From Hardegg, you cross the renovated border bridge through the Thayatal National Park up to the Čížov Visitor Center, including a well-preserved section of the Iron Curtain. From here it is only a short distance to the royal city and wine metropolis of Znojmo.
Via the Thayatal National Park you come to the visitor center in Čížov, where you can see a 350 m long, well-preserved section of the Iron Curtain, including a watchtower. From the Thaya Valley, the route leads to Znojmo, which is steeped in sights. The town offers a well-preserved historic center with winding alleys and small squares that bear witness to the town's Gothic origins. Don't miss the opportunity to visit Znojmo's underground.
All along the route there are dozens of bunkers and fortresses built before the Second World War.
Route description
From Hardegg you will cross the border bridge to the Czech Podyjí National Park. A steep climb (6-7%) leads into the forest, but you will be rewarded with an unforgettable view of the fairy-tale castle of Hardegg from a vantage point on a rock on the Moravian side, towering over a canyon 80 metres deep. In Čížov you will find a visitor centre for the Podyjí National Park and 350 m of well-preserved Iron Curtain structures including a watchtower. From Čížov continue down to the Čížovský pond and further on to Lukov, where the asphalt road will give way to a forest road. There is also a place providing technical help and first aid to cyclists. The forest road continues up to Podmolí. The landscape grows calmer here. The route to Znojmo leads through Mašovice, where you can refresh yourself in the clear water of the Mašovice quarry in summer. It is followed by the historically rich Hradiště over the town of Znojmo, where the Monastery of Knights with the Red Star is worth visiting, along with the Chapel of St. Anthony of Padua and the nearby chapel of Elijah, from where you can see the western panorama of ancient Znojmo. You will then make the last descent to the bottom of the valley from where you can see the town of Znojmo on a rocky plateau above the Thaya River, and the last part of the route is about a one-kilometre climb to Znojmo (5–6%). The town’s glorious history is best documented by its numerous architectural monuments, which together offer a sample of all building styles: the castle grounds with a Baroque château and a national cultural heritage site, the Romanesque rotunda of the Virgin Mary and later St. Catherine, or the monumental Gothic Deanery Church of St. Nicholas and another half-dozen medieval churches and monasteries, including the vast complex of buildings belonging to the Premonstratensian Abbey of Louka. Sunny arcade courtyards and elegantly vaulted maashauses offer a seating area, a mysterious medieval labyrinth of underground corridors invites you for adventurous expeditions, while wine cellars invite you to sample a range of great Moravian wines.
Editor’s tip
When visiting Znojmo, don’t miss the Znojmo underground, one of the largest underground labyrinths in Central Europe, which dates back to the 14th century. Several types of sightseeing routes are offered, from lighter ones for families with children to high-adrenaline ones where people have to crawl in places or go down on their knees.
