Olomouc Czech Republic. Open left menu Olomouc. Column of the Holy Trinity

general information

Olomouc is one of the oldest university cities in Europe, the university buildings are woven into a thousand-year-old fabric of architecture, culture and art.

At any time of the year, folklore holidays and classical art festivals are held here, in addition, there are completely unexpected events, mainly on the initiative of student youth. The bustling backdrop harmoniously matches the centuries-old grandeur of Hanacian Rome, as Olomouc was called for its abundance of historical attractions.

Once you pass the inevitably featureless outskirts and the 1950s railway station, whose mosaic facade depicts happy workers and peasants dancing around a hammer and sickle, you find yourself in a wonderful Baroque city. In fact, Olomouc is much older. It has been the main city of Moravia since the 11th century. to 1642, and much has been preserved since then. In addition to several palaces, the Renaissance era is represented by a complex of merchant mansions called “under the bushy edges.” Olomouc wrote one of the darkest pages in the history of the Czech Republic in 1306: the last king from the Přemyslid dynasty, Wenceslaus III, was killed in the building of the capitular deanery.

During the Baroque era, the appearance of Olomouc was formed after large-scale development at the end of the Thirty Years' War. The central Upper and Lower Squares of the city are truly impressive - they are topped by the Column of the Holy Trinity, erected in Olomouc in gratitude for deliverance from the plague epidemic. The Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa consecrated the column in 1754, and, as historians report, she was unhappy that the 35 m high column was higher than a similar column in Prague!

Festivals worth visiting

Among the most interesting festivals is the May Song Festival - an international show of choirs who sing not on stage, but simply while exploring the city or sitting in a cafe. Olomouc June City Arts Festival - 10 days of continuous concerts, theatrical performances, exhibitions.

Do not miss

• Halls, chapel and towers of the town hall in the Renaissance style (1444) - the huge medieval clock was destroyed during the Second World War, in 1953 it was replaced by a version in the style of socialist realism.
• Cafe terrace between the 11th century St. Wenceslas Cathedral. and area.
• The former monastery of Gradisko is the oldest in Moravia.
• The austere Gothic facade of the Church of St. Morzic with stunning Baroque interior decoration.
• Gauenschild Palace, where Mozart wrote the Sixth Symphony.

Should know

Olomouc produces aged cheese with a strong aroma. It is sold in containers with a lid, and customers are offered mint lozenges to freshen breath and a toothpick.

Olomouc is one of the most beautiful Central European cities, the pearl of Moravia and its capital for many centuries, long ago losing this honorary title to Brno. The main square is decorated with the tallest baroque column of the Holy Trinity (32 meters), erected in honor of the end of the plague epidemic in 1716-1754 and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The current appearance of Olomouc was greatly influenced by the Swedish invasion (described in G. Sienkiewicz’s novel “The Flood”), after which the city was left in ruins. Everything that we can admire now was built at the beginning of the 18th century.

According to local legend, Olomouc was founded by Julius Caesar himself and archaeologists even found the remains of a Roman camp near the city, the last representative of the glorious Premyslid family died in Olomouc Castle under mysterious circumstances, and W.A. Mozart wrote his sixth symphony here, and the penultimate one was elevated to the throne in the archbishop's palace Emperor of Austria-Hungary - Franz Joseph, who ruled for 68 years.

Many people compare Olomouc with Prague - an equally beautiful, but much quieter city. We had the opportunity to see this personally when we visited Olomouc on one Sunday in August. The quiet city seemed completely extinct to us, despite the fact that large shopping centers were open, only small shops in the center were closed. The local population quickly went on holiday outside the city, and there were very few tourists.

Olomouc is so small that we didn't have to use public transport. It was only a 10-minute walk from the luxury apartment to the city center, and parking in the yard was free.

We stayed in this house

You can easily walk around the entire center in 2 hours at a very leisurely pace. All attractions are concentrated around two squares - Horní Náměstí (Upper Square) and Dolní Náměstí (Lower Square). The difference in height between the squares is not at all noticeable. I won't divide the photos into categories, I'll just show them in order of walking around the city. Everything is close there.

