Chateau de Frontiere

Chateau de Frontiere (also known as Border Castle, Hraniční zámeček or Grenzschloss) is a hospitality brand operating a four-star hotel, fine-dining restaurant and wine bar in a classicist pleasure palace near the village of Hlohovec in the Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape of the Czech Republic. The building itself was erected by the Liechtenstein family between 1816 and 1827 as a summer residence and retreat, deliberately positioned so that the historic border between Moravia and Lower Austria ran through its centre. After a long period of decline, the chateau and its surrounding hotel complex underwent an extensive reconstruction in 2017–2018 under a new owner, and the reborn property was inaugurated on 16 June 2018 with a grand opening event. Today the brand encompasses the four-star Chateau de Frontiere hotel, the luxury Restaurant ESSENS, the chateau wine bar specialising in Moravian wines, and the à la carte restaurant Chateau Petit. It markets itself as a destination for relaxation, gastronomy and wine tourism within a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape.

The building that gives the brand its name was constructed by the Liechtenstein family between 1816 and 1827 as a classicist pleasure palace and summer residence. It was commissioned by Prince Johann I Josef of Liechtenstein, who owned estates on both sides of the historic border between the Margraviate of Moravia and the Archduchy of Lower Austria. The chateau was deliberately placed so that the border ran through its centre, a fact commemorated by the facade inscription "Zwischen Österreich und Mähren" (Between Austria and Moravia) and by a stream that flows from the amphora of a nymph statue through the building. The original design envisioned two separate castles, but the prince rejected that plan and the project was redesigned into its present single-structure form. Because the site was marshy ground by the Bischofswarther Teich, the foundations required massive grids and countless wooden pilots before construction could proceed. The architect Joseph Franz Engel fell seriously ill in 1825, and the work was largely completed by Joseph Poppelsack. After the First World War and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, the surrounding Feldsberg region was transferred to Czechoslovakia, and in the interwar period a Czechoslovak border fortification bunker was built into the southern approach of the chateau. Following the Munich Agreement of 1938 the entire Lednice–Valtice landscape briefly fell within German territory, a situation reversed after the Second World War. In the post-war decades the chateau served various purposes and eventually housed a restaurant and hotel, but by the 2010s it had fallen into disrepair. Between 2017 and 2018 the property underwent an extensive reconstruction under strict supervision of a new owner, who sought to restore both interior and exterior as closely as possible to their original form. The work also covered the entire hotel complex and surrounding greenery. On Saturday 16 June 2018 the reconstruction was celebrated with a grand opening event, ESSENS Grand Opening Chateau de Frontiere, attended by hundreds of guests. Since then the complex has operated as a four-star hotel open to the general public, with the luxury Restaurant ESSENS, a wine bar featuring selected Moravian wines, and the à la carte restaurant Chateau Petit. The chateau is part of the Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

• 2018

  Grand opening on 16 June 2018 marks the relaunch as a four-star hotel and dining destination.

• 2017

  Extensive reconstruction of the chateau and hotel complex begins under a new owner.

• 1938

  Munich Agreement places the Lednice–Valtice landscape within German territory until 1945.

• 1919

  Treaty of Saint-Germain transfers the Feldsberg region to Czechoslovakia, moving the state border south of the chateau.

• 1827

  Construction is completed; the chateau serves as a summer residence for the Liechtenstein family.

• 1816

  Construction of the classicist pleasure palace begins under Prince Johann I Josef of Liechtenstein.

Luxury heritage hospitality and fine dining within a UNESCO World Heritage landscape.

• Chateau de Frontiere hotel

  Four-star hotel in newly refurbished rooms within the historic chateau complex.

• Restaurant ESSENS

  Luxury fine-dining restaurant offering premium gastronomic experiences.

• Chateau Petit

  Modern à la carte restaurant with outdoor garden, open to non-hotel guests.

• Chateau wine bar

  Wine bar offering tastings of selected Moravian wines.

1. 1Chateau de Frontiere official websitechateaudefrontiere.com
2. 2Chateau de Frontiere – About the Chateau – Historychateaudefrontiere.com
3. 3Chateau de Frontiere – About the Chateau – Presentchateaudefrontiere.com
4. 4Wikidata – Border Castlewikidata.org
5. 5Wikipedia (German) – Grenzschlossde.wikipedia.org
6. 6Chateau de Frontierechateaudefrontiere.com