Interpreting Through Restoration: Czech Practices at the Lednice-Valtice World Heritage Site

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE US/ICOMOS INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

QUESTIONS OF INTERPRETATION HISTORIC SETTLEMENTS AND CULTURAL TOURISM

WASHINGTON, DC, USA 28-29 MARCH 1998

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES

COMITÉ NATIONAL DES ETATS UNIS DU CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES MONUMENTS ET DES SITES

Interpreting Through Restoration:

Czech Practices at the Lednice-Valtice World Heritage Site

Veronica E. Aplenc

University of Pennsylvania

Introduction

The Lednice-Valtice UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape represents a treasure of a

cultural landscape that reflects over five hundred years of human intervention, in both

architecture and landscape forms, and is unique in Central Europe. Today the vast Cultural

Landscape represents a major monument to both the Czech people and the international

community. When planning conservation efforts, the heritage and related identity of a site

must be identified as a first step, prior to efforts to enhance it. While the most apparent

patrimony stems from the Liechtenstein residency, a vibrant time from the thirteenth century

to 1945 when the main architectural and landscape features were installed, closer examination

of the site reveals that it has a complex history and contains several layers of heritage. Since

1945 and the introduction of state management through nationalization, the site has gained a

new layer of history, and thereby heritage, visible in practices associated with the site.Continuing today, these include practices of the preservation profession and local visitors. As an

example of an active connection with the past, these practices represent one aspect of the

site's identity that are worthy of consideration and merit conservation in future efforts to

revitalize the area.

This paper will provide an introduction to the non-physical, recent heritage of the post-war

period as an example of an intangible that plays a key role in linking local residents to a world

heritage site. After reviewing the history of the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape and the

physical heritage from the Liechtenstein period, the discussion will outline two examples of

practices from the post-war period, these being preservation philosophy and outdoor

recreational use. While these practices represent one period's interpretation of the past, they

equally provide an exciting living base for future conservation work to build upon.(1)

THE LEDNICE-VALTICE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape lies in the southeast corner of the Czech Republic and

encompasses approximately 220 square kilometers of land (extending about ten kilometers

from the Czech-Austrian border north, and up to ten kilometers from east to west). (2)

The








Cultural Landscape takes the form of a vast estate that was once part of the Liechtenstein ducal

seat, prior to its nationalization by Czechoslovakia in 1945, and where until that time the

Liechtensteins inscribed their presence by cultivating a landscape and a related builtenvironment. The name of the Cultural Landscape derives from the two settlements, Lednice

and Valtice, where the Liechtensteins built their major residences. The Cultural Landscape also

contains five other settlements, three man-made fishponds (Hlohovec, Central and Mill

Fishponds), and close to twenty major pieces of architecture. The majority of the architectural

monuments date from the eighteenth century and nineteenth centuries, while the landscape

features may be traced back to the seventeenth, and even the fifteenth, centuries. Several

natural features within the Cultural Landscape are protected by Czech national legislation, as

are the town of Valtice (a national town monument as of 1987), the Valtice and Lednice castles

(national cultural monuments as of 1995), and the entire Cultural Landscape (the Lednice-

Valtice Monument Zone as of 1992). Most recently, the entire area was declared the Lednice-

Valtice UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape in 1996. The presence of twenty major

architectural monuments linked to an enormous planned landscape make Lednice-Valtice a

unique site that has rightfully attracted much attention.

The involved history of the Cultural Landscape illuminates the multi-faceted nature of its

character and the resulting presence of several layers of heritage today. The area has a long

history of inhabitation, having been populated continuously since the Neolithic period. It was

during the residency of the Liechtenstein family, however, that the site received its current

form through a series of building campaigns conducted over several centuries. The

Liechtenstein family first established a presence in this area by 1249, and by the late fourteenth

century had acquired Lednice and Valtice. Over the course of the seventeenth century theLiechtensteins accumulated a vast wealth through political and financial moves, which was

augmented by their acquisition of the title of dukes in 1608 and the status of sovereign

principality in 1719. This wealth and power, in turn, allowed the family to map its identity

indelibly onto the land by the turn of the twentieth century. While not examined here, the

practices and philosophies through which the Liechtenstein identity was mapped onto the area

represents a topic worthy of further exploration.

