Communities
Znojmo
and the wine festival
Czech Republic
Znojmo, one of Moravia’s most ancient cities
is situated in southern Moravia in the Czech Republic,
near the border Austrian border and 44 kilometres
southeast of Brno. Perched on a protruding rock
formation on the left back of the Dyje River, where a
castle dominates the entire valley, the city has narrow
and winding streets where baroque and renaissance
style houses welcome visitors.
Founded in the 7th century, Znojmo beca-
me the dominant city when the Great Mo-
ravian Empire was at the peak of its power.
During the 11th and 12th centuries, Prince
Břetislav I built the city’s fortress. In 1226,
the king granted the city its charter which
included the right to produce wine and
collect taxes, even before these privileges
were granted to Moravia’s capital city, Brno.
Surrounded by walls, Znojmo is a medie-
val town situated in Central Europe, with
its Gothic church of St. Nicholas, built by
Emperor Charles IV in 1348, its baroque
globe-shaped pulpit, one-of-a-kind in the
world, and the City Council Tower which
dates back to 1446 and can be seen from
afar and from various parts of the city.
The city’s most ancient monument is the
Romanesque Rotonda of the Virgin Mary
and St. Catherine, dating back to the 11th
century and situated near the castle, one of
the most impressive and unique architectu-
ral monuments in the Czech Republic.