Many townspeople who did not go on vacation outside the city started this glorious sunny Sunday in a pub and by 10 am they had already managed to get pretty drunk. Supporters of a healthy lifestyle were fishing in the Morava River.

We were not very lucky, in 2017 the center of Olomouc was, one might say, under renovation, many buildings were in scaffolding, the streets were excavated, there was construction debris all around.

Very quickly we reached the Olomouc Cathedral - St. Wenceslas Cathedral. If you look closely at the photo, you will see that the entire carved Gothic facade was added to the cathedral at the end of the 19th century, it looks like new. St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague was also completed at the beginning of the 20th century. The interior is typical of a Gothic cathedral; photographs of the Pope and Mother Teresa, who honored Olomouc with their visit, are displayed inside. Nearby is the Archbishop's Museum, which opened its doors to visitors in 2006.

Many people compare Olomouc to Prague, but I would compare it to Rome, perhaps partly because we visited Rome only six months earlier, and perhaps because of the large number of fountains named after Roman gods and heroes and the many beautifully decorated churches. For example, the Fountain of Tritons was created in 1709 in the image and likeness of the fountain of the same name in Rome. In Rome, the same fountain stands in the Forum Boarium near the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, under the arch of which hangs the famous Mouth of Truth.

Just as it is typical for Russia to have Lenin Street or Square, the House of Soviets and the Palace of the Five Year Plans in every city, Masaryk Streets and Republic Square are so common in the Czech Republic. The fact is that for centuries there was no Czech Republic as such, there were Bohemia and Moravia, for a long time these principalities were part of the Holy Roman Empire and were ruled by the Habsburgs, the official language was German, Czechoslovakia gained independence only after the First World War in 1918 .

Tomas Garrigue Masaryk is the first president of the republic, therefore such veneration, the cult of his personality also took place, i.e. The USSR was not the only country that fell into the cult of personality; in those days, authoritarianism was in fashion. The project of an independent Czechoslovakia was helped by the United States, they bet on Masaryk and pushed him into the presidency, does this remind you of anything? And the first Czech military formation was formed on Russian territory.

Right next to the Triton Fountain there are two very nice and unique buildings. One of them houses the Olomouc Regional History Museum, and the other an art museum.

I don’t know how interesting a visit to these museums can be for a Russian tourist. The Regional Historical Museum alone houses more than 1,000,000 exhibits. It includes geological, mineralogical, paleontological, zoological, entomological, archaeological, numismatic, ethnographic, cartographic, military, medico-pharmaceutical, musical, decorative collections, as well as collections dedicated to the development of industry, transport, business and crafts. The museum is located in the building of the former monastery of St. Clare. Probably these exhibitions are still more interesting to the Czechs, as is the history of their homeland.

But the building of the art museum can please you even if you don’t go inside. On the facade there is a mechanized sculpture of the robber Robert by the famous Czech sculptor David Cerny. This pearl evokes associations with Prague, richly decorated with statues of hanging people.

The fact is that the tireless robber Robert, throughout the summer season, or rather from April to November, tirelessly moves along the cornice, delighting the few tourists and local residents. David Czerny is the author of all the strange Prague sculptures, such as the fountain of two pissing men at the Kafka Museum, a parody of the monument to St. Wenceslas (an upside down horse), black babies crawling on the Prague TV tower and many others. In general, the sculptor’s imagination is in full swing. The robber Robert from Olomouc looks completely innocent against the background of other very provocative sculptures by David Czerny.

The art museum building itself is relatively new; its façade was changed in the second half of the 20th century, when the building was adapted to house museum exhibitions. Before that, it housed a cadet corps, a hospital, a weaving factory and even a prison. In memory of all the former owners, the façade was decorated with bas-reliefs.