The Liechtenstein family maintained a presence at the site until the conclusion of the Second

World War in 1945. At that time, the life of the Cultural Landscape took a new turn as the

estate was nationalized under post-war legislation (known as the Benes decrees) that expelledall ethnic Germans and Hungarians.(3)

Like many noble families classified as ethnically German,

the Liechtensteins were expatriated from the Czechoslovak state and their property

nationalized, which included numerous buildings, their contents, and 160,000 hectares of land.

Similarly, the predominantly German population of the towns of Valtice and Lednice were

expelled from the area. In parallel with nationalization, the management of the former

Liechtenstein estate passed into the hands of the Czech government where it has remained

through four changes of government to today.(4)

Since that time the Czech people have








inscribed their identity onto the Cultural Landscape through practices formally instituted

through state management and public use, in a way that today constitutes a new layer of

heritage. A review of the physical composition of the site will provide a frame of reference forlater discussion of the post-war layer of heritage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE

The physical base on which the post-war era has acted was laid by the Liechtenstein family

from the thirteenth century to 1945, with the majority of the physical evidence dating from the

eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. While the Cultural Landscape appears to tourists today as

a "natural landscape and historic places...an unspoiled whole,"(5)

as we review the composition

of the Landscape we should remember that this heritage represents the deliberate creation of a

distinct era.

Seen today as a major piece of Baroque style architecture in the Moravian region, the Valtice

Castle ( Zamek Valtice)(6)

and surrounding town were acquired by the Liechtensteins by 1395

and served as their seat from the early seventeenth century on. While the origins of the Castle

reach back to the thirteenth century, rebuilding campaigns undertaken in the seventeenth and

eighteenth centuries today dominate the appearance of the Castle. The complex history of the

Castle's development, including the presence of numerous architects, makes it difficult to

attribute with certainty its architectural features to specific individuals. The Liechtensteins

spent little time here during the First Republic (1918-1938), officially leaving in 1945. Following

liberation of the area by the Soviets in 1945, the castle sustained extensive damage that is

today attributed to the liberators. Since nationalization in 1945 the building has undergoneradical changes to the interior, including period reconstruction, and some alterations to the

exterior. At the present time in addition to the central building, the Castle complex includes

stables, a Baroque style chapel, and riding hall. The Valtice Castle serves a number of uses by

supporting museum, office, workshop, daycare and cultural activities.

Located on a site that was a swampy environment prior to human intervention, the Lednice

Castle ( Zamek Lednice) served as the Liechtenstein family summer home until nationalization in

1945. Valtice's counterpart at Lednice is known not only for the architecture of the castle itself,

but at least in equal measure for its surrounding landscape. The first written record of a castle

in Lednice dates from 1222, with full ownership of the area by the Liechtensteins dating to

1371, at the latest. As at Valtice, the Lednice Castle underwent extensive renovations in the

seventeenth century, with the work of Fischer von Erlach resulting in a Baroque style building

that still stands today. The significant building campaign of 1846-1858 begun by the Viennese

architect Jiri Wingelmuller resulted in the transformation of part of the Castle to the romantic,

Neo-Gothic manner that dominates today. The Glasshouse (Sklenik ) associated with the Castle

was built in 1843 and is attributed to the English architect Devian.








Designed in its final stages as a showpiece and not as a permanent residence, the Lednice

Castle was opened by the Liechtensteins to the public at the end of the nineteenth century.

Although valuables were removed during the Second World War by the family as well aslooters, the Castle has remained continuously open to visitors with the exception of one month

in 1945. In the post-war period, the Castle has not undergone extensive rebuilding. Today it has

an eight-wing floor plan comprised of the Neo-Gothic manner wings to the east and the

Baroque style portion to the west. The castle supports a number of uses including a museum,

teaching facilities, administration, a gift shop and a gallery in the Neo-Gothic manner wing, and

housing, an aquarium, stores and workshops in the Baroque style wing.

The Landscape (Kr ajina)

One of the most striking aspects of the Lednice-Valtice area are the associated parklands that

join with the architectural monuments to form a cultivated landscape to form a living historical

document.(7)

Of enormous proportions, this magnificent monument bears witness to the

Liechtenstein's avid interest in exotic and progressive agriculture and boasts a history that rivals

that of the two castles. Notable features of the landscape today include the Valtice Castle park,

the Lednice Castle park, numerous exotic plants in the Lednice Castle park, the Bori Les forest,

and avenues.

