Border Castle, Neoclassical château in Hlohovec, Czech Republic
Border Castle is a neoclassical summer palace on the west bank of the Hlohovecký rybník, on the cadastral line between Hlohovec and Lednice. Three two-storey pavilions are linked by single-storey wings with roof terraces; the central block has three glazed arcades and a loggia of four Tuscan columns. A round pond with a statue of Hygie stands in the park.
Prince Johann I Josef von Liechtenstein had the castle built between 1824 and 1827 on the former border between Moravia and Lower Austria. The design is attributed to Joseph Franz Engel, who fell seriously ill in 1825, and the work was largely carried out by Joseph Poppelsack. After confiscation in 1945 it served as an ornithological station, and a major renovation followed in 1995.
The name marks the former provincial border between Moravia and Lower Austria, which ran through the building. The coats of arms of both lands decorate their respective sides, and the attic cornice carries the inscriptions "Zwischen Österreich und Mähren" and "Gränzmahl zwischen Österreich und Mähren". A pair of domes over the central hall also refers to this border position.
The castle now houses a hotel, a restaurant, a café and a wine cellar, so visits are tied to these services rather than to guided tours. It stands on the western bank of the Hlohovecký rybník, on the Hlohovec–Lednice cadastral boundary; the lakeside terraces and the park with the round pond and Hygie statue are outdoors.
The Včelínek stream once formed the Moravia–Lower Austria border, flowing through the castle courtyard; a watercourse springs from a nymph's amphora in the garden, crosses the building and empties into the Hlohovecký rybník. The façade bears the inscription "Zwischen Österreich und Mähren".
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