Lednice Obelisk

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Obelisk lednice.JPG

The Lednice Obelisk (German: Eisgrub ) is a staffage structure in the park of the Lednice Castle in the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape . The obelisk is thus part of the UNESCO World Heritage .

Geographical location

The obelisk, located three km north of Lednice, formed the end of one of the eight avenues and viewing aisles that formed the hunting star of the game reserve belonging to the castle and each of which was given a visual reference point at its end. It is the northernmost of the preserved park structures in the castle park, which - even after the course of the Thaya was shifted north in the 19th century - is still north of the river. The avenue aimed at him was the longest in the palace park. The obelisk was so far away from the central area of ​​the park that it was surrounded by pastureland and tree nurseries and thus belonged to the economically used part of the palace complex.

history

The Lednice obelisk was erected by order of Prince Alois I of Liechtenstein in the Eisgrub castle area that belonged to him until 1798 . The reason is said to have been the end of the First Coalition War in 1797. The chosen shape of the monument was also due to the Egyptomania fashion of the time . The avenue leading towards him was planted with poplars . There were other obelisks that the prince and his brother, Prince Johann I , who succeeded him in the reign , had erected in the vicinity of Eisgrub, but only this one has survived.

The baroque and classicist park was converted into an English landscape park after 1805 and the avenue was abandoned, but the obelisk remained in its place.

Building

The obelisk was built according to plans by Joseph Hardtmuth . It required an elaborate foundation: the building site had to be reinforced with oak piles and brick walls. Only then could the 23 m high obelisk be erected. It was built up from sandstone blocks. It is crowned by a six-pointed, gold-plated metal star. This is interpreted as a reference to Freemasonry .

See also

literature

  • Pavel Zatloukal (eds.), Pŕemysl Krejčiŕik and Ondŕej Zatloukal: The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape . Foibos Books, Prague 2012.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Zatloukal: The cultural landscape , p. 108f.
  2. ^ Zatloukal: Die Kulturlandschaft , p. 109.
  3. ^ Zatloukal: Die Kulturlandschaft , p. 109.
  4. ^ Zatloukal: The cultural landscape , p. 108f.

Coordinates: 48 ° 49 '33.3 "  N , 16 ° 48' 6.3"  E