While the date of the earliest landscaping work has not yet been established, as the earliest

related written records are only from the late 1500s, the Liechtensteins are believed to have

constructed during the fifteenth century the three fishponds that lie within the Cultural

Landscape. It is known that in the sixteenth century gardens were established at both castles,and by the mid-seventeenth century the Lednice garden had been modified into an extensive

early Baroque style park and already included pavilions. Beginning in the second half of the

seventeenth century, the Liechtensteins constructed avenues between Valtice and area

landmarks. Judged today not as an aesthetic intervention, this Renaissance-inspired network is

understood as an organizing force in the landscape and survives today. Active in horticulture

and the development of exotic plant species, the Liechtensteins introduced foreign tree species

into the park, including specimens from North America at the end of the eighteenth century. A

very unusual collection for the time, it was frequently visited, and the park was opened to the

public under the reign of Joseph Alois I, sometime from 1782 to 1805.

In the nineteenth century, the dominant philosophy guiding modifications to the park was that

of the English romantic landscape in keeping with European landscape design at the time. This

aesthetic first found expression in work of 1805-1808 that included the construction of a pond

and sixteen islands adjacent to the Lednice Castle, and was continued later in the century in

other areas of the Cultural Landscape. Over the course of the nineteenth century the

Liechtensteins constructed close to twenty follies throughout the park that today are believed

to have been linked by vistas and axial relationships. The family also introduced numerous

exotic plants to the landscape, with more than 32,000 specimens of various plants or seeds








brought to Lednice by the beginning of the nineteenth century. Not surprisingly, by 1903 this

resulted in the largest collection of orchids and cycas plants on the European continent. The

vastness and exotic nature of this collection is still represented in the plants of the Lednice parktoday.

The Follies ( Zamecky )

The follies, or small-scale castles, at Lednice-Valtice represent one of the most memorable and

defining aspects of the Cultural Landscape. Constructed by the Liechtensteins in the eighteenth

and nineteenth centuries, these romantic quotations of the exotic "other" and previous

architectural styles are scattered throughout Cultural Landscape. While it should be noted that

several small follies also exist, the larger ones currently number sixteen and are described

below. The majority is owned by the regional state institution charged with their care, the Brno

Heritage Institute; the remainder are the Hunter's Lodge (privately owned), John's Castle

(National Agricultural Museum, Prague), Pohansko (the City of Breclav), the Fishpond Folly

(Mendel University), the Border Folly (privately owned), the Temple of Apollo (Municipal

Office), and the Temple of the Three Graces (Mendel University).

The earliest surviving folly is the sandstone Obelisk towards Pritluky (Obelisk ) designed by

Joseph Hardtmuth and erected in 1798 by Duke Alois Joseph I to memorialize the peace treaty

between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Austrian Archduke Karl that was concluded in Campo

Formio. Today the Obelisk demonstrates some signs of deterioration and, while standing in the

middle of a plowed field, still serves its original function.

The Minaret (Minar et ), standing 59.39 meters high, was built from 1797 to 1804 according to a

design by Joseph Hardtmuth on a pond opposite the Lednice Castle. Despite interventions the

building currently suffers from structural problems and requires conservation. It continues to

serve as a lookout tower for the Lednice-Valtice landscape.

The Moorish Pumphouse (Vodar na) was designed by Joseph Uebelacher and is believed to

have been constructed around 1800. It stands on the river Zamecka Dyje, within the Lednice

Castle park. Today it is no longer operational, having been replaced in the twentieth century

with new waterworks that are located on the opposite bank of the river.

Belvedere (Belveder ), lying north of the town of Valtice, originally served as the estate's

pheasantry and contained aviaries. Designed by Joseph Hardtmuth and erected in 1802, the

folly is currently in disrepair and empty.

The "Roman" Aqueduct and Cave ( Akvadukt a her mitaz) were designed by Joseph Hardtmuth

in 1805 and stand on the banks of the pond in the Lednice park. The artificial ruins, linked to

man-made caves, at one time carried water that fell as a waterfall into the pond. This folly

group is currently under repair.








