Interpreting Through Restoration:
Czech Practices at the Lednice-Valtice World Heritage Site
Veronica E. Aplenc
University of Pennsylvania
Introduction
The Lednice-Valtice UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape represents a treasure of a cultural landscape that reflects over five hundred years of human intervention, in both architecture and landscape forms, and is unique in Central Europe. Today the vast Cultural Landscape represents a major monument to both the Czech people and the international community. When planning conservation efforts, the heritage and related identity of a site must be identified as a first step, prior to efforts to enhance it. While the most apparent patrimony stems from the Liechtenstein residency, a vibrant time from the thirteenth century to 1945 when the main architectural and landscape features were installed, closer examination of the site reveals that it has a complex history and contains several layers of heritage. Since 1945 and the introduction of state management through nationalization, the site has gained a new layer of history, and thereby heritage, visible in practices associated with the site. Continuing today, these include practices of the preservation profession and local visitors. As an example of an active connection with the past, these practices represent one aspect of the site's identity that are worthy of consideration and merit conservation in future efforts to revitalize the area.
This paper will provide an introduction to the non-physical, recent heritage of the post-war period as an example of an intangible that plays a key role in linking local residents to a world heritage site. After reviewing the history of the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape and the physical heritage from the Liechtenstein period, the discussion will outline two examples of practices from the post-war period, these being preservation philosophy and outdoor recreational use. While these practices represent one period's interpretation of the past, they equally provide an exciting living base for future conservation work to build upon.(1)
THE LEDNICE-VALTICE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE
The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape lies in the southeast corner of the Czech Republic and
encompasses approximately 220 square kilometers of land (extending about ten kilometers from the
Czech-Austrian border north, and up to ten kilometers from east to west). (2) The Cultural Landscape
takes the form of a vast estate that was once part of the Liechtenstein ducal seat, prior to its
nationalization by Czechoslovakia in 1945, and where until that time the Liechtensteins inscribed their
presence by cultivating a landscape and a related built environment. The name of the Cultural
Landscape derives from the two settlements, Lednice and Valtice, where the Liechtensteins built their
major residences. The Cultural Landscape also contains five other settlements, three man-made
fishponds (Hlohovec, Central and Mill Fishponds), and close to twenty major pieces of architecture. The
majority of the architectural monuments date from the eighteenth century and nineteenth centuries,
while the landscape features may be traced back to the seventeenth, and even the fifteenth, centuries.
Several natural features within the Cultural Landscape are protected by Czech national legislation, as
are the town of Valtice (a national town monument as of 1987), the Valtice and Lednice castles
(national cultural monuments as of 1995), and the entire Cultural Landscape (the Lednice-Valtice
Monument Zone as of 1992). Most recently, the entire area was declared the Lednice-Valtice UNESCO
World Heritage Cultural Landscape in 1996. The presence of twenty major architectural monuments
linked to an enormous planned landscape make Lednice-Valtice a unique site that has rightfully
attracted much attention.
The involved history of the Cultural Landscape illuminates the multi-faceted nature of its character and the resulting presence of several layers of heritage today. The area has a long history of inhabitation, having been populated continuously since the Neolithic period. It was during the residency of the Liechtenstein family, however, that the site received its current form through a series of building campaigns conducted over several centuries. The Liechtenstein family first established a presence in this area by 1249, and by the late fourteenth century had acquired Lednice and Valtice. Over the course of the seventeenth century the Liechtensteins accumulated a vast wealth through political and financial moves, which was augmented by their acquisition of the title of dukes in 1608 and the status of sovereign principality in 1719. This wealth and power, in turn, allowed the family to map its identity indelibly onto the land by the turn of the twentieth century. While not examined here, the practices and philosophies through which the Liechtenstein identity was mapped onto the area represents a topic worthy of further exploration.
