ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA	CZECH REPUBLIC
Jihomoravský kraj	South Moravia (Brno) region
Okres: Znojmo

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The origins of Vranov nad Dyjí go back to a border fortress on the river Dyje (German Thaya) which had existed from the 11th/12th century. The owners of the place had been, among others, the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem and, between 1617 and 1793, the Counts Althann. Since 1561, Vranov has the status of a market town.

The Baroque castle of Vranov was built by Count Michael Johann Althann at the end of the 17th century after the old castle had been destroyed by Swedish troops in 1645 and by a fire in 1665. The main architect was Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The interior is decorated by important frescos of Johann Michael Rottmayr and sculptures of Tobias Kracker. The castle is the most important example of Viennese Baroque architecture in the Czech Republic. The last additions were made in 1787 in Classicist style.
The Vranow large dam [near left, no. 2696] was built in 1930–1934 to dam up the river Dyje. The river naturally shows large variations in its flow conditions. Both high waters, especially in spring or following severe rain falls, and low waters, most often occuring in summer, caused severe problems for the town. The dam was built to lessen these problems and also to create a facility for the generation of electricity. The dam lake has a capacity of about 133 million cubic metres. The annual generation of electricity amounts to 25 million kWh.

Another glass of this collection shows a view of Vranov (u Brna), also in South Moravia.