St. Nicholas´s Church along with the neighbouring twostoreyed chapel form a very interesting architectural whole on the rocky headland above the Dyje, in the close proximity of the municipal fortifications. Similarly as ancient Lower Square with a plague column, the fortifikations towers and the Capuchin church it ranks among the typical landmarks of Znojmo.
Znojmo Castle (1046) was the seat of the apanage princes of the Přemyslid dynasty from 1055 to 1222 and throughout practically the whole of this period the flames of uprising raged from its walls. Under the pressure from the south the Prague throne rocked on more than one occasion. Two of the Znojmo Přemyslids succceeded in occupying it. Theyy were Konrád I and Konrád III Ota (1189 - 1191), on whose impulse the first written code of the Czech state – Konrád´s Statute – origin
ated. After the apanage principality had ceased to exist Znojmo became a royal castle. The strong fortress on a high rock frequently resisted enemy attacks and became the scene of the provincial diets and important assemblies. Pacts of importance for the destiny of the whole kingdom were concluded here, merry banquets celebrating important marriages stook place here and old privileges of the royal town were confirmed and new ones granted in its chambers. The castle perhaps enjoyed its greatest splendour in 1529, when for several months it was the seat of the widow of Ludwig Jaiello, Maria, who took refuge here against the threat of the Turks along with her grand Renaissance court.In 1710 the outer bailey fell to the town, which built a brevery on its area. The lords of Deblín converted the decaying castle into a château. According to the results of the latest research remainders of the original Romanesque buildings are concealed in its walls. The oldest, the best-known and the most valuable monument at Znojmo is the Rotunda of Our Lady. It owes its renown particularly to its unique wall paintings which, apart from religious themes, also portray scenes from Czech history. After the founding of the town a convent of the Minorites and Clare order of nuns originated in the outer bailey. Gothic remainders of the church which they shared have been preserved in a wall of the former convent.
Znojmo´s rotunda, woven with various mysteries, stands on the highest point of the castle courtyard.Wholly inconspicuous as regards its outer appearance, it surprises the visitor with its magnificent pictorial decoration of the Slavonic Middle Ages. It is unique in the Czech Lands as a whole. Here the church theme, represented in particular by a Marian cycle, is skilfully combined with secular motifs which portray the princes of the Přemyslid dynasty from its mythical founder Přemysl the Ploughman up to historically documented members of the Bohemian and Moravian branches, including the first Czech king Vratislav II.
Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí) was once the site of a busy market-place. Long-distance routes to Prague and Brno ran in a fork-like maner from here and thus determined the triangular shape of the later Upper Square.
The statue of St. Wenceslas, which gave the square its name, is the work of Vilém Mandlík (1677), a native of Gdansk. The semicircular windows of the house in the background betray the fact that it was once a coffee-house. In 1846 one of first society of readers in Moravia was founded in it.
St. Nicholas´s Church is the most monumental church at Znojmo. It is said that in gained its present appearance after a fire which broke out in 1335 during the marriage of John of Luxembourg´s daughter to the Duke of Austria. A stone statue of Christ at the post, a tabernacle in the form of high pinnacles and a font have been preserved on its Gothic furnishings. The Baroque font in the form of a globe, the work of the Znojmo sculptor Josef Winterhalder, is unique.
Next to the presbytery with an idyllic courtyard stands the mysterious St. Wenceslas´s Chapel of St. Anne and St. Martin was marked as St. Wenceslas´s after the statue of a knight on its façade. Preserved in its upper part is the only example of a Vladislav vault in Moravia. The gallery affords a magnificent view.
Curving above the mouth of little Pasířská Street are medieval arches. Centuries ago the Znojmo girdlers (after whom the street was named (pasíř = girdler) were renowned far beyond the walls of the town and their products gained popularity even among c
rowned heads. Until recently it seemed that the corners and little streets of the old town were threatened by irrevocable destruction. Now they are coming to life, however. Repaired buildings now house wine taverns, shops, pensions and galleries.Steep Napajedelská Street was once used daily for the leading of cattle to the river. In 1404 the troops of the knights loyal to Václav II made their way through this street to the town and defended it against King Zikmund of Hungary and Duke Albrecht of Austria. The siege, which lasted two months and during which artillery was allegedly used for the first time on our territory, was brought to an end by an epidemic of dysentry, to which the two rulers also nearly fell victim. The sculpture The Head of Christ in the upper part of the street is said to have saved Znojmo from the plague after it had been solemnly transferred to St. Nicholas´s Church. Napajedelská Street – that means statues, chapels and beautiful views.