The Liechtenstein family maintained a presence at the site until the conclusion of the Second World War in 1945. At that time, the life of the Cultural Landscape took a new turn as the estate was nationalized under post-war legislation (known as the Benes decrees) that expelled all ethnic Germans and Hungarians.(3) Like many noble families classified as ethnically German, the Liechtensteins were expatriated from the Czechoslovak state and their property nationalized, which included numerous buildings, their contents, and 160,000 hectares of land. Similarly, the predominantly German population of the towns of Valtice and Lednice were expelled from the area. In parallel with nationalization, the management of the former Liechtenstein estate passed into the hands of the Czech government where it has remained through four changes of government to today.(4) Since that time the Czech people have inscribed their identity onto the Cultural Landscape through practices formally instituted through state management and public use, in a way that today constitutes a new layer of heritage. A review of the physical composition of the site will provide a frame of reference for later discussion of the post-war layer of heritage.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE
The physical base on which the post-war era has acted was laid by the Liechtenstein family from the thirteenth century to 1945, with the majority of the physical evidence dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. While the Cultural Landscape appears to tourists today as a "natural landscape and historic places...an unspoiled whole,"(5) as we review the composition of the Landscape we should remember that this heritage represents the deliberate creation of a distinct era.
Seen today as a major piece of Baroque style architecture in the Moravian region, the Valtice Castle (Zamek Valtice)(6) and surrounding town were acquired by the Liechtensteins by 1395 and served as their seat from the early seventeenth century on. While the origins of the Castle reach back to the thirteenth century, rebuilding campaigns undertaken in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries today dominate the appearance of the Castle. The complex history of the Castle's development, including the presence of numerous architects, makes it difficult to attribute with certainty its architectural features to specific individuals. The Liechtensteins spent little time here during the First Republic (1918-1938), officially leaving in 1945. Following liberation of the area by the Soviets in 1945, the castle sustained extensive damage that is today attributed to the liberators. Since nationalization in 1945 the building has undergone radical changes to the interior, including period reconstruction, and some alterations to the exterior. At the present time in addition to the central building, the Castle complex includes stables, a Baroque style chapel, and riding hall. The Valtice Castle serves a number of uses by supporting museum, office, workshop, daycare and cultural activities.
Located on a site that was a swampy environment prior to human intervention, the Lednice Castle (Zamek Lednice) served as the Liechtenstein family summer home until nationalization in 1945. Valtice's counterpart at Lednice is known not only for the architecture of the castle itself, but at least in equal measure for its surrounding landscape. The first written record of a castle in Lednice dates from 1222, with full ownership of the area by the Liechtensteins dating to 1371, at the latest. As at Valtice, the Lednice Castle underwent extensive renovations in the seventeenth century, with the work of Fischer von Erlach resulting in a Baroque style building that still stands today. The significant building campaign of 1846-1858 begun by the Viennese architect Jiri Wingelmuller resulted in the transformation of part of the Castle to the romantic, Neo-Gothic manner that dominates today. The Glasshouse (Sklenik) associated with the Castle was built in 1843 and is attributed to the English architect Devian.
Designed in its final stages as a showpiece and not as a permanent residence, the Lednice Castle was opened by the Liechtensteins to the public at the end of the nineteenth century. Although valuables were removed during the Second World War by the family as well as looters, the Castle has remained continuously open to visitors with the exception of one month in 1945. In the post-war period, the Castle has not undergone extensive rebuilding. Today it has an eight-wing floor plan comprised of the Neo-Gothic manner wings to the east and the Baroque style portion to the west. The castle supports a number of uses including a museum, teaching facilities, administration, a gift shop and a gallery in the Neo-Gothic manner wing, and housing, an aquarium, stores and workshops in the Baroque style wing.
The Landscape (Krajina)
One of the most striking aspects of the Lednice-Valtice area are the associated parklands that join with the architectural monuments to form a cultivated landscape to form a living historical document.(7) Of enormous proportions, this magnificent monument bears witness to the Liechtenstein's avid interest in exotic and progressive agriculture and boasts a history that rivals that of the two castles. Notable features of the landscape today include the Valtice Castle park, the Lednice Castle park, numerous exotic plants in the Lednice Castle park, the Bori Les forest, and avenues.
While the date of the earliest landscaping work has not yet been established, as the earliest related written records are only from the late 1500s, the Liechtensteins are believed to have constructed during the fifteenth century the three fishponds that lie within the Cultural Landscape. It is known that in the sixteenth century gardens were established at both castles, and by the mid-seventeenth century the Lednice garden had been modified into an extensive early Baroque style park and already included pavilions. Beginning in the second half of the seventeenth century, the Liechtensteins constructed avenues between Valtice and area landmarks. Judged today not as an aesthetic intervention, this Renaissance-inspired network is understood as an organizing force in the landscape and survives today. Active in horticulture and the development of exotic plant species, the Liechtensteins introduced foreign tree species into the park, including specimens from North America at the end of the eighteenth century. A very unusual collection for the time, it was frequently visited, and the park was opened to the public under the reign of Joseph Alois I, sometime from 1782 to 1805.