Opposite the art museum is the Baroque Church of St. Mary of the Snows. I didn’t take a photo of the façade; the street there is very narrow, but I did take a photo of the magnificent interior. Pay attention to the twisted columns at the altar; similar columns decorate St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome; however, the interior is reminiscent of the Prague Church of St. Nicholas (Nicholas) in Mala Strana.

Art comes out of the museum onto the streets and brings the arch of an ancient building to life.

Upper Square (Horní Náměstí)

So we went to the Upper Square of Olomouc, decorated with the Caesar Fountain, this is the main square of the city. After all, according to legend, the city was founded by Julius Caesar himself, so it’s impossible without a fountain dedicated to the hero. Historians deny this hypothesis, despite archaeological finds. There was a Roman camp, but Caesar was not, this is the official version. This does not prevent the residents of Olomouc from creating very advanced websites describing all the archaeological finds of Roman times; the legend of Julius Caesar is also declared there. Google Romans in Olomouc if you want to check it out.

The town hall was photographed from the side that was not wrapped in construction nets. There is an astronomical clock next to the tower. Olomouc was not as lucky as Prague during the Second World War, the war swept through the city and the astronomical clock was destroyed, they were restored in the Soviet style, working scientists and collective farmers, representatives of the creative intelligentsia became the heroes of the show, but people still gather to watch the daily show astronomical hours at 12-00. Tourists from Western Europe, unlike us, are very interested in the Soviet past and such things can surprise them.

Next to the clock is the entrance to the Tourist Information, where you can buy yourself some Olomouc cheese, a local edible souvenir. In appearance it looks like processed cheese from Soviet times, the wrapper is the same.

Near the town hall stands the main attraction of Olomouc - the Column of the Holy Trinity, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Columns in honor of deliverance from the plague epidemic were erected in abundance throughout the territory of the Danube Monarchy, for example, in the small Hungarian and in Budapest, etc. Estimate the size of the masterpiece; all the columns I listed are much smaller.

This Sunday morning there was a beach soccer match taking place in the square. Children were playing, there were very few spectators, most of all there were only the parents of the players. In the evening we saw how an excavator loaded sand into the Tatras, i.e. for a one-time, not at all mass event, they brought in several trucks of sand, they weren’t lazy, but how much taxpayer money was spent on this work?

The Arion Fountain is a modern creation; children like it most - a boy with a dolphin and two turtles, which is what the younger generation still needs.

The upper square is framed by very beautiful buildings. For example, how do you like this house with a golden deer? Opposite the house with the golden deer is a branch of our Sberbank. There you can withdraw some Czech crowns from an ATM, it’s more profitable than exchanging euros for crowns at exchange offices, where they try to deceive you, recalculate at their own tricky rate and charge a commission on top for the operation. Sberbank made sure that all citizens of the Russian Federation made their cards.

Near Upper Square

Here we got a little distracted by visiting the Bata shopping center, located very close to the square. The shopping center was no more crowded than the city itself.

The late Gothic Church of St. Mauritius is also located in the same area. It is not possible to photograph it entirely due to the densely packed houses nearby.

At the façade of the Church of St. Mauritius, you can look at a copy of the specially protected medieval sculpture “Jesus on the Mount of Olives” (15th century). The original is kept in the Archdiocesan Museum. Jesus is depicted with the apostles Peter, John and James. It is believed that this is the first sculptural image of Christ on Maslyanitsa Hill, this is its value; the original sculpture was polychrome.

Lower Square (Dolní náměstí)

Literally 50 m south of the Upper Square lies the lower square and is decorated with another plague column - St. Mary's and two fountains - Jupiter and Neptune.

The square is surrounded by beautiful, newly renovated houses. It was in the Gauenschild Palace that Mozart wrote his sixth symphony, or rather, Mozart and his family stayed at the “Black Eagle” tavern, which used to be located on the ground floor of this house, now there is the “Ganatskaya Gospodars” restaurant.

We managed to walk around the entire center of Olomouc twice - in the morning and in the evening. We even walked around the local very small rose garden, walked through the park and looked at the walls of the former Olomouc fortress.

