The charming building of the Rybniční Chateau, so popular with tourists and photographers, is not an example of beautiful architecture sensitively set in the landscape alone. During the 20th century, it served as a field and research station for naturalists of many disciplines.

The landscape of South Moravia is a biotope for countless species of living organisms. The warm climate together with the abundance of water flowing through the rivers creates an extremely productive environment. In addition, local species meet those that migrate through the area. This is particularly true of birds, for which the water areas are important stopping points on their journeys. It is therefore no coincidence that this area attracts researchers from many fields.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Czech science in Moravia lacked facilities in the form of universities and colleges. Despite some efforts, even the establishment of a biological field station failed. It was not put into operation until 1924 thanks to Professor Emil Bayer, under the name “Biological Station of the Czech Colleges of Brno in Lednice”. The above-mentioned universities with Czech as the language of instruction were founded after the end of World War I and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Lednice was deliberately chosen for the station; moreover, the station was under the patronage of Prince Johann II von Liechtenstein, called the Kind, who provided the premises of the chateau. The station was equipped with very modern instruments for the time and its interior was complemented with paintings. It also hosted many important scientific visitors.

The station was successively under the administration of several university institutions; after 1971 there was also an ornithological exhibition here. Currently it serves as a representation building for the Mendel University in Brno.

Keywords: phycology; botany; history of natural sciences; ecology; entomology; hydrobiology; ornithology; field station; hydrobiology; ornithology; botany; aristocratic science; the Liechtenstein family

Field station at Rybniční Chateau