a region where the colours of the natural surroundings blend with the beautiful folk costumes and painted pottery - a region of captivating countryside and picturesque views. Travellers to Moravia are invariably surprised by its great beauty.

Here, history has left numerous footprints, whether we are speaking about excavations from the era when man was hunting mammoths (Doln� V�stonice) or fortified settlements and burial grounds of the Great Moravian Empire; or of the rare rotundas, castles, country mansions, historical monuments and well-preserved historical towns: for example, Tel� (included in the UNESCO list of cultural world treasures), Jihlava, Krom����, Mikulov (site of the well-known Jewish cemetery), Znojmo.

This is a paradise for lovers of water sports, who can enjoy clear waters of the reservoirs. Hunters can enjoy themselves at the famous pheasant-shoots (�idlochlovice), while lovers of good food and drink can easily forget all their worries in the wine-cellars of the Moravian-Slovakian borderland. Those who prefer �harder� drink are warmly recommended to sample the �Slivovice� plum brandy. Enchantment will mix with admiration on seeing the costumes and traditional architecture here, and visitors will easily be caught up in the joyful mood radiating from the music, songs and folk dances at many folklore festivals (i.e. Str�nice, Vl�nov, Hluk, Kyjov).

The region P�lava is a protected area which was added to UNESCO list of natural world treasures. It is also notable for its archeological sites.