Both times the city gave us the impression that it was extinct, there were almost no people at all, everything was closed - a paradise abandoned by its inhabitants. Even cars don’t drive on the streets at all; probably happy citizens don’t know what traffic jams are.

Perhaps Olomouc made such a strange impression on us because it was Sunday; in the summer everyone probably went out of town to swim and sunbathe. We even wondered if Olomouc was always so empty or were we unlucky? Maybe we are already spoiled by crowds, because we live in a big city, and we returned from Croatia crowded with tourists and in this contrast we felt out of place when there was no one around. This is normal in nature, but walking through an empty city was strange; associations arose with American horror films, as if we were inside a zombie apocalypse, everyone died. Even the shopping centers that were open there were almost completely empty.

In general, we expected more from Olomouc. Spending two hours on this city is enough; there is absolutely nothing to do there the whole day. Olomouc is very convenient to visit if you are traveling by car towards Vienna, Graz, Slovenia or Croatia, but it is a bit far to get from Prague. In the next article I will tell you about Kaunas

And let's go to Olomouc- a city located in the Moravian part of the Czech Republic on the Morava River, 260 km east of Prague. The city's population is 100,000 people, making it one of the largest Czech cities (sixth in the Czech Republic).

I’m answering the question you probably have about what Olomouc is famous for. Olomouc is the center of the Orthodox Church in Moravia. Here is the famous University of Palackého (Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci) is the oldest university in the Czech Republic after Charles University (Univerzita Karlova) in Prague. The headquarters of the Czech Ground Forces is also located in the city.

The Documentary Film Festival has been held in Olomouc for 40 years. Since 1967, 3 times a year (in spring, late summer, and autumn) in Smetanovy sady an international flower exhibition is held on an area of ​​4395 m² - "Flora of Olomouc". Every year the exhibition is visited by 80,000 people.

Olomouc is the only city in the Czech Republic with a population of 100,000 people that is supplied entirely with water from underground sources.

The weather in Olomouc is similar to the weather in Prague. The coldest month is January with an average daily temperature of -1 to -4, sometimes the temperature drops to -15. The warmest is July with temperatures of 15-20 degrees.

For ease of orientation around the city, I am posting a map of Olomouc.

The development of the central part of the city continued for several centuries. In the center there are several large squares, the most famous of which is Upper Square (Horní náměstí).

Stands on the square Column of the Holy Trinity (Sloup Nejsvětější Trojice)– baroque plague pillar, created in 1740 and brought V. The height of the pillar is 35 m, making it the largest sculptural composition in central Europe.

Also on the Upper Square is the town hall with for hours (Olomoucký orloj). Clocks appeared here around 1419-1422. and were reconstructed several times. The central dial shows the location of the planets against the background of the zodiac signs. The clock is located on a mosaic, in the upper part of which the royal rite is depicted, in the lower part - a worker and a chemist.

The astronomical clock on the central square is very reminiscent of Prague Orloj. Judge for yourself by looking at the Prague Eagle.

The attractions of the Upper Square of Olomouc also include Edelman's Palace– a bourgeois house built by Olomouc resident burgomaster Vaclav Edelman (far right house in the photo).

I would like to note that in Olomouc there is more than 25 fountains, 7 of them are made in Baroque style. We captured one of the fountains on the Upper Square - fountain "Arion" (Ariónova kašna).

There is a cute turtle next to the fountain.

At a nearby Lower Square (Dolní náměstí), into which the Upper Square goes, we discovered another plague pillar - the plague pillar of the Virgin Mary (Marianský sloup), dating back to the 18th century. Unfortunately, the area was blocked due to renovations, and it was not possible to get closer to the pillar. Pole height 15 m.

Also found on Lower Square fountain "Jupiter" (Jupiterova kašna).

A well-known landmark of Olomouc is Cathedral of St. Wenceslas (Katedrála svatého Václava). The cathedral is located on Wenceslas Square. The height of the main tower of the cathedral is 100 m, which makes it the tallest neo-Gothic tower in the Czech Republic.

This is what the cathedral looks like inside.

