Slavkov u Brna castle - The Cairn of Peace Austerlitz - Moravian Karst

Route: Brno - Slavkov u Brna castle - The Cairn of Peace Austerlitz - Moravian Karst - Brno
Duration: 7 h
Firstly we will visit to the chateau in Slavkov u Brna is like visiting a piece of France. Castle of Slavkov ranks among the oldest well-preserved manors in Moravia. According to written sources the history of the present Baroque castle began in the 13th century, at that time there was the commandery of Teutonic Knights Order. During the reign of Ulrich III, at the end of the 16th century, new Renaissance castle was built upon the older foundations based on four-winged ground plan with arcades and a huge prismatic tower. The aristocratic family of Kaunitz was in possession of both, castle and the whole manor of Slavkov for more than four centuries. This monumental Baroque building where the truce after the battle  of Austerlitz was negotiated is primarily associated with the Kaunitz family.Dominik Ulrich Kaunitz from Kounice initiated the Baroque reconstruction of the Kaunitz Renaissance residence at the end of the 17th century. The task was entrusted to the Italian architect Domenicko Matinelli from Lucca. The author of fresco paintings was Andrea Lanzani who cooperated with the stucco master, Santino Bussi. Sculptures in the castle as well as in the park were created by Giovanni Giuliani.Today, you can visit its ceremonial decorated halls or relax in its expansive park. During our visit you will see  the oldest (western) chateau wing, decorated with ceiling frescos painted by Italian painter Andreas Lanzani and a part of the southern wing. You will visit the Hall of the Ancestors (former dining room of Kaunitz family with the view on the “Napoleon’s balcony”), Historical hall (where the peace treaty after the Battle of Three Emperors was signed) and the chateau chapel. Next we will visit to the memorial which was built to honour the victims of Napoleon’s victorious battle near Austerlitz at fought on 2 December 1805, from the initiative of Priest A. Slovák, as a realization of his idea to make a pious "place of light" from the centre of a one-time battlefield - memento of the wars. Now it is the dominant feature and natural centre of the Austerlitz battlefield as a protected battlefield zone. At the renovated Museum adjoining the Memorial, you can view an unconventionally conceived multimedia exhibition devoted to “The Battle Of The Three Emperors“ which presents the “second life" of the battle. Next we will visit to  the one of the most significant karst regions in Central Europe. One of its dominant features is the Macocha Gorge, with its nearly 140-metre deep “light hole”, the deepest of its kind in Central Europe. The top part of the gorge is 174 metres long and 76 metres wide.Of the more than one thousand caves in the area, five are accessible to the public. In the Punkva Caves, you can take a boat ride along an underground river to explore the bottom of Macocha, visit to the Catherine Cave is known for its extraordinary wand-shaped stalagmites or the Balcarka Cave stands out for its rich and colourful cave formations. There you will see the Barren Gully and Dry Gully are remarkable karst canyons, and also of note are the Rudice Sinkholes , under which the Jedovnice stream disappears, springing back to the surface only twelve kilometres further along at Bull Rock. After we return to Brno.
Price: per person