In the season, the Vranov Tourist Train can take you from the square to the Vranov Beach, and you can also take it directly to the Vranov Chateau. Its route starts at the main beach of the Vranov Dam, going on through a beautiful footbridge connecting the other bank. The route crosses over the Dam and the forest panorama to the village of Vranov nad Dyjí, about 2 km away. From the square in Vranov nad Dyjí, it goes up to the Vranov Chateau, the jewel of the Podyjí National Park. A very impressive ride not only for children but also for adults.

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Shipping on the Vranov Dam has a rich history. "Masha," the first motorboat was launched on July 11, 1934. Today, the water of the dam are cruised by the ship “Valentýna”. You can choose a regular four-stop line or a sightseeing cruise that runs every day, up to three times a day. Shippers also offer special cruises enriched by tasting of the quality Znojmo wines and cheeses, or live music cruises.

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The mini-brewery opened in 2015 is located directly in the village of Bítov. It is a family brewery, which is connected with the Restaurant “U Tesařů”. The visitor has the opportunity to sit in the cellar, which is part of the brewery's production premises. The brewery offers guided tours with beer tasting.

All beers produced here are unpasteurized and unfiltered ones. These are fired directly from draft tanks, there is the possibility to buy packaged beers. The brewery in Bítov offers beer brewed in the local region.

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The Fairy Tale Trail is 4 km long and runs along forest and asphalt roads around the village of Panenská. Eleven stops lead you through a small, responsive, inquisitive and playful Human. He will awake your imagination, showing you not only the path through the forest, but also how to move, look around and protect the environment. On the information board at each location, you will read a fairy tale from which a competitive task results. There are benches where you can spend enough time to complete the task or just to relax. You will meet here various fairy-tale characters and experience magical adventures. Each stop represents a characteristic wooden statue of the character, which is part of the fairy tale story. All the texts on the information boards are in Czech, German and English.

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The Rumburak Lookout Tower is located at the southern foot of Velký kopec, 494 m above sea level, to the east of the Bítov Castle, to the north-west of the village of Bítov. Velký kopec is part of the Bítov Highlands.

The Lookout Tower is part of the restaurant and the pension of the Pysk Family. It was named after their beloved bird-pet. The costs of the construction, which ran from autumn 2008 to June 2009, are estimated at 4 million crowns. The opening ceremony was held on July 4, 2009. The brick prismatic tower has a total height of 30 meters, the viewing platform with a wooden gallery is at a height of 26 meters, and you can reach it on 146 steps.

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The State Chateau dominates the village of Vranov nad Dyjí. It used to belong, the same as the Bítov Castle and the Znojmo Castle, to the system of defence castles along the border with Austria. The first mention of the original castle dates back to 1100, when the Chateau was owned by Princes of Znojmo. The dominance of the Chateau is the so-called Ancestral Hall and the Chapel. The castle is surrounded by beautiful countryside.

www.zamek-vranov.cz

Bítov Castle is located about 2 km from the village of Bítov. The first written mention is from 1061-1067. The Castle lies on the promontory surrounded by the river Želetavka, near its confluence with the Dyje, in the canyon called “Moravian Switzerland”. The last owner (until 1945) was the industrial magnate, Baron George Haas of Haasenfels. Under his son George Jr., the Castle was changed into the largest private zoo on the Continent of that time.

www.hradbitov.cz

Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou Baroque Chateau belongs to the most powerful architectures of the first half of the 18th century in Europe. The original medieval fortress converted into a Renaissance chateau was at the end of the 16th century. Under the Questenberks, the most important family who has ever owned the Jaromeřice estate, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style from 1700 to 1737. The rebuilding project was developed by well-known Austrian architect J. Prandtauer. Along with the buildings, the Chateau Garden of the French (and partly English) type was also built.

www.jaromericenr.cz

The medieval castle of Jindřich of Lipá was rebuilt in the middle of the 16th century in the spirit of Genoa's palace architecture. Renaissance arcade courtyard on three floors, designed by Leonardo Garda da Bisono. By 2012, known especially for the exhibition of the monumental cycle of A. Mucha’s Slav Epic. Today, there are exhibitions of mainly contemporary art and other cultural events. Memorial Hall of Doctor Theofrast Paracelsa.

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Built in the first half of the 13th century by the Order of German Knights. Under the Lords of Liechtenstein, the building was repaired and left to the monastery. Around the year 1660, a lower Latin school was located here. Currently museum and gallery. Exhibitions of fine art, archaeological and ethnographic collections.