While walking around the city, we also came across one of the buildings Palacky University in Olomouc– building of the Faculty of Law.

The university was founded in 1573. Currently, the university has 8 faculties of humanities and medicine. The Faculty of Education deserves special mention.

There is a globe like this near the university building.

Morava River.

Nice trams travel around the city.

The stops are equipped with electronic displays.

Station square and station building.

As a souvenir from Olomouc you can bring famous Olomouc curds. These are yellow curds with a very strong smell. It is the only Czech cheese with a distinct taste, which depends on the degree of ripeness of the cheese. Suitable for gourmets.

Where to eat in Olomouc?

As usual, at the end of the post I want to give you advice on where you can have a delicious meal in Olomouc.

• Restaurant Moravska restaurace
• Restaurant address: Olomouc, Horní náměstí 23

Here you can taste local Moravian dishes, steaks, goulash, fish and much more. They also serve Moravian wines Veltlinské zelené, Muškát Moravský, Ryzlink Vlašský and others.

• Restaurant Moritz
• Restaurant address: Olomouc, Nešverova 2

This restaurant serves excellent food. Moritz's own beer, served . The restaurant has a very homely atmosphere.

How to get from Prague to Olomouc

From Prague to Olomouc you can travel by train from (Hlavní nádraží) and by the yellow Studentagency bus, which also departs from the main station.

• Bus ticket cost: 150-242 Czech crowns one way (410-660 rubles). The bus has a transfer.
• Ticket price for a direct train: 109-220 Czech crowns one way (300-600 rubles).

Please note that if you purchase a round trip ticket, the cost will be lower than the cost of two separate tickets.

Bus and train tickets can be purchased on the website. The advantage of the site is that it compares the cost of tickets from different companies for the same destinations. The site is in Russian, payment can be made by card in any currency: Euros, dollars, Czech crowns, rubles and hryvnias. Please note that tickets to popular destinations sell out very quickly, especially in the summer, so do not delay your purchase.

You can also get to Olomouc. Travel time will be 2 hours 45 minutes, the distance between cities is 281 km. On the way back to Prague, you can stop by some other beautiful towns, for example, Litomysl and Hradec Králové.

Personal impression of Olomouc:
It's hard for me to be unbiased about this small Czech city... In one word, Olomouc is cool. Moderately small, moderately cozy and quite original, in many ways it exceeded my expectations. By that time, Prague, Vienna, Brno, and another two dozen different parts of central Europe were behind us. Of course, it is useless to compare such a regional center with capitals, but against the backdrop of many other provincial settlements, the main city of Northern Moravia, Olomouc, looks very impressive. Among the local unique features, I would highlight: the presence of two adjacent “market squares” with two plague columns, one of which is actually the largest in Central Europe; a huge number of ancient fountains, decorated with carved stone statues, throughout the historical center; and one of the most unusual churches I've ever seen. So, first things first.

The top 10 is just my way of talking about a particular tourist place, not claiming complete objectivity. This approach allows me to highlight the most interesting things I saw and structure my impressions. When constructing a rating, it is possible to weed out a number of mediocre details (although sometimes they are the ones that “make” a trip) and concentrate on truly memorable objects. This trick seems to me to be appropriate solely for describing the main tourist attractions and its only purpose is to answer the question: “What would you recommend to see there, well, the very best?”

10th place
Bishop's Square
Personal impression: The unexpected concentration of Baroque within one small area cannot but please, but compared to other corners of Olomouc it looks very modest.
Description: The famous Archbishop's Palace overlooks Bishop Square, Teresian Armory, now a building of the University of Olomouc, as well as a complex archiepiscopal consistory. The Archbishop's Palace is one of the most important early Baroque buildings in Moravia. It was built according to the design of an Italian architect Filiberto Luchese on the site of an older Renaissance palace. The current complex consists of seven two-story wings forming a series of rectangular courtyards. The main façade overlooking the square is distinguished by its rare rich decoration with three portals. The interior of the residence has retained the baroque stucco decoration of the rooms. The former Theresian Armory now operates computer science center and central Library university Palatsky. The four-story building with late Baroque elements of decoration is a typical example of such military architecture. The building was built between 1771-1778, its facade is decorated with stone carvings depicting war trophies, and at the top there is a sculpture of Mars in armor. This armory was erected by the will of Maria Theresa directly opposite the main entrance to the residence of the archbishops in order to protect the clergy if necessary.