In the nineteenth century, the dominant philosophy guiding modifications to the park was that of the English romantic landscape in keeping with European landscape design at the time. This aesthetic first found expression in work of 1805-1808 that included the construction of a pond and sixteen islands adjacent to the Lednice Castle, and was continued later in the century in other areas of the Cultural Landscape. Over the course of the nineteenth century the Liechtensteins constructed close to twenty follies throughout the park that today are believed to have been linked by vistas and axial relationships. The family also introduced numerous exotic plants to the landscape, with more than 32,000 specimens of various plants or seeds brought to Lednice by the beginning of the nineteenth century. Not surprisingly, by 1903 this resulted in the largest collection of orchids and cycas plants on the European continent. The vastness and exotic nature of this collection is still represented in the plants of the Lednice park today.
The Follies (Zamecky)
The follies, or small-scale castles, at Lednice-Valtice represent one of the most memorable and defining aspects of the Cultural Landscape. Constructed by the Liechtensteins in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, these romantic quotations of the exotic "other" and previous architectural styles are scattered throughout Cultural Landscape. While it should be noted that several small follies also exist, the larger ones currently number sixteen and are described below. The majority is owned by the regional state institution charged with their care, the Brno Heritage Institute; the remainder are the Hunter's Lodge (privately owned), John's Castle (National Agricultural Museum, Prague), Pohansko (the City of Breclav), the Fishpond Folly (Mendel University), the Border Folly (privately owned), the Temple of Apollo (Municipal Office), and the Temple of the Three Graces (Mendel University).
The earliest surviving folly is the sandstone Obelisk towards Pritluky (Obelisk) designed by Joseph Hardtmuth and erected in 1798 by Duke Alois Joseph I to memorialize the peace treaty between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Austrian Archduke Karl that was concluded in Campo Formio. Today the Obelisk demonstrates some signs of deterioration and, while standing in the middle of a plowed field, still serves its original function.
The Minaret (Minaret), standing 59.39 meters high, was built from 1797 to 1804 according to a design by Joseph Hardtmuth on a pond opposite the Lednice Castle. Despite interventions the building currently suffers from structural problems and requires conservation. It continues to serve as a lookout tower for the Lednice-Valtice landscape.
The Moorish Pumphouse (Vodarna) was designed by Joseph Uebelacher and is believed to have been constructed around 1800. It stands on the river Zamecka Dyje, within the Lednice Castle park. Today it is no longer operational, having been replaced in the twentieth century with new waterworks that are located on the opposite bank of the river.
Belvedere (Belveder), lying north of the town of Valtice, originally served as the estate's pheasantry and contained aviaries. Designed by Joseph Hardtmuth and erected in 1802, the folly is currently in disrepair and empty.
The "Roman" Aqueduct and Cave (Akvadukt a hermitaz) were designed by Joseph Hardtmuth in 1805 and stand on the banks of the pond in the Lednice park. The artificial ruins, linked to man-made caves, at one time carried water that fell as a waterfall into the pond. This folly group is currently under repair.
The Hunter's Lodge (Lovecky zamecek) was built by Joseph Hardtmuth in 1806 in the meadows east of Lednice, near the village Ladna. Originally serving as a gathering place after the conclusion of hunts, today the folly appears inhabited but in poor repair.
John's Castle (Januv hrad), was constructed from 1805 to 1811 according to a design by Joseph Hardtmuth. It takes the form of castle ruins and originally served as a hunting lodge with kennels, stables and a banquet hall. Located a few kilometers northeast of the Lednice park, the castle houses a branch museum of the National Agricultural Museum, of Prague, as well as occasional special events.
The New Court or New Farmyard (Novy Dvur), situated close to the Temple of the Three Graces, was rebuilt in 1809 to 1810 by Joseph Hardtmuth from a pre-existing structure and later modified in 1820 by Franz Engel. Originally serving as stables for the duke's merino sheep, it accommodated horse raising in the late nineteenth century. Today the building continues this use, housing stables.
