Kolonada Reistna
How to honor the memory of your late father and brothers? If you are a relatively wealthy nobleman, you can, for example, build a lookout point similar to the Glorietta of Vienna's Schönbrunn. Such a monument stands on a hill about two kilometers southwest of Valtice, a famous wine town in southern Moravia. It is built at an altitude of 291 m and is therefore the highest point of the Lednice-Valtice area.
Information for visitors
Interesting facts Kolonada Reistna
The colonnade was built by Prince John Joseph I of Liechtenstein in the years 1810-1817. The memorial is a reminder of his father Francis Joseph I and brothers Philip Joseph and Alois I. Joseph. He originally began building the colonnade, and after his early death, John took it over and had it completed. The fact that he missed his family is proved by two inscriptions in German on the walls of the colonnade. In the middle of the north wall is written Der Sohn dem Vater, der Bruder dem Brüdern, meaning Son of Father, Brother to Brothers. In the middle of the south wall stands the inscription Den Manen der unvergesslichen der einzige überlebeude Sohn, translated as Unforgettable Ancestors the only remaining son. The colonnade is also decorated with statues of ancestors in antique costumes and there are tombstones on the back wall.
The architect Josef Hardmuth is responsible for the architectural design of the building, and he invented the classic pencil. However, he probably didn't care much about this work, and John Joseph I was not at all satisfied with his work. In 1811, due to their disagreements, the building was even stopped because Josef Hardmuth resigned. Two years later, however, Josef Poppelack continued construction and in 1817 successfully completed it. The fact that John Joseph I was probably right with his accusations became apparent less than a century later, when part of the colonnade probably collapsed precisely because of a bad project. His successor at the time, John II, had to have it repaired and the original sandstone columns were then replaced by concrete ones.
Today, Rajsna, as it is also called, is open to visitors from May to October. In the opening hours it is possible to climb the stairs to the lookout and enjoy the view of the wide surroundings. From the viewpoint you can see from all sides of the world, in the south Austria and its border town Schattenberg, in the north Valtice with its extensive vineyards and Lednice with Minaret, in the east rise the Little Carpathians and in the west is Mikulov with its castle and around it Pálava . It is of course possible to see the decorated exterior all year round.
Author: Martina Limbergová