Vranov nad Dyji Chateau

Vranov stands on a rock high above a bend of the Dyje and was rebuilt from 1687 for the Althann family by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, at the start of his career, after a fire destroyed the medieval castle. His Hall of Ancestors is the reason to come: a tall oval room projecting from the rock face, with a dome frescoed by Johann Michael Rottmayr and statues of the family's forebears in niches, arranged so the room reads as a dynastic argument, and it is one of the finest baroque interiors in Moravia. There is a chapel by the same architect. Later owners, the Mniszek family, added a ceramics factory whose products are shown. The chateau appears above the Vranov reservoir in every photograph of the lake, and the Podyji national park begins downstream. The village below is a summer resort.

What you actually see

• The Hall of Ancestors - an oval room with a Rottmayr dome and family statues.
• Fischer von Erlach's early work - the rebuilding begun in 1687 after a fire.
• A crag above the Dyje - the position that makes the silhouette.
• Mniszek ceramics - the estate factory's products shown in the house.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Guided tours only, seasonal, with separate routes for the hall and the ceramics. Closed Mondays. The village is a busy resort in July and August. Photography inside is restricted.

Nearby

Bitov castle is upstream; Podyji National Park begins below the dam.