidden rear facade

. . . and the water fountain for the horses!

Lednice castle sits in an extensive architectural park decorated with "follies," including an Indian temple and a minaret.  More about them in the next entry.

An outdoor exhibit examined royal European attitudes about race.  Nobody's hands are clean, even in countries that banned slavery.

Meanwhile, the princes spent much of their time hunting deer.  I've never seen quite so many antlers.  It's a wonder there was any venison left for the goulash I ate that night.

Each trophy is engraved with who shot the buck and when.

Odd that nobody claimed the unicorn.  Fear of god, perhaps.

Oil portraits of the three princes hang in the ornate entrance hall.  Would you believe that chandelier, the castle's largest, is 50 feet long and weighs 1500 pounds?

Note the golden sun on the canopy in the ladies' bedroom.

So princessy!

More antlers in the knight's hall, still lit with candles when World War II forced the Liechtensteins to give up their ancestral home.  Can you hear me playing the world's smallest violin?  They're currently trying to repossess their castle. 

If they succeed, no doubt they'll celebrate in the summer dining room which was used only for that purpose.  Check out the pewter dishes

. . . and the thoughtful monkey below.

Dyed suede once covered the walls of the turquoise room.  Only fragments remain; the rest has been fabricated by a Belgian company.  Somebody should give the castle's florist a raise.

This chandelier hangs from a walnut ceiling.  I wonder how much it weighs?

The library continues the turquoise wallpaper motif.  That staircase, carved from a single oak tree, is completely self-supporting.  Not an iron nail to be found!

This wing altar, carved from ebony and ivory, depicts Christ's family tree.

Marbled bookbinding.

This stunning bouquet decorates the red smoking hall which connects to the greenhouse.

Here's where the horses were stabled.

A truly over-the-top tour.  We left wondering why the Lednice castle isn't on a par with the world's other major tourist attractions but thankful that we practically had the place to ourselves.  If only the birds of prey demonstration had been open!