Pohansko (Pohansko), designed by Joseph Hardtmuth, was built in 1810-1811 on the earthen ramparts of a fortified settlement of the Great Moravian Empire, whose archaeological remains have been uncovered nearby. Located to the south of Breclav, this structure is currently under renovation to accommodate a branch of the city museum.
The Rendez-Vous Folly or Temple of Diana (Randez-Vous/Dianin chram) was built between 1810 and 1812 by Joseph Kornhausel, based on designs by Joseph Hardtmuth. Used by the Liechtensteins after hunts for its gathering and feasting rooms, the folly is currently empty and undergoing restoration as part of a continuing joint project between the World Monuments Fund and the Brno Heritage Institute.
Rising above the town of Valtice on Reistna hill, the Colonnade (Kolonada na Rajstne) was built between 1812 and 1823 by Joseph Kornhausel, based on a design by Joseph Hardtmuth, or by Joseph Popallack. Located in the no-man's-land between Austria and Czechoslovakia throughout the socialist period, the folly only became accessible in 1989. Today it serves its original use as a prominent landscape feature and a lookout point. Despite repairs in the early twentieth century, the folly requires structural repairs and conservation.
The Fishpond Folly (Rybnicni zamecek), overlooking the Central Fishpond from the north, was built by Joseph Kornhausel from 1814 to about 1816. It is sited high on the bank above the Central Fishpond and affords a direct view to the Temple of the Three Graces across the pond. In attractive exterior appearance thanks to recent repairs, its interiors house a small exhibition area and serve as a workplace for the Union of Ornithologists.
The Border Folly (Hranicni zamecek) was completed by 1827 by the architect Joseph Poppelack, possibly using the designs of Franz Engel or Joseph Kornhausel. Standing on the far west bank of the Hlohovec Fishpond, it balances the Temple of Apollo located at the east end of the Mill Fishpond. As its name indicates, at one time the folly stood precisely on the border between South Moravia and Lower Austria. Recently redone in a heavy-handed restoration, the folly opened as a restaurant-cafe in the summer of 1996.
The Temple of Apollo (Apollonuv chram) stands on a hill above the Mill Fishpond and was designed in 1817 by Joseph Kornhausel and erected in 1819 by Franz Engel. The building currently appears to be empty although it is frequently visited, particularly by people using the recreational facility below the folly. At the time of this writing, the exterior of the building is marred by extensive graffiti.
The Temple of the Three Graces (Chram Tri Gracii) was constructed in 1824 by Franz Engel to face the Fishpond Folly, on the opposite bank of the Middle Fishpond. The statues of Athena, Aphrodite and Artemis that stand in the foreground of the folly represent the work of Johann Martin Fischer and once stood in the Lednice park. Today the folly appears to be recently repaired, although not permanently occupied. Caretakers quarters are located adjacent to the folly.
The final folly to be built in the Lednice park area was the Chapel of St. Hubertus (Kaple sv. Huberta). Erected in 1854 or 1855 by Jan Heidrich based on a design by George Wingelmuller, it is located to the northeast of the Rendez-Vous folly in the Bori Les forest. Today this folly serves its original purpose of a destination for outdoors trips.
RECENT LAYER OF HERITAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SITE
As an ensemble, the sixteen major follies, two castles and over two hundred square kilometers of protected cultural landscape create a striking assemblage of architecture and landscape heritage from the fourteenth through nineteenth centuries. Given the complex history and character of the site, a thorough assessment of the heritage of the Cultural Landscape must also include the inheritance from the post-war period, which largely takes the form of practices associated with the site, some of whose origins reach back to the era of Liechtenstein residency. These practices represent both one period's interpretation of the Liechtenstein era heritage and an indelible layer of heritage today. While less immediately apparent than the physical patrimony left by the Liechtensteins, this newer heritage requires consideration as it represents a living link with the past, and thereby the active presence of historical continuity at the site. As noted previously, while practices undoubtedly existed during the Liechtenstein era, this paper focuses on two examples of those that have maintained an active role since nationalization in 1945.
The newer layer of heritage has been inscribed onto the site through post-war practices typically associated with monument sites in the Czech Republic which most notably include the practice of restoration, the introduction of mixed uses, the touring of history, and outdoor recreational use. Of these, preservation practices and outdoor recreational use will be described below as examples of practices that represent one layer of the identity of the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape and help to define it.
