Znojmo

Znojmo, known in German as Znaim, is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic, about 54 kilometres southwest of Brno and close to the border with Austria. It has about 34,000 inhabitants and is the second most populated town in the region. It stands on a rock outcropping above the Thaya river, along the eastern edge of Podyji National Park, and is the historical and cultural centre of southwestern Moravia. The royal town was founded shortly before 1226 by King Ottokar I of Bohemia in front of the older Znojmo Castle, whose Rotunda of Saint Catherine dates from 1101. The historic centre is protected as an urban monument reservation, and the Louka Monastery and the Town Hall Tower are national cultural monuments. Znojmo is known for gherkin production and winemaking, and the Armistice of Znaim between Napoleon and Archduke Charles was concluded there on 12 July 1809.