The Hunter's Lodge (Lovecky zamecek ) was built by Joseph Hardtmuth in 1806 in the meadows

east of Lednice, near the village Ladna. Originally serving as a gathering place after the

conclusion of hunts, today the folly appears inhabited but in poor repair.

John's Castle ( J anuv hr ad ), was constructed from 1805 to 1811 according to a design by Joseph

Hardtmuth. It takes the form of castle ruins and originally served as a hunting lodge with

kennels, stables and a banquet hall. Located a few kilometers northeast of the Lednice park, the

castle houses a branch museum of the National Agricultural Museum, of Prague, as well as

occasional special events.

The New Court or New Farmyard (N ovy Dvur ), situated close to the Temple of the Three

Graces, was rebuilt in 1809 to 1810 by Joseph Hardtmuth from a pre-existing structure and

later modified in 1820 by Franz Engel. Originally serving as stables for the duke's merino sheep,

it accommodated horse raising in the late nineteenth century. Today the building continues this

use, housing stables.

Pohansko (P ohansko), designed by Joseph Hardtmuth, was built in 1810-1811 on the earthen

ramparts of a fortified settlement of the Great Moravian Empire, whose archaeological remains

have been uncovered nearby. Located to the south of Breclav, this structure is currently under

renovation to accommodate a branch of the city museum.

The Rendez-Vous Folly or Temple of Diana (Randez-Vous/Dianin chr am) was built between

1810 and 1812 by Joseph Kornhausel, based on designs by Joseph Hardtmuth. Used by the

Liechtensteins after hunts for its gathering and feasting rooms, the folly is currently empty andundergoing restoration as part of a continuing joint project between the World Monuments

Fund and the Brno Heritage Institute.

Rising above the town of Valtice on Reistna hill, the Colonnade (K olonada na Rajstne) was built

between 1812 and 1823 by Joseph Kornhausel, based on a design by Joseph Hardtmuth, or by

Joseph Popallack. Located in the no-man's-land between Austria and Czechoslovakia

throughout the socialist period, the folly only became accessible in 1989. Today it serves its

original use as a prominent landscape feature and a lookout point. Despite repairs in the early

twentieth century, the folly requires structural repairs and conservation.

The Fishpond Folly (Ry bnicni zamecek), overlooking the Central Fishpond from the north, was

built by Joseph Kornhausel from 1814 to about 1816. It is sited high on the bank above the

Central Fishpond and affords a direct view to the Temple of the Three Graces across the pond.

In attractive exterior appearance thanks to recent repairs, its interiors house a small exhibition

area and serve as a workplace for the Union of Ornithologists.

The Border Folly (H r anicni zamecek) was completed by 1827 by the architect Joseph

Poppelack, possibly using the designs of Franz Engel or Joseph Kornhausel. Standing on the far








west bank of the Hlohovec Fishpond, it balances the Temple of Apollo located at the east end of

the Mill Fishpond. As its name indicates, at one time the folly stood precisely on the border

between South Moravia and Lower Austria. Recently redone in a heavy-handed restoration, thefolly opened as a restaurant-cafe in the summer of 1996.

The Temple of Apollo ( Apollonuv chr am) stands on a hill above the Mill Fishpond and was

designed in 1817 by Joseph Kornhausel and erected in 1819 by Franz Engel. The building

currently appears to be empty although it is frequently visited, particularly by people using the

recreational facility below the folly. At the time of this writing, the exterior of the building is

marred by extensive graffiti.

The Temple of the Three Graces (C hr am T r i Gr acii ) was constructed in 1824 by Franz Engel to

face the Fishpond Folly, on the opposite bank of the Middle Fishpond. The statues of Athena,

Aphrodite and Artemis that stand in the foreground of the folly represent the work of Johann

Martin Fischer and once stood in the Lednice park. Today the folly appears to be recently

repaired, although not permanently occupied. Caretakers quarters are located adjacent to the

folly.

The final folly to be built in the Lednice park area was the Chapel of St. Hubertus (K a ple sv.

H uber ta). Erected in 1854 or 1855 by Jan Heidrich based on a design by George Wingelmuller, it

is located to the northeast of the Rendez-Vous folly in the Bori Les forest. Today this folly serves

its original purpose of a destination for outdoors trips.

