Znojmo (Znaim) and Vranov nad Dyjí Castle (Frain an der Thaya)

In the center of a vegetable and wine growing region in Moravia lies the city of Znaim, which we visited today.

After strolling through the old town with the market square, we continued towards the castle.

The old town and the castle are located above the Thaya Valley.

The former castle of the Margraves of Moravia was later converted into a Baroque palace and now houses a museum.

But we wanted to explore the city not only from above, but also from below: Under Znaim there is a system of underground passages and cellars that is almost 27 km long and extends over 4 floors.

We chose the classic tour, where you are guided through the passages in a relaxed manner. There are also adrenaline tours that go through narrow passages or parts with water. To participate in these tours, you first have to crawl through the corresponding opening (Level 1, 2 or 3) shown above in the picture.

The underground was built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries and served as a warehouse for goods.

During the wars, it also served as a shelter or escape route. There was a water supply and air ducts, so the residents of Znaim could stay underground for a long time.

From Znaim we continued to Frain an der Thaya.

High above the small village stands a beautiful Baroque castle, parts of which date back to an 11th century border fortress.

Since the guided tours were once again only in Czech, we decided not to visit the interior and instead explored the exterior and the courtyard.

We had parked our motorhome down in the village and walked up to the castle hill. Before we left, we got some ice cream and enjoyed it in the motorhome with a view of the castle.

In the evening, we drove to the Vidlik campsite, which is idyllically situated by a lake.