A stroll through the gardens

Transcription

1 GARDENS A stroll through the gardens Kremsier LENGTH 5 km DURATION 1 Day Kroměříž an attractive town full of gardens, often called Hanakian Athens, has been the cultural centre of Haná/Hanakia and the entire Central Moravia since 17th century. Bishops of Olomouc have made it their summer residence and moved part of the diocese administration and a large portion of their wealth there. The Archiepiscopal Chateau, together with both its gardens, the Flower Garden and the Lower Chateau Garden, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We recommend a trip to Kroměříž to those who like to combine historical buildings with natural walks, or a picnic among blooming flowerbeds. Recommended The Archiepiscopal Gardens and Chateau are a UNESCO World Heritage Site The chateau s picture gallery includes The Punishment of Marsyas by Titian Director Miloš Forman shot a part of his Oscar-winning Amadeus at the CzechTourism 1

2 How to get to the starting point M Start 1. The Lower Chateau Garden The Archiepiscopal Chateau Aleš Motejl Make this your first stop on the way from the bus or train station. You can recoup your strength here before continuing to see more historical monuments. The garden has more than 64 hectares and offers numerous attractions. It has been converted a number of times, with each period leaving distinctive traces The Pompeii Colonnade, The Chinese Pavilion, or the artificial ruin. 150 m 2. The Archiepiscopal Chateau This former summer seats of the Archbishops of Olomouc includes a picture gallery, a vast library and a fascinating assembly hall, considered one of the most beautiful Rococo interiors in the Czech Republic. The Archiepiscopal Chateau The current chateau architecture dates back to , when bishop Karl II von Liechtenstein Castelcorn had it rebuilt after the Thirty Years War by architects Filiberto Luchese and Giovanni Pietro Tencalla. The Olomouc Archiepiscopal art collection is one of the most important in Europe and includes works spanning from Gothic to late Baroque periods. Its principal part is displayed in the halls and the picture gallery of the Kroměříž Chateau, the remainder is in the Archdiocesan Museum in Olomouc. Among other notable works of art, the chateau collection includes one of the most valued treasures of world art in the Czech republic Titian s The Punishment of Marsyas. The Archiepiscopal Chateau Opening times: CzechTourism 2

3 250 m 3. The Bishop s Mint The Bishop s Mint MěÚ Kroměříž biskupska mincovna From the Archiepiscopal Chateau, you can take a small detour to one of the remainders of the exclusive positions the Olomouc Bishops used to have in the Czech Kingdom. Emperor Rudolf II renewed the historical right to mint special bishop coins, and the Bishop have done exactly that, since 1665, in this Mint House in Kroměříž. Today, it is the last preserved period mint and you can see a numismatic exhibition there, or mint your own copy of a 15 kreutzer coin from Bishop Liechtenstein period. Opening times: Daily except Mondays: 10 AM to 5 PM 400 m 4. The Great Square Marian Column The Great Square Marian Column Velké náměstí/great Square in Kroměříž is dominated by a Baroque Marian Column, built to commemorate the end of a plague epidemic in It contains statues of St. Wenceslas, St. Florian, St. Roch and St. Moritz, as well as a gilded statue of Virgin Mary with a Child on the top. 320 m 5. Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary The original church dedicated to the Virgin Mary dates back to the early Middle Ages and it reacquired its current early baroque style in the first half of the 18th century. Its mostly Baroque interior is highly valued, especially the generously carved altar of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. 200 m 6. Riegrovo náměstí Riegrovo náměstí The oldest Kroměříž square now bears the name of a Czech politician and scholar František Ladislav Rieger, who lived in the town during the Kremsier Parliament/Assembly at Kroměříž meeting in It contains a number of significant architectural sights including the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the deanery and of course the Baroque fountain and especially the Holy Trinity column of CzechTourism 3

4 250 m 7. The Church of St. John the Baptist The Church of St. John the Baptist The original early medieval Hospital Church of St. John was given in the late 17th century by Liechtenstein Bishop of Olomouc to the Piarists order, introduced to Kroměříž in The church is the most important representative of church architecture in the town and among the most beautiful baroque churches in Moravia. Its interior is the work of leading Moravian and Austrian artists of the time. 600 m 8. Schrattenbach s Gra nary Schrattenbach s Gra nary On the way to the famous Flower Garden, make sure to stop and look at the former magistrate granary, easily identifiable from afar thanks to its size and a baroque gable wall. It was completed in 1711 by Cardinal Schrattenbach and based on plans of the famous architect G. P. Tencalla. 200 m 9. The Flower Garden The Flower Garden Libor Sváček The Flower garden in Kroměříž is one of the most important garden landscapes not only in the Czech Republic but also globally. It was originally founded on an inhospitable marshland outside of the city walls by Bishop Charles II, Earl of Lichtenstein-Castelcorn. It has a monumental scale and offers a carefully-designed combination of garden architecture with sculptures, paintings and crafts. Colonnade A 244 meters-long arcade gallery from 1671, designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Pietro Tencalla, decorated with 44 antique-style statues. The Flower Garden Aviary A masonry aviary on an island in the middle of a large pool, which used to be a waterfowl habitat, now refurbished and complete with CzechTourism 4

5 Near the entrance to the historic gardens is a newer garden, called Educational garden favoured by locals for picnics in between blooming flowerbeds. Visitor information: Rotunda This octagonal building is located in the geometrical middle of the garden at the intersection of transversal and diagonal pathways. It is richly decorated with stucco, sculptures and frescoes of water scenes. At its center is a Foucault pendulum, suspended on a m long string. The pendulum, installed by Kroměříž grammar school s professor František Nábělek in 1908, is a replica of a similar pendulum from the dome of the Pantheon in Paris by Leon J. B. Foucault. It is the first of its type in Bohemia. Rabbit Hill An artificial mound with rabbit holes and a statue of the goddess Diana on top, installed in the 17th century. Now refurbished and back to its former glory, complete with its rabbit inhabitants. Useful contacts Arcibiskupské vinné sklepy v Kroměříži: Tel: , Address: Turistické informační centrum Kroměříž, Velké náměstí 115, Kroměříž, GPS: , Accommodation Hotel La Fresca: Tel: , hotel@lafresca.cz, Address: Velké náměstí 109/55, Kroměříž , GPS: , Hotel a restaurant Octárna: Tel: , hotel@octarna.cz, Address: Tovačovského 318, Kroměříž , GPS: , Restaurant tips Radniční sklípek Kroměříž: Tel: , info@rs-kromeriz.cz, Address: Kovářská 20/2, Kroměříž , GPS: , Hotel a restaurant Octárna: Tel: , hotel@octarna.cz, Address: Tovačovského 318, Kroměříž , GPS: , Černý orel: Tel: , recepce@cerny-orel.eu, Address: Velké náměstí 24/9, Kroměříž , GPS: CzechTourism 5