Sunday 17 June 2012

Discovering South Moravia

Znojmo is not a place I had heard of before going there. The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide only deems it worthy of a few lines and doesn't go into any detail about what you will find when you get there. However, I am really glad that I made the trip. One of the 3 most important Moravian towns along with Brno and Olomouc, Znojmo has a wealth of baroque buildings, squares and churches along with what has to be one of the most breathtaking valley views I have seen in a long time.

We booked on to a day trip run by the Brno Expat Centre. The day didn't go according to plan, as 4 people dropped out of the tour at the last minute, meaning that the mini bus hire was no longer viable. Undeterred, 6 of us, lead by our Czech organiser and guide, decided to take the public bus. We just managed to get on board before it reached full capacity. We spent the scorching hot day enjoying the sights of the ancient town.

Before reaching the old town, there is a Parisian style roundabout with grandiose buildings dating from the mid-19th century.
Old Town Hall

Inside the underground labyrinth, dating from medieval times.
Fine if you are small like me, not so good if you are tall like him! It was interesting to go down,
but the tour was a little naff what with fake skeletons and goblins!

The intrepid day-trippers head through the back streets 

Inside the Gothic Cathedral of St Nicholas lies St. Boniface in all his finery

Incredible globe pulpit

Cathedral of St. Nicholas with neighbouring two-tier chapel

Dyje river

4 comments:

  1. Many thanks for this write-up & the photos. We drove through Znojmo in 2009 on our way back from Croatia but never had the time to explore the town. It is definitely on the agenda for a visit during our forthcoming holidays in the second half of July when we hope to be in South Moravia.

    The proofreader notes that you might want to insert an 'a' into the caption under your fifth photograph.

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    1. You're welcome! Definitely worth a visit. My photos don't do the view justice. Breathtaking!

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  2. Beautiful! Definitely going to have to visit this part of Europe next year me thinks..

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    1. If you decide to come over, would be great to meet up! Definitely recommend a visit to this pretty part of the world :)

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