Abstract
Castles, châteaux, and other aristocratic residences are today perceived as monuments of the past, which are used mainly as tourist attractions. But only few of the almost five million visitors who visit annually monuments under the National Monuments Institute management think about their original significance and use and authentic role in the context of historicaristocratic estates.
But a closer look at current life and functions of historic houses in today's society surprisingly reveals that there are many parallels between the functions of the monument and its effects on the environment at a time when it was still part of a functioning aristocratic estate and nowadays.Milan Svoboda interviewed Ivana Holásková, castellan and property manager of Lednice Palace who dedicated over forty years of her carrier to this country house, about the economic, environmental, and cultural impact of the monument on its surroundings.