Thanks to voluntary gifts from the wide environs the Caroline Parks with observation bastions and paths, which had to be blown out in the rocks, could be founded on the slopes below St. Nicholas´s Church in 1824. Here spring passes in the sing of alyssums whose clusters enlieven the monotonous grey of the rock walls. In early May hundreds of white and purple lilacs come into bloom.
St. Michael´s Church rises above the walls, which were of a triple character here. Before 1226 about twenty courts forming a separate community stood in its vicinity. In the Forties of the 13th century the parish priest of St. Michael´s Church was Master Vilém, the first known physician in Moravia. King Václav II himself made him his personal "carer for the welfare of his body.” In 1642 the steeple of the church collapsed. The demolished nave was renewed in Baroque style. A new belfry was built in Italian style a short distance away from the church.
The bust of Prokop Diviš, who in 1754 built at Přímětice the first earthed lightening conductor in the world, is the work of the Znoj
mo medallist and sculptor Jan Tomáš Fischer. It is situated in the centre of the park in Diviš Square. The same artis also created the memorial tablet on the old Jesuit grammar school. Apart from Prokop Diviš, it also recalls another of its renowned pupils, namely the outstanding opthalmologist and physiologist Jiří Prochaska (1739-1820). Veselá Street was a Kewish ghetto in the Middle Ages. In 1454 the Jews had to leave it on the basis of a royal command. The synagogue was converted into a Christian chapel and later into a dwelling-house on which the tower can still be seen. Ritual baths have been preserved in the cellars. The house, decorated with graffito, dats in the 16th century. The Rococo sculpture of St. John Nepomuk originated in the latter half of the 18th century.The graceful tower of the Town Hall forms an inseparable part of the picture of the town. The inscription on the memorial tablet tells us that the construction of the building was started in 1445 on the ”Monday after St. Margaret” by Master Mikuláš, a stonemason from Sedlešovice. Two lions guard the imperial emblem on the Renaissance portal of the old Town Hall. The wings of the Znojmo eagle spread out below it. Obroková Street, whose name is connected with ancient wayside inns, is lined with ancient houses.
The Upper Square has not a particularly ancient appearance, but its cultural history is not lacking in interest. The names of kings, emperors, military commanders, poets and writers appear in it. In 1736 a grand opera performance, the first which the inhabitants of Znojmo had the opportunity of seeing, took place here. In the mid- 19th century a printer by the name of Fournier published German and Czech books here and thirty years later Jan Vlk established anotary´s office here. He was a Znojmo revivalist and wrote the words of the national song ”Spring is Coming, Coming” and his co-workers included Jaroslav Palliardi, the eminent archeologist. The graffito in the square and in Kovářská Street (1936) is the work of the painter Oskar Pafka. Narrow Kramářská Street is now one of the most attractive. The picturesque courtyard of the former mint affords access to the underground of Znojmo.
The palaces in the Lower Square bring to mind the glorious and tragic events which they witnessed. They saw church processions and secular festivities, fires in whose flames Hus´s supporters died, and the death of their sworn enemy Zikmund, the last of the Luxembourg dynasty. In 1679 the plague raged in Znojmo, about one thousand of the town´s inhabitants falling victim to it. The event is brought to mind by a Baroque plague column. The Capuchins, whose manastery occupies the southern part of the square, showed exceptional bravery and self-sacrifice in helping the suffering.
The Dominican monastery, founded in the early 13th century on Husí Hill near the Eastern Gate, soon became a renowned place of pilgrimage, since it was alleged to own a splinter from Christ´s cross. However, it was destroyed during one of the fires and the renown of the place of pilgrimage disappeared with it. Not until the 18th century did it begin to regain its fame thanks to the miraculous Marian picture. The Late Gothic cloister dates in 1495, but the church is mainly a treasury of the Baroque. A number of outstanding artists took part in its decoration. The altar painting was painted by F. A. Maulbertsch, the sculptured decoration is the work of Klaudius Heinz and the portals of the church and convert were designed by F. Roetiers.
Throughout the whole period of its existence Louka monastery ranked among the richest in Moravia. For this reason it was able to realize a largescale reconstruction in the 18th century. However, only a part of the project was carried out up to the time of its abolition (1784). In spite of this, however, the imposing character of its buildings aroused respect. Even Hans Christian Andersen wrote about them in his diary. The Basilica of St. Wenceslas, a romanesque structure, bears the marks of all historic styles. In the course of repair works original building elements are diskovered. They include this window, for example. A whole number of rare manuscripts came from the monastery, but one of its greatest prides was its library, which is now housed in Strahov monastery in Prague, to which it was taken when Louka monastery was abolished. One hundred years ago a double-naved Romanesque crypt was discoveres below the nave of the church. The narved choir benches and the lacy grille of the christening chapel date in the latter half of the 17th century.