zámek Mikulov
Castle · Czechia
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Mikulov Castle sits on a 13th-century stone foundation in this South Moravian town. A fire of unknown origin destroyed it in 1945, obliterating an irreplaceable anthropological collection that included Paleolithic finds from Předmostí, Dolní Věstonice, and Mladeč caves.
The castle crowns Mikulov on a limestone hill, the first thing a rider sees coming in from the vineyards of the Pálava wine country. Přemysl Otakar II granted the site to the Liechtenstein family in 1249, and they held it until 1560, keeping its Gothic form. The Dietrichsteins took over in 1575 and rebuilt it in the grand Baroque style that stands today, holding the castle until 1945. Napoleon stopped here on 12 December 1805, four days after Austerlitz, while preliminary peace talks between France and Austria were underway inside the castle; a first-floor room still marks the visit, though a typhoid outbreak soon forced the negotiators on to Bratislava, where the final treaty was signed. The Regional Museum has occupied the rebuilt castle since restoration finished in the early 1960s, its collections covering the town's history and its wine trade.
What you see
The Baroque castle stands on a limestone bluff above the town, its pale facade visible over the vineyards of the Pálava hills long before the road reaches Mikulov.
Practical
The castle is now the Regional Museum, open Tuesday to Sunday in the main season and Friday to Sunday only in April, October and November; there is no wheelchair access.
castlewineviewpoint
mikulov.cz/turistika/pamatky-a-prohlidkove-objekty/zamek ↗Google Maps ↗