While variation has occurred over time in Czech preservation, evidence supports the existence of a distinctly Czech approach towards preservation that has its origins in the mid-nineteenth century. The Czech system of managing cultural heritage is grounded on an older tradition of caring for monuments that reaches back to the mid-nineteenth century, prior to the establishment of an independent Czech state. In recent years Czech preservationists have written extensively on the theory and practice of appropriate physical interventions, and the number, scope and concerns of these publications suggest that a well-educated and active body of professionals have made informed choices regarding this philosophy.(8) Discussions of both theory and practice locate the philosophical foundations of historic preservation in the work of late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century Austro-Hungarian scholars of art history, most notably Alois Riegl and Max Dvorak, and it is upon their work that Czech scholars of the mid-twentieth century expanded. Furthermore, Czech preservationists today hold that their practice of the state care of cultural heritage represents a continuation of nineteenth-century practices dating to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In counterdistinction to the North American approach, the characterizing features of Czech preservation during the socialist period included two tenets: first, that monuments should be portrayed as aesthetic wholes; and secondly, that historic sites must enjoy continuing that reintegrates them into the life of the surrounding community.
The surprising alignment through the socialist period of 1948 to 1989 with bourgeois-period scholars and the lack of pervasive, politically charged dogma in preservation writings of the socialist period suggest that political climate played little of a role in theoretical consideration of architectural rehabilitation and conservation practices. Describing bourgeois-period theories of preservation as "[these concepts] were codified later in the Venice Charter," one Czech preservationist identified the profession's foundation not in contemporary, internationally accepted statements, but rather in a distinct, long-existing theoretical consideration supported by practice that began in the early twentieth century.(9)
The philosophy of aesthetic whole and continuing use may be noted throughout the twentieth century, even though significant change has occurred in the way it has been interpreted in restoration projects. Evidence suggesting continuity in Czech preservation during the second half of the twentieth century includes stable patterns in preservation philosophy, training, terminology, legislation, and governmental institutional work. In the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, several monuments offer evidence of this philosophy and its recent interpretations, including the aggressive interventions of the 1950s and the more sensitive approaches of the 1990s. The interior spaces that are open to the public in the Valtice Castle stand out as a particularly representative example of Czech preservation practice from the 1950s and 1960s which is today highly criticized, but bears witness to a turning point in the Castle's history. In keeping with the interpretation of preservation philosophy of the time, the renovations from 1959 to 1967 took great liberties in the creation of period rooms for the Castle museum. Today, they are termed fanciful constructions rather than the re-institution or enhancement of existent or historically present features. As such, the character of the renovation implies that the monument's fundamental value stems from its aesthetic qualities and suggests a simplified version of the Castle's history.
Desires for an aesthetic whole can be noted today, as seen in the 1996 renovation of the Border Folly by a private individual for entrepreneurial purposes. Given its extensive elimination of historic fabric, this renovation has been evaluated negatively by Czech preservationists, both during the work and subsequent to it. Its clean look, however, apparently holds appeal and represents the expected results of Czech non-preservationists as the restored building appears to have been well-received by domestic visitors, bearing witness to a continuing expectation of aesthetic unity in monuments.
The adherence to a tenet of an aesthetic whole, however, does not necessarily entail the simplification of history or the destruction of original fabric. Respectful treatment of original materials has been extensively debated by Czech preservationists in the 1990s. Professional practice in Lednice-Valtice of this decade reflects a more sensitive interpretation of Czech preservation philosophy, and seeks to conserve and enhance the historic value of original materials. On-going work on the Lednice Castle facade includes the analysis and matching of original materials. Similarly, recent cooperation between Czech, US and European conservators, arranged through collaboration between the World Monuments Fund and the Brno Heritage Institute, has successfully demonstrated the uniting of internationally accepted sensitivity towards historic materials with Czech preservation approaches, as evidenced in work on the Rendez-Vous Folly and the Valtice Chapel. Taken together, the treatment of the monuments of the Cultural Landscape during the post-war period offers evidence of a specifically Czech approach to preservation as it evolved over time.