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Built by Sezemo of Kunštát from 1423 to 1426, as the replacement for the demolished "Old Castle" on the opposite bank of the Jevišovka. The Jevišovice branch of the Lords of Kunštát rebuilt the castle into a Renaissance chateau. In the first half of the 17th century, the castle was rebuilt into a Baroque form by Ludwig Raduit de Souches. As a part of the exposition, you can see the folk depository, the presentation of the castle kitchen or the archaeological collection of František Vildomec.

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The ruin is another one in the fortification system protecting the border of Moravia. Built in the first half of the 14th century, it was held by the Lords of Lichtenburg, later in 1464 conquered by the army of George of Poděbrady. With the development of firearms, the fortification of Cornštejn was also improved. At the end of the 16th century, however, the uninhabited castle began to deteriorate. In 1612 it was cited to be desolate.

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From the ruins, the remains of the masonry have been preserved up to this day. Its disadvantage is certain remoteness from the touristically most attractive places of Vranov Dam. The first mention of the Castle dates back to 1250. Sometime between 1283 and 1286, being the seat of highwaymen, the castle was captured by the Austrians. Since the 15th century it has been deserted.

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The village of Vranov nad Dyjí is situated in the picturesque valley of the river Dyje. The dominant feature of the village is the Castle, which rises over a 76 meter high rock. The village has a distinctly recreational character thanks to the sought after Vranov Dam and at the same time due to the location of the village on the edge of the Podyjí National Park. Besides the Castle there are many other historical monuments in Vranov. The Plague Pillar on the square, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the Rotunda by the Church or the statues on the outskirts of the village. There are also three light fortification buildings from 1936 to 1938, lately reconstructed.

www.navstivtevranovsko.cz

The village of Bítov is situated above the Vranov Dam, about 2 km from the Bítov Castle. The development of tourism and the new location of the village above the Lake made Bítov an attractive recreational site. There is a large number of holidaymakers in the summer season, who can get use of an extensive network of recreational and restaurant facilities. Bítov lies approximately 5 km from the centre of Vranov nad Dyjí recreation area. The surrounding area is suitable for cyclists. In the village there is one of the oldest castles of our country – Bítov Castle.

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The recreational village at the beginning of the Vranov Dam lies on both banks of the river Dyje. The village is located on the bicycle route Slavonice - Vranov nad Dyjí - Znojmo. In 1949 the village adopted the name Podhradí nad Dyjí. By then, it had been Frajstejn, Frejstein, in German Freistein. The modern name is inspired by the ruins of Frejštejn Castle, which dominates the village from all points of view. There are a number of holiday cottages and accommodation facilities on site. For tourists and cyclists a very attractive place.

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It is the ancient centre of Podyjí, situated on the border of Moravia and Austria, on a steep promontory over the river Dyje in places where the river slowly leaves the wooded valley. The royal town has preserved its historical character with many outstanding monuments and romantic nooks. It is one of the oldest Czech royal towns. It is famous for its wine-making tradition, dating back to the 12th century.

www.znojmocity.cz

Everywhere in Telč you can see elements of the medieval town defence system once consisted of ponds, walls, a ditch and a tower. Only two gates allowed access to the town. The square, surrounded by picturesque houses with shields and arcades, corresponds approximately to the extent of the town's founding. In 1530 Telč was destroyed by the fire. Zacharias of Hradec, an educated humanist enchanted by the Italian Renaissance, had beautiful houses built on the square according to a single plan, and the Telč Gothic fortress was transformed into a magnificent castle.

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The Rotunda stands on the second courtyard of the Znojmo Castle as the only witness of the oldest days of the town of Znojmo and perhaps even the oldest standing building on our territory. The Rotunda has been included in the list of national cultural monuments since 1962. It is ranked third in the order of importance right behind Prague Castle and Karlštejn. The inner walls of the Rotunda are plastered and decorated with wall paintings, which apart from the traditional biblical themes represent a gallery of Přemyslid monarchs with the central motif of the Přemysl Oráč occupation on the princely throne..

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The former Premonstratensian Monastery in Louka was one of the most important monastic complexes in Central Europe for six centuries. It was founded by Prince Conrad Ota (1189 Czech prince) and his mother Mary in 1190. The Premonstratensian Monastery became one of the most important institutions in Moravia, playing an important role in the history of Znojmo. In the Louka Monastery, the inventor of the first grounded lightning rod Prokop Diviš worked. From 1869 the entire area was continuously used until 1993 as a barracks.