RECENT LAYER OF HERITAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SITE

As an ensemble, the sixteen major follies, two castles and over two hundred square kilometers

of protected cultural landscape create a striking assemblage of architecture and landscape

heritage from the fourteenth through nineteenth centuries. Given the complex history and

character of the site, a thorough assessment of the heritage of the Cultural Landscape must

also include the inheritance from the post-war period, which largely takes the form of practices

associated with the site, some of whose origins reach back to the era of Liechtenstein

residency. These practices represent both one period's interpretation of the Liechtenstein era

heritage and an indelible layer of heritage today. While less immediately apparent than the

physical patrimony left by the Liechtensteins, this newer heritage requires consideration as it

represents a living link with the past, and thereby the active presence of historical continuity at

the site. As noted previously, while practices undoubtedly existed during the Liechtenstein era,

this paper focuses on two examples of those that have maintained an active role since

nationalization in 1945.

The newer layer of heritage has been inscribed onto the site through post-war practices

typically associated with monument sites in the Czech Republic which most notably include the

practice of restoration, the introduction of mixed uses, the touring of history, and outdoor








recreational use. Of these, preservation practices and outdoor recreational use will be

described below as examples of practices that represent one layer of the identity of the

Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape and help to define it.

While variation has occurred over time in Czech preservation, evidence supports the existence

of a distinctly Czech approach towards preservation that has its origins in the mid-nineteenth

century. The Czech system of managing cultural heritage is grounded on an older tradition of

caring for monuments that reaches back to the mid-nineteenth century, prior to the

establishment of an independent Czech state. In recent years Czech preservationists have

written extensively on the theory and practice of appropriate physical interventions, and the

number, scope and concerns of these publications suggest that a well-educated and active body

of professionals have made informed choices regarding this philosophy.(8)

Discussions of both

theory and practice locate the philosophical foundations of historic preservation in the work of

late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century Austro-Hungarian scholars of art history,

most notably Alois Riegl and Max Dvorak, and it is upon their work that Czech scholars of the

mid-twentieth century expanded. Furthermore, Czech preservationists today hold that their

practice of the state care of cultural heritage represents a continuation of nineteenth-century

practices dating to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In counterdistinction to the North American

approach, the characterizing features of Czech preservation during the socialist period included

two tenets: first, that monuments should be portrayed as aesthetic wholes; and secondly, that

historic sites must enjoy continuing that reintegrates them into the life of the surrounding

community.

The surprising alignment through the socialist period of 1948 to 1989 with bourgeois-periodscholars and the lack of pervasive, politically charged dogma in preservation writings of the

socialist period suggest that political climate played little of a role in theoretical consideration

of architectural rehabilitation and conservation practices. Describing bourgeois-period theories

of preservation as "[these concepts] were codified later in the Venice Charter," one Czech

preservationist identified the profession's foundation not in contemporary, internationally

accepted statements, but rather in a distinct, long-existing theoretical consideration supported

by practice that began in the early twentieth century.(9)

The philosophy of aesthetic whole and continuing use may be noted throughout the twentieth

century, even though significant change has occurred in the way it has been interpreted in

restoration projects. Evidence suggesting continuity in Czech preservation during the second

half of the twentieth century includes stable patterns in preservation philosophy, training,

terminology, legislation, and governmental institutional work. In the Lednice-Valtice Cultural

Landscape, several monuments offer evidence of this philosophy and its recent interpretations,

including the aggressive interventions of the 1950s and the more sensitive approaches of the

1990s. The interior spaces that are open to the public in the Valtice Castle stand out as a

particularly representative example of Czech preservation practice from the 1950s and 1960s

which is today highly criticized, but bears witness to a turning point in the Castle's history. In








keeping with the interpretation of preservation philosophy of the time, the renovations from

1959 to 1967 took great liberties in the creation of period rooms for the Castle museum. Today,

they are termed fanciful constructions rather than the re-institution or enhancement of existent or historically present features. As such, the character of the renovation implies that

the monument's fundamental value stems from its aesthetic qualities and suggests a simplified

version of the Castle's history.