The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape also carries evidence of the continued presence of public outdoor recreation, a fitting use for the World Heritage Site, as an example of the Czech philosophy of integrating monuments into contemporary life. Outdoor recreation, such as walking and hiking along nature trails, has enjoyed a long, continuous popularity with the Czechs that reaches back to the mid-nineteenth century. Documented in analyses and personal accounts (such as the 1934 Czechoslovak Travel: a diary of travel around the republic from 28 April to 28 October(10)), Czech early twentieth-century camping and hiking practices arose following the First World War as a way of romantically touring the country. Whether a leisure activity for young boys camping under the stars, for adults of greater means, or politically ostracized individuals, the recreational enjoyment of the outdoors flourished prior to the Second World War. Czech publications express a pride in this tradition, going so far as to argue that although "[t]he majority of European nations have a history of sojourning in nature," the Czech variant has "no parallel in the history of the European nations;" in fact, the Czech practice is credited as having inspired similar European activities.(11) Recreational uses have continued in the post-war era and may be noted in personal accounts (such as the 1970 Land Lost in Thought);(12) the installation of various types of trails throughout the Czech Republic; the development of a system of protected nature areas; and the establishment of administrative institutions to manage natural resources.
Designed as a wondrous landscape during the Liechtenstein residency and historically open to visitors since the early nineteenth century, the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape has received extensive, continuing use since the turn of the twentieth century. Examples of post-war outdoor recreation at the Cultural Landscape take place at the extensive network of trails that extend through the Cultural Landscape into the surrounding landscape, the dedicated recreational facilities within the Cultural Landscape, and the formal gardens of the Lednice Castle park.
Dating from the Liechtenstein period, the use of trails has continued and been promoted throughout the twentieth century. During the pre-1989 period, outdoor recreation of this type was encouraged through the establishment of an educational trail around the Lednice fishponds, a typical type of trail found in Czech nature reserves, that opened in 1983. In 1996, the local District Office was planning to expand this activity through placing two additional paths to run through the Cultural Landscape. A second example of a prominent and well-used outdoor area may be found in dedicated recreational centers, such as those found at the Temple of Apollo. The meadow below the folly is built up with camping facilities constructed during the pre-1989 period, including permanent food stands and restrooms. Today, during the summer these facilities are highly frequented, while in the cooler months, the park supports occasional use by individual visitors. Such visitation has remained high in the post-1989 period. Finally, the park immediately adjoining the Lednice Castle continues to support extensive use. Historically open to visitors since the early 1800s, the park has experienced high use during the post-war period. The Lednice park received attention in the 1934 book Ceskoslovenska Cesta (Czechoslovak Travel), a diary documenting a couple's tour of the country. Describing the "sweet hours with vegetation and the animal kingdom...alongside streams, fishponds and pools," the author describes several follies as well as the surrounding landscape.(13) Documented uses that continue today include cyclists, walkers, and joggers during the spring and summer months, and skaters and cross-country skiers in the winter months. As users include individuals walking dogs and parents with children, as well as the ones listed above, it appears that locals enjoy a strong presence among park visitors. Together with the network of trails and dedicated recreational facilities, the continuing use of the Lednice park links it to the Czech population.
CONCLUSION
The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape represents a remarkable collection of architectural and landscape features, as well as an historical document recording the actions, beliefs and practices of its residents from the thirteenth century to today. The physical patrimony from the Liechtenstein period undoubtedly forms the physical essence of the Cultural Landscape. In conjunction with the physical inheritance, the more recent layer of heritage from the post-war period that includes practices is equally present at the site and, more significantly, represents an active link with both the Liechtenstein and the post-war eras. This layer is particularly crucial to a site as a cultural landscape, which by definition expresses a people's link to their surrounding environment, and it represents an integral part of the site's contemporary and past identities. While not generally considered by preservation, the associated practices represent at least as important a link to the past as the monuments themselves, as they represent a continuity through several layers of the site's complex history. Although these practices are currently present at the Cultural Landscape, like the physical monuments they are endangered by a lack of focused attention. An expansion of these practices into revitalization efforts, including the consideration of the entire Cultural Landscape as an aesthetic whole, building upon outdoor recreation throughout the Landscape, and continuing the sensitive evolution of Czech restoration practice, will preserve existent historical continuity at the site. In the face of a challenging global economy, and particularly the challenges of tourism, the enhancement of these practices can help to conserve an historic site and serve as an exciting example of successfully integrating the past into the living present.