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The original seat of the Princes of Znojmo was founded in the first half of the 11th century by Prince Břetislav. At the beginning of the 18th century, on the foundations of a medieval castle, a baroque castle was built. Nowadays there is a permanent exhibition "From the History of Znojmo", which presents the development of the prehistoric settlement of the region, monuments of Medieval and Renaissance Znojmo, the art of its temples, collections of stylish furniture, old prints, extinct crafts, military and hunting weapons, and sharpshooters’ targets. There is also a lapidarium and castle underground. In the castle moat there is a permanent exhibition of birds of prey.

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St. Nicholas Church, founded by the Prince of Znojmo, Leopold, in 1106. In 1335, a large part of the town, including the Nicholas Church, was burned. Three years later, a new temple was built by Charles IV. The construction of the temple was completed as late as in the first half of the 16th century. The local builder Mikuláš of Sedlešovice also had a significant share of the building. Inside the temple you can see a number of Late Gothic monuments. There used to be an old cemetery near the Church, which included the medieval ossuary, located between St. Nicholas Church and St. Wenceslas Chapel.

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A sighteseeing tour by the tourist train will reveal the most interesting part of the historical city of Znojmo in ninety minutes. It shows you round medieval streets and squares, you will be able to admire significant sights enjoying interesting views of the town from the valley of the river Dyje. You can get on at any of the eight stops. The journey can be interrupted and then, having the ticket marked, you can complete it in next link. However, the premise is that the train will not be overcrowded. The trainset has a capacity of 30 seats and also allows the transport of 4 bicycles. Cars and buses can park at the Municipal Baths or at the parking lot at the Louka Municipal Swimming Pool.

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The system of interlocking corridors beneath the entire medieval town has a truly European dimension, with a total length of 30 km. The corridors, running several floors above, were sculpted in the rock from the 13th to the 17th centuries and were well supplied with water from the so-called Jesuit water main. They served as food stores, but also as shelters of the inhabitants at times of danger to the city and formerly connected with the castle. The sightseeing tour starts at the Hen Market and is 1 km long.

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Two bunkers of the Czechoslovak fortifications from 1938, which are currently precisely equipped and armed in various periods of fortification in the 20th century. In the interior of the first fortress, you will taste the atmosphere of crisis days in September 1938, in the second fortress you will find yourself in the midst of the Cuban crisis and you will learn something about the hitherto strictly classified fortifications built in the 1970’s to defend the border against "imperialism". And that is not all. You can look through the fortress perimeter around the forts, or through the machine guns you can look into directions from where the enemy came from many years ago.

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This is a unique technical monument. It is a former large manmade Mill with 4 to 5 millimetres of groundwater wheels, which drove 10 grinding mechanisms. The mill was the largest of its kind in Moravia and was built in the 16th century. In the 17th century, there was a renovation in the Renaissance style. In the 1970’s, a large reconstruction of the Mill was carried out and in 1983 the building was opened to the public. The residential building of the Mill is a home of an exhibition of the Technical Museum, which includes an exhibition introducing visitors the miller technology from the Stone Age up to the present days. The Water Mill is protected as a national cultural monument.

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It is the largest water reservoir on Dyje. A 292-meter-long and 60-meter-long dam was built according to the Swiss project between 1930 and 1933. On the right bank, a three-turbine Power Plant is still in operation. At the time, it was the largest reservoir in Czechoslovakia with a lake length of more than 30km, reaching the village of Podhradí nad Dyjí. Nowadays the Vranov Dam is a renowned recreation area. The reservoir, traditionally called the "Moravian Adriatic", is one of the warmest reservoirs in the country.

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Built from 1962 to 1966, the Dam today serves to compensate for irregular runoff caused by the peak operation of the Vranov Hydroelectric Power Plant, to protect against floods and especially as a reservoir of drinking water for Znojmo and its surroundings. Before the fill-up of the Dam, partial deforestation of the banks and slopes was carried out, the objects of suburban recreation, the picturesque swimming pool, the historical pub “Pod Obří hlavou”, “Trauznický” Mill, 2 bridges and 22 recreational chalets were removed. The length of the flooded area is about 5 km, the largest depth of the lake is approximately 17 meters.