Position

The wine municipality and important archaeological locality of Dolní Věstonice is located to the north of the Pálava, about 10 km to the north of Mikulov, on the southern bank of the Nové Mlýny dam.

History

The first written mention of the municipality comes from 1312. In the sixteenth century, Anabaptists – Habans – settled there. The mill built in the village in 1575 was their work and it was one of the biggest in Moravia. It burned down in 1906. The Haban square – the so-called Goose Ground belongs to the most peculiar places in the Mikulov wine area. The Haban wine cellars form up an entire square. Dolní Věstonice is famous for findings from the period of mammoth hunters, especially the Venus of Dolní Věstonice.

Sights

The local sights include the Church of Archangel Michael, whose early Gothic tower was mentioned already in 1389. The author of its rich interior decoration was the court sculptor of Ditrichsteins – Ignac Lengelacher, who also created the sculpture of St. Luitgard and the sculpture of St. Virgin Mary located to the east of the Church. Another historic building in the municipality is the former town hall, which currently houses a frequently visited archaeological exposition. Many visitors are attracted to the site of an ancient settlement called Vysoká zahrada with the remains of the foundations of a chapel from the 11th century and massive ramparts, reaching up to the height of six metres.

Cultural traditions

Year after year, the municipality impresses visitors with the Cellar Open Days, when the winegrowers invite them to their cellars to sit and taste excellent wines.

Nature

The municipality is surrounded with precious natural sites. On its eastern outskirts, there is an important geological site, a loess profile 30 m high – Kalendář věků – with soil horizons from the Ice Age. To the south of the municipality, there is the Děvín, protected as the National Nature Reserve, and to the northwest there is a major bird sanctuary – the dam of Věstonice.

Holiday

In recent years, the municipality is coming to the attention of sport fishermen who find ideal conditions for sport fishing on the banks of the Nové Mlýny dams.