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Breclav, interview by author, Breclav, Czech Republic, March 10, 1997. Waic, Marek, and Jiri Kossl. Cesky tramping 1918-1945. Praha: Ruch, c. 1992. 1. 1 I have taken adopted the information in this paper from the analysis of Czech preservation in my
master's thesis. For a more detailed discussion, see Veronica E. Aplenc, The Conservation of
Cultural Identity Through the Care of Monuments: Guidelines for the Lednice-Valtice Monument
Zone, unpublished master's thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 1997.
2. 2 The Zone lies about one hour's drive north of Vienna, Austria, and may be reached from Vienna
by Austrian highway no. 7.
3. 3 This law, number 12 of 21 June 1945, allowed for the assumption of property held by Germans,
Hungarians and war-time traitors of the Czech state. Although a later law of the same year
(number 35) allowed for the restitution of such properties if owners could prove their involvement
in anti-Nazi activities during the war, few estates were returned and did not include the former
Liechtenstein estate in Valtice and Lednice. As this legislation was passed prior to the
communists' coming to power in 1948, it has not been repealed. See Marie Mzykova, "Chateaux
en Boheme, le retour a la propriete privee," Monuments historiques 188 (July-August 1993), p.
25.
5. 5 Ann Banks, "Gateway to Europe's Lost Elysium," Conde Nast's Traveler 31 (April 1996), pp. 110, 111.
6. 6 The names of the architectural monuments are given by their most common English translation, followed by their names in Czech. Accents above certain letters, although necessary for correct spelling in Czech, have been omitted throughout this paper.
7. 7 Popular publications on the park include Zdenek Novak, text, Zamecky park v Lednici, brochure (Pamatkovy ustav v Brne, 1994), translated into English in as Chateau Park in Lednice. In addition, the castle guide by Milos Stehlik, Zamek Lednice, brochure (Pamatkovy ustav v Brne, 1994), know in the English translation as Lednice Chateau, contains some information on the Lednice park and surrounding landscape. For an academic consideration of the Lednice-Valtice landscape, see Zdenek Novak, "Lednicko-valticky areal jako vyznamny doklad krajinarske tvorby ve stredni Evrope," Zpravy pamatkove pece 8, no. 1 (1993), pp. 1-6. This has been translated into English and may be found in appendix 4 to Conservation and Economic Enhancement Plan for Valtice Zamek and Its Environs, South Moravia, Czech Republic, Proceedings of Planning Charrette, July 11-16, 1993, unpublished report prepared by the World Monuments Fund, World Monuments Fund, New York, 1993.
8. 8 This study is based on discussions presented in the major Czech preservation journal (Pamatky a priroda) from 1984 to 1990, in the leading architectural journal (Architektura CSR) from 1984 to its apparent disbanding in 1989, and in Czech books. While preservationists have continued theoretical debates on their field since 1990 in the state historic preservation journal, none could be accessed for this research. The journal Architektura CSR was selected as it represents the main architectural journal of the period. Pamatky a priroda (Monuments and Nature) was chosen as one of two identified by Czech preservationists as the most significant as regards preservation (as noted by Vratislav Nejedly, "Reflexe nazoru na restauroani umeleckych pamatek v odborne literature v obdobi 50. - 70. let 20. stoleti," Pamatky a priroda 12, no. 9 (1987), p. 513); the second, Umeni (Art), was not consulted as it considers fine arts topics. 1984 was chosen as a cut-off year for the journal articles as it falls five years prior to the political changes and allows for a little more than a decade of activities reviewed.
9. 9 Josef Stulc, "K soucasnemu stavu metodolgie udrzby a obnovy stavebnich pamatek," p. 143.
10. 10 In the Czech original, Stanislav K. Neumann, Ceskovslovenska Cesta: denik cesty kolem republiky od 28. dubna do 28. Rina (Praha: Fr. Borovy, 1934).
11. 11 Marek Waic, and Jiri Kossl, Cesky tramping 1918-1945 (Praha, Ruch, c. 1992), p. 9.
12. 12 In the Czech origin, Ladislav Stehlik, Zeme zamyslena: Sumava (Praha: Cs. spis., 1970).
13. 13 Stanislav K Neumann, pp. 26-35.
14. 14 For a full listing of the sources consulted in the research that led to this paper, see Veronica E. Aplenc, The Conservation of Cultural Identity Through the Care of Monuments: Guidelines for the Lednice-Valtice Monument Zone, unpublished master's thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 1997. As throughout this paper, accents above certain letters, although necessary for correct spelling in Czech, have been omitted here.