Desires for an aesthetic whole can be noted today, as seen in the 1996 renovation of the Border

Folly by a private individual for entrepreneurial purposes. Given its extensive elimination of

historic fabric, this renovation has been evaluated negatively by Czech preservationists, both

during the work and subsequent to it. Its clean look, however, apparently holds appeal and

represents the expected results of Czech non-preservationists as the restored building appears

to have been well-received by domestic visitors, bearing witness to a continuing expectation of

aesthetic unity in monuments.

The adherence to a tenet of an aesthetic whole, however, does not necessarily entail the

simplification of history or the destruction of original fabric. Respectful treatment of original

materials has been extensively debated by Czech preservationists in the 1990s. Professional

practice in Lednice-Valtice of this decade reflects a more sensitive interpretation of Czech

preservation philosophy, and seeks to conserve and enhance the historic value of original

materials. On-going work on the Lednice Castle facade includes the analysis and matching of

original materials. Similarly, recent cooperation between Czech, US and European conservators,

arranged through collaboration between the World Monuments Fund and the Brno Heritage

Institute, has successfully demonstrated the uniting of internationally accepted sensitivitytowards historic materials with Czech preservation approaches, as evidenced in work on the

Rendez-Vous Folly and the Valtice Chapel. Taken together, the treatment of the monuments of

the Cultural Landscape during the post-war period offers evidence of a specifically Czech

approach to preservation as it evolved over time.

The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape also carries evidence of the continued presence of

public outdoor recreation, a fitting use for the World Heritage Site, as an example of the Czech

philosophy of integrating monuments into contemporary life. Outdoor recreation, such as

walking and hiking along nature trails, has enjoyed a long, continuous popularity with the

Czechs that reaches back to the mid-nineteenth century. Documented in analyses and personal

accounts (such as the 1934 Czechoslovak Travel: a diary of travel around the republic from 28

April to 28 October(10)

), Czech early twentieth-century camping and hiking practices arose

following the First World War as a way of romantically touring the country. Whether a leisure

activity for young boys camping under the stars, for adults of greater means, or politically

ostracized individuals, the recreational enjoyment of the outdoors flourished prior to the

Second World War. Czech publications express a pride in this tradition, going so far as to argue

that although "[t]he majority of European nations have a history of sojourning in nature," the

Czech variant has "no parallel in the history of the European nations;" in fact, the Czech practice








is credited as having inspired similar European activities.(11)

Recreational uses have continued in

the post-war era and may be noted in personal accounts (such as the 1970 Land Lost in

Thought );(12)

the installation of various types of trails throughout the Czech Republic; thedevelopment of a system of protected nature areas; and the establishment of administrative

institutions to manage natural resources.

Designed as a wondrous landscape during the Liechtenstein residency and historically open to

visitors since the early nineteenth century, the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape has received

extensive, continuing use since the turn of the twentieth century. Examples of post-war

outdoor recreation at the Cultural Landscape take place at the extensive network of trails that

extend through the Cultural Landscape into the surrounding landscape, the dedicated

recreational facilities within the Cultural Landscape, and the formal gardens of the Lednice

Castle park.

Dating from the Liechtenstein period, the use of trails has continued and been promoted

throughout the twentieth century. During the pre-1989 period, outdoor recreation of this type

was encouraged through the establishment of an educational trail around the Lednice

fishponds, a typical type of trail found in Czech nature reserves, that opened in 1983. In 1996,

the local District Office was planning to expand this activity through placing two additional

paths to run through the Cultural Landscape. A second example of a prominent and well-used

outdoor area may be found in dedicated recreational centers, such as those found at the

Temple of Apollo. The meadow below the folly is built up with camping facilities constructed

during the pre-1989 period, including permanent food stands and restrooms. Today, during the

summer these facilities are highly frequented, while in the cooler months, the park supportsoccasional use by individual visitors. Such visitation has remained high in the post-1989 period.

Finally, the park immediately adjoining the Lednice Castle continues to support extensive use.

Historically open to visitors since the early 1800s, the park has experienced high use during the

post-war period. The Lednice park received attention in the 1934 book Ceskoslovenska

Cesta (Czechoslovak Travel ), a diary documenting a couple's tour of the country. Describing the

"sweet hours with vegetation and the animal kingdom...alongside streams, fishponds and

pools," the author describes several follies as well as the surrounding

landscape.(13)

Documented uses that continue today include cyclists, walkers, and joggers

during the spring and summer months, and skaters and cross-country skiers in the winter

months. As users include individuals walking dogs and parents with children, as well as the oneslisted above, it appears that locals enjoy a strong presence among park visitors. Together with

the network of trails and dedicated recreational facilities, the continuing use of the Lednice

park links it to the Czech population.

