The preservationists cannot raise 30 million for the restoration of the Minaret

Lednice (Břeclavsko) - Preservationists are lacking 30 million Czech crowns for the reconstruction of the 60-meter-high historical Minaret tower, which is one of the adornments of the Lednice-Valtice area (LVA). The object has been restored by two-thirds. Work stopped last year after preservationists did not obtain funding from the state program for the rescue of architectural heritage. The reason was the savings imposed by the crisis, Ivana Holásková, the curator of Lednice, told ČTK.
    "We have no choice but to wait for the situation to change. Currently, there are no grant titles that would give us a chance to draw the necessary funds," she stated. According to her, the Minaret deserves the investment; it is visited by 100,000 tourists each year.
    The building was erected by the former owners of the estate in Lednice near Břeclav from the House of Liechtenstein, not as a place of worship but as an unconventional observation tower embellishing the castle park.
    The tower is richly decorated with mosaics and frescoes. It was built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries on 500 oak pylons. The substrate was unstable, the structure's statics were compromised, and cracks of up to three centimeters formed in the rooms of the building. All the mosaics had to be removed.
    To date, the reconstruction has cost eight million Czech crowns. The remaining repairs are of the frescoes and the restoration of the mosaic pavements. The Minaret is located directly in the park of Lednice Castle. It belongs to the follys of the Lednice-Valtice area. These are structures built to beautify this vast area.
    Lednice Castle is the most visited monument in Moravia. Annually, it sees 340,000 tourists from around the world. It is estimated that its park is visited each season by up to three-quarters of a million tourists. The castle, along with the park, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997.