A walking tour of Znojmo takes about 2 to 3 hours. Begin at Masaryk Square, where the Art House (Dum umení; tel. 515-226-529) holds a small collection of coins, plus temporary exhibitions. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm. Admission is 20Kc (95¢/50p). The southern end of the square is one of the few historic areas that hasn't been maintained well; the dilapidated Capuchin Monastery (Kapucínský kláster) and Church of St. John the Baptist show few signs that they were once focal points of the town.
Impossible to miss is the Town Hall Tower (tel. 515-216-297), the only remaining piece of what was once referred to as Moravia's prettiest town hall. The actual town hall met misfortune during World War II, but the late-Gothic 70m-high (230-ft.) tower still stands guard. For 22Kc ($1.05/50p), you can climb up to the lookout, which offers a picturesque view of the castle and the Dyje River. Try not to let the nondescript department store that occupies the spot where the town hall once stood wreck the picture. The tower is open May to September, Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm and 2 to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am to 1pm and 2 to 5pm; April, Monday to Friday from 9am to 1pm and 2 to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm; and October to March, Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to noon.
Directly north of the tower on Obroková ulice is the entrance to the Znojemské podzemí (Znojmo Underground), where almost 30km (19 miles) of tunnels used to store everything from pickles to munitions. If there's a tour just leaving or a few people waiting, arrange to join them, since the tours (which are in Czech only, though English-language pamphlets are provided) are given only to groups of more than six. Admission is 50Kc ($2.40/£1.20) adults, 30Kc ($1.45/70p) students. The Underground is open May, June and September, daily 9am to 4pm; April, Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm; July and August, daily 9am to 8pm; and October, Saturday only, 10am to 4pm. For reservations call tel. 515-221-342.
Head back 1 block west to Zelenárská ulice and follow it away from the square to Malá Mikulásská ulice, which leads to the Gothic St. Nicholas Church and behind it the bi-level St. Wenceslas Chapel. The church is supposed to be open only for services and the occasional concert, but check the door just in case.
Farther on, you'll come to the 11th-century Rotunda sv. Kateriny, one of the oldest and best examples of Romanesque architecture still standing in the Czech Republic. Inside are painstakingly restored frescoes of the Premyslid rulers dating back to the mid-12th century.
At the edge of the embankment lies Znojmo Castle, which now houses the Jihomoravské Muzeum (South Moravian Museum) exhibition (tel. 515-222-311). It focuses on the role of Znojmo through the ages, especially as a lookout against the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Admission is 45Kc ($2.15/£1.05) adults, 25Kc ($1.20/60p) students; if you take the tour, note that both sights are included in the tour price. Open May to September Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm, and in April Saturday and Sunday 9am to 5pm.