CONCLUSION

The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape represents a remarkable collection of architectural and

landscape features, as well as an historical document recording the actions, beliefs and








practices of its residents from the thirteenth century to today. The physical patrimony from the

Liechtenstein period undoubtedly forms the physical essence of the Cultural Landscape. In

conjunction with the physical inheritance, the more recent layer of heritage from the post-warperiod that includes practices is equally present at the site and, more significantly, represents

an active link with both the Liechtenstein and the post-war eras. This layer is particularly crucial

to a site as a cultural landscape, which by definition expresses a people's link to their

surrounding environment, and it represents an integral part of the site's contemporary and past

identities. While not generally considered by preservation, the associated practices represent at

least as important a link to the past as the monuments themselves, as they represent a

continuity through several layers of the site's complex history. Although these practices are

currently present at the Cultural Landscape, like the physical monuments they are endangered

by a lack of focused attention. An expansion of these practices into revitalization efforts,

including the consideration of the entire Cultural Landscape as an aesthetic whole, building

upon outdoor recreation throughout the Landscape, and continuing the sensitive evolution of

Czech restoration practice, will preserve existent historical continuity at the site. In the face of a

challenging global economy, and particularly the challenges of tourism, the enhancement of

these practices can help to conserve an historic site and serve as an exciting example of

successfully integrating the past into the living present.

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March 13, 1997.

Krezmar, Vladimir. "K podstate viceucelovosti v lesnim hospodarstvi z hlediska tvorby a ochrany

krajinneho prostredi." Pamatky a priroda 13, no. 2 (1988): 103-108.

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36.

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v ceskych krajich, Jiri Hilmera and Hugon Rokyta. Praha: Sportovni a turisticke nakladatelstvi,

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Luzova, Pavla, Director of Valtice Castle, interview by author, 14, 1997. Valtice, Czech Republic,

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author, Lednice, Czech Republic, March 13, 1997.

Mzykova, Marie. "Chateaux en Boheme: le retour a la propriete privee." Monuments

historiques 188 (July-August 1993): 25-29.

Novak, Zdenek, text. Zamecky park v Lednici . Brochure. Pamatkovy ustav v Brne, 1994.

Novak, Zdenek. "Lednicko-valticky areal jako vyznamny doklad krajinarske tvorby ve stredni

Evrope." Zpravy pamatkove pece 8, no. 1 (1993): 1-6.

Neumann, Stanislav K. Ceskoslovenska cesta: denik cesty kolem republiky od 28. dubna do 28.

rijna 1933: cast prvni: opozdene jaro. Praha: Fr. Borovy, 1934.

Stulc, Josef. "K soucasnemu stavu metodolgie udrzby a obnovy stavebnich pamatek." Pamatky

a priroda 12, no. 3, (1987): 129-147.

"La theorie et la pratique de la restoration: la palace des Premyslides,

Olomouc."Monuments historiques 188 (July-August 1993): 37-50.

Stulc, Josef, and Ivan Gojdic. "Introduction."Monuments historiques 188 (July-August 1993): 11-13.

Prazak, Otakar, Referat zivotniho postredi, Oddelení ekologie, ovzdusi, odpadu a EIA, Okresny

urad Breclav, interview by author, Breclav, Czech Republic, March 10, 1997.

Waic, Marek, and Jiri Kossl. Cesky tramping 1918-1945. Praha: Ruch, c. 1992.

END NOTES

1. I have taken adopted the information in this paper from the analysis of Czech preservation in

my master's thesis. For a more detailed discussion, see Veronica E. Aplenc, The Conservation of

Cultural Identity Through the Care of Monuments: Guidelines for the Lednice-ValticeMonument

Zone, unpublished master's thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 1997.

2. The Zone lies about one hour's drive north of Vienna, Austria, and may be reached from

Vienna by Austrian highway no. 7.








