In the early Middle Ages there was an extensive Great Moravian fortification just a few kilometers south of today's Břeclav. Their centuries-old remains probably gave the place the name “Pohansko”. It was precisely here that Field Marshal Johann I Joseph of Liechtenstein had the hunting lodge of the same name built between 1810 and 1812 according to plans by the architect and princely building director Josef Hardtmuth. In addition, the short-term new building replaced the former garden pavilion.
The main part of the castle consists of a building with a rectangular floor plan, which is adjoined on both sides on the ground floor by arcade galleries with five arcades, which are closed by a square pavilion. To achieve a certain monumentality of the building, a nearby pond was dug and the site of the forgotten fortification became the venue for popular autumn hunts. These could be observed by guests of higher society from the central loggia with the Ionic columns on the first floor. There was also the decoratively painted main hall, where hunting festivals were held. In contrast, a large part of the ground floor with the adjoining arcade gallery was open and accessible, and the hunter's apartment was also located here.
Under Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein, part of the arcades was bricked up in order to enlarge the property manager's living space on the ground floor. After the construction of the so-called Iron Curtain, a border guard observation post was located on the roof of the castle and the building was inaccessible to the public. Today the building is used by the Břeclav City Museum and Gallery. The stone relief decoration from the workshop of the Viennese sculptor Josef Klieber also deserves attention. The circular reliefs beneath the first floor ledge contain motifs relating to mythological stories about the Roman virgin hunting goddess Diana and her family. The rectangular reliefs again show putti that tell a story about hunting.
Pohansko is an Empire-style hunting lodge located in the Lednice-Valtice park area, about 3.5 km southeast of Břeclav town center. It is a listed monument as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.
Prince Jan I of Liechtenstein had the Pohansko Castle built between 1811 and 1812. Josef Hardtmuth and Josef Kornhäusel created the design for the building.
The chateau is currently owned by the town of Břeclav. The archaeological exposition of the Břeclaver City Museum has been installed in its premises since 1998. The finds from the excavations from the Slavic castle site of the same name are presented here, the castle site was located northeast of the castle.