The Main guided tour The fortified seat in Valtice, standing on the border between Austria and Moravia, was most probably established in connection with the colonisation activity of the Passau bishops in the 2nd half of the 11th century. The medieval seat, the ownership of which alternated between a number of renowned Austrian medieval dynasties (house of Seefeld, house of Kuenring), in 1395 definitively came under the control of the house of Liechtenstein, which owned Valtice as their main residence up to its post-war confiscation in 1945. Valtice became the main seat of the house of Liechtenstein in the 2nd half of the 16th century, after the Liechtenstein family were forced to sell their seat in nearby Mikulov. Since that time a range of reconstructions have been carried out here – each of the princes wished to adapt the residence according to his own taste and exceptional standing at the Viennese court. After the early baroque reconstructions under the reign of the Bohemian viceroy and founder of the dynasty’s power Charles I of Liechtenstein, the chateau had been renovated throughout the entire 17th century, when it was occupied by Charles’s son, the art lover Charles Eusebius of Liechtenstein. However, the most significant construction adjustments are linked with the reign of prince Anton Florian at the beginning of the 18th century, when the chateau acquired its present, high baroque form created according to the project of the architect Anton Ospel. Under the next prince, Joseph John Adam, the emperor’s theatre architect and interior designer Antonio Beduzzi was employed here, renovating the chateau facade, with added decorative architraves, portals and attic gables supplemented with statues. The interiors, which we shall pass through, originated from the renovations made in the 1840s in “rococo revival” style. In 1920, the Austrian town of Valtice was transferred to Czechoslovakia on the basis of the Treaty of Saint-Germain. After the Second World War the chateau housed a number of institutions, serving for example as a hops store or a penitentiary for women. The interiors were reconstructed and opened to visitors in the 1960s. Audience chamber This was the first room of the piano nobile – the representational first floor of the chateau. During the regular residence of the princes, this room served as a residential salon and also as a store for the extensive collection of porcelain located in the inbuilt display cases. When banquets or receptions were held in the adjacent dining hall, the room was converted into a provisional preparation and facility room for the staff. During the residence of distinguished guests, who dwelt in the adjacent guest apartments, it became an audience chamber in which guests were welcomed. On the walls are plates and bowls produced from Japanese porcelain named after the port of Imari, from where this porcelain was shipped to Europe in the 18th century. The chateau was heated predominantly using tiled stoves. The stove in this room originates from the 19th century, and is decorated with imperial leaf motifs. Wood was burned in the stoves, fed in from the corridor. The heating system was similar also in the other rooms. Anteroom of emperor’s apartment This room is remarkable for its original paper wall coverings from the end of the 18th century with motifs of oriental flowers, imitating the precious tapestries imported from the orient for rococo interiors. On the small commode stands a bronze statue representing prince Alois II of Liechtenstein. His name is encountered by every visitor to the chateau in Lednice since he was the originator of its grandiose neo-gothic reconstruction. This prince, one of the wealthiest personages in the Austrian empire at that time, also reconstructed the interiors of the Valtice chateau in rococo revival style. The decoration thus exquisitely represents baroque and rococo art to such an extent that it has confused even many experts. The pictures on the wall depict Napoleon by the painter Du Vivieux and the antique fable of Romulus and Remus. At the end of the 19th century, two wooden closets were built into the room; a modern bathroom was built into one of them, and the second concealed a servants' staircase to the ground floor, where the chateau catering facilities were located. The ceiling picture, painted on canvas, depicts Chronos, the Greek god of time, as he carries the goddess Glory into the underworld, thus indicating the transience of human splendour. Emperor’s salon This official salon represented the most important room of the emperor’s apartment, where the ruler welcomed guests and where conferences were held. The room, lined with red brocaded wall coverings, contains furniture from the “rococo revival” period of the 1840s. The most striking piece of furniture is the table, the