3. This law, number 12 of 21 June 1945, allowed for the assumption of property held by

Germans, Hungarians and war-time traitors of the Czech state. Although a later law of the same

year (number 35) allowed for the restitution of such properties if owners could prove theirinvolvement in anti-Nazi activities during the war, few estates were returned and did not

include the former Liechtenstein estate in Valtice and Lednice. As this legislation was passed

prior to the communists' coming to power in 1948, it has not been repealed. See Marie

Mzykova, "Chateaux en Boheme, le retour a la propriete privee,"Monuments historiques 188

(July-August 1993), p. 25.

4. The four political entities that have existed from the end of the Second World War to today

are the Czechoslovak state led by Benes from 1945 to 1948, the socialist state of Czechoslovakia

from 1948 to 1989, the democratic Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992, and the independent

Czech Republic from 1992 to today.

5. Ann Banks, "Gateway to Europe's Lost Elysium," Conde Nast's Traveler 31 (April 1996), pp.

110, 111.

6. The names of the architectural monuments are given by their most common English

translation, followed by their names in Czech. Accents above certain letters, although necessary

for correct spelling in Czech, have been omitted throughout this paper.

7. Popular publications on the park include Zdenek Novak, text, Zamecky park v Lednici ,

brochure (Pamatkovy ustav v Brne, 1994), translated into English in as Chateau Park in

Lednice. In addition, the castle guide by Milos Stehlik, Zamek Lednice, brochure (Pamatkovyustav v Brne, 1994), know in the English translation as Lednice Chateau, contains some

information on the Lednice park and surrounding landscape. For an academic consideration of

the Lednice-Valtice landscape, see Zdenek Novak, "Lednicko-valticky areal jako vyznamny

doklad krajinarske tvorby ve stredni Evrope," Zpravy pamatkove pece 8, no. 1 (1993), pp. 1-6.

This has been translated into English and may be found in appendix 4 to Conservation and

Economic Enhancement Plan for Valtice Zamek and Its Environs, South Moravia, Czech Republic,

Proceedings of Planning Charrette, July 11-16, 1993, unpublished report prepared by the World

Monuments Fund, World Monuments Fund, New York, 1993.

8. This study is based on discussions presented in the major Czech preservation journal

(Pamatky a priroda) from 1984 to 1990, in the leading architectural journal ( Architektura CSR)

from 1984 to its apparent disbanding in 1989, and in Czech books. While preservationists have

continued theoretical debates on their field since 1990 in the state historic preservation

journal, none could be accessed for this research. The journal Architektura CSR was selected as

it represents the main architectural journal of the period. Pamatky a priroda (Monuments and

Nature) was chosen as one of two identified by Czech preservationists as the most significant as

regards preservation (as noted by Vratislav Nejedly, "Reflexe nazoru na restauroani umeleckych

pamatek v odborne literature v obdobi 50. - 70. let 20. stoleti," Pamatky a priroda 12, no. 9







(1987), p. 513); the second,Umeni ( Art ), was not consulted as it considers fine arts topics. 1984

was chosen as a cut-off year for the journal articles as it falls five years prior to the political

changes and allows for a little more than a decade of activities reviewed.

9. Josef Stulc, "K soucasnemu stavu metodolgie udrzby a obnovy stavebnich pamatek," p. 143.

10. In the Czech original, Stanislav K. Neumann, Ceskovslovenska Cesta: denik cesty kolem

republiky od 28. dubna do 28. Rina (Praha: Fr. Borovy, 1934).

11. Marek Waic, and Jiri Kossl, Cesky tramping 1918-1945 (Praha, Ruch, c. 1992), p. 9.

12. In the Czech origin, Ladislav Stehlik , Zeme zamyslena: Sumava (Praha: Cs. spis., 1970).

13. Stanislav K Neumann, pp. 26-35.

14. For a full listing of the sources consulted in the research that led to this paper, see Veronica

E. Aplenc, The Conservation of Cultural Identity Through the Care of Monuments: Guidelines for

the Lednice-ValticeMonument Zone, unpublished master's thesis, University of Pennsylvania,

1997. As throughout this paper, accents above certain letters, although necessary for correct

spelling in Czech, have been omitted here.

Interpreting Through Restoration: Czech Practices at the Lednice-Valtice World Heritage Site

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