upper panel of which is inlaid with various types of carved stones using the pietra dura technique. On the walls are portraits of the rulers. Here you can see a portrait of empress Maria Theresa and her husband Franz Stephan von Lothringen. On the opposite wall is a portrait of their son, the emperor Joseph II and their grandson emperor Franz II. The last two portraits depict a young married couple – the emperor Franz Joseph I and his beautiful wife Elisabeth of Bavaria, the renowned empress Sisi. It is precisely in honour of Franz Joseph that this apartment is named the emperor’s apartment. In 1876 the emperor came to Valtice in order to take part in military manoeuvres at nearby town of Mikulov. The newspapers of that time provided detailed information about his visit. The emperor arrived in Valtice with his entourage at around one o'clock in the afternoon on 2 September. The town square, filled with people from Valtice and its surroundings, was ceremonially decorated with flags. The emperor dismounted his horse by the gate leading to the chateau complex, where he was officially welcomed by the mayor and the school children. Then Franz Joseph I went by foot to the chateau, where he was cordially welcomed by his host, prince John II of Liechtenstein. The following evening an exceptional theatre presentation was performed in honour of the ruler, attended by the emperor and his entourage, together with high-ranking military officials. At half past four in the afternoon on 4 September the crown prince Rudolph and the English prince Arthur arrived by special imperial train, with state entourage and foreign officers. The emperor, who came to the local station in advance in order to welcome the English prince, engaged in a long and friendly conversation with the station master Mr. Resch before the arrival of the train. After greeting his guests, the emperor, together with prince Arthur, as well as the crown prince with his tutor, set out for the chateau in their courtly coaches. A ceremonial welcome for the English prince Arthur and crown prince Rudolph was held in the chateau park. Upon their arrival, calls of “hurrah” were heard and the band played the English national anthem “God Save the Queen”. After being welcomed, the guests went into the chateau. A further three apartments located on the first floor were designated for prince Arthur, prince Leopold of Bavaria and crown prince Rudolph. Later a ceremonial banquet was held. On 5 September the distinguished guests undertook a visit to the prince of Liechtenstein in Lednice. Immediately after the manoeuvres the emperor left. Enfilade The doors of the individual rooms in the east wing are arranged precisely one after the other in a single axis, thus forming an effective through-view ending with the window, entitled the enfilade, used especially during the baroque period. The Valtice enfilade passes through 9 rooms and is 80 metres long. Emperor’s bedroom In contrast with the adjacent salon, the imperial style bedroom with the bed situated in an alcove represents an entirely private guest room. When on manoeuvres, emperor Franz Joseph I abided by the same rules as in Vienna. He rose at five o’clock in the morning, and before beginning his programme he handled his usual official agenda which had been brought to him the previous day from the capital city by train. For this reason he had a simple table and chair installed in the bedroom. In the bedroom the emperor dressed, ate breakfast and also attended to his personal hygiene with the assistance of his own footman. The simple furnishings of the room are supplemented by the only comfortable item of furniture, the chaise-longue – a long chair produced since the rococo period and designed for a brief rest during the day. Above the bed hangs a painting of the Virgin Mary (Mater Dolorosa) by the Liechtenstein court painter Peter van Roy. Above the table is a portrait of Joseph Wenceslas of Liechtenstein. This diplomat and successful general, who in the words of Joseph II was “essential for the prosperity of the state”, ranked amongst the close friends of empress Maria Theresa. The extensive artwork next to the window is a draught of a painting, the original of which is located in the Viennese Arsenal. It illustrates the march of the Austrian army across the Vosges in June 1815, in the presence of emperor Franz I and John I of Liechtenstein. John I of Liechtenstein was engaged in the Napoleonic wars against France. In 1805, after the battle of Austerlitz, where he led the Austrian cavalry, he represented the Austrian side at the signing of the armistice with Napoleon. After 1809 he was the commander in chief of the Austrian army and a field marshal. It was John I who had built the hunting chateaus in romantic style which decorate the Lednice- Valtice complex.