1. View of the Archbishop's Palace and Bishop's Square from Maryanskaya Street

2. Archbishop's Consistory along Vurmov Street, on the right

3. Portico of Olomouc University - Teresian armory

9th place
Olomouc Gardens
Personal impression: Pedestrian and bicycle bridges built over highways look especially unusual. This gives you the opportunity to walk through parks without coming into contact with the urban environment. I found the famous Olomouc flower fairs themselves at a somewhat unconscious age, two or three months, but according to the recollections of my elders, they had never seen anything like this before (with a discount for 1986).
Description: Most of the parks and gardens ringing the historical quarters of Olomouc were created on the site of defensive structures that were razed as unnecessary at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Thus, the perimeter of the city center is now surrounded by the Czech Garden, the Smetanovy Gardens, on the basis of which there is a botanical garden and annual flower fairs are held, the Bezruchevy Garden, the park under St. Wenceslas Cathedral and the park under the summer cinema. Along the alleys and paths of the gardens there are many monuments and sculptures; there are sports grounds, luxurious flower beds and a rose garden. Such a dense concentration of green areas in the center allows local residents and guests of the city to easily escape from the bustle of the city and enjoy nature at any time. The floristry festivals held regularly in the gardens are widely popular outside of Olomouc.

1. Pavilion A in the Smetanovo Sad - Olomouc Botanical Garden

2. Connecting bridge between gardens

3. Monument Red Army in the Czech Garden

8th place
Republic Square
Personal impression: An ordinary square, on which, apparently, in the best years, the city fathers decided to complete everything that it lacked: +1 cathedral, +1 museum, +1 theater. Although this space does not differ in any unique brilliance.
Description: One of the main squares of the city, which overlooks many notable institutions: the Jesuit College and the Church of Our Lady of the Snows, an art museum and musical theater, a natural history museum, as well as the district library and post office.

1. Jesuit College and Church of Our Lady of the Snows

2. Natural History Museum

3. Fountain on the square

7th place
St Michael's Hill
Personal impression: The first really cool corner of Olomouc. Bulky The buildings of the cathedral and the university building at the top of the hill do not produce any special delight, but the narrow streets descending from the top to the main squares, lined with small, almost toy houses, with arches thrown between them, are very pleasing.
Description: The height of the hill is 233 meters above sea level and this - highest point in the territory historical part of the city. There is an assumption, What in this very place there once stood a pagan temple. There is also a version that there was a tower here, erected by the legendary founder of Olomouc, Julius Caesar eat, although this the theory has no evidence. And yet many archaeological findstestify to a wide variety of ancient settlements: were discovered here remains of an unknown person burial ground, remains of Roman ships, ceramics of the ancient Slavs and Germans, as well as stone blades early stone age. Within the heights today there are c Church of St. Michael and Salesianium - the archbishop's seminary.
1. Salesian University

2. C Church of St. Michael

3. Streets leading down to the city center

6th place

Personal impression: The structure, very unusual for a Central European medieval city, creates a feeling of Rome - an interesting effect.
Description: Giovanni Sarkander (Skotzov, 20 December 1576 - Olomouc, 17 March 1620) is a prominent Czech holy martyr, beatified Pope Pius IX. May 21st 1995 during the ceremony in Olomouc he was declared a saint Pope John Paul II. The current chapel was erected in neo-baroque style Eduard om Sokhor in the first decade of the twentieth century and represents a unique example of such architecture in northern Moravia.

1. Chapel di San Giovanni Sarkander

2. The fork in the streets of the old town from the chapel

3. Dome and statues

5th place
Lower Market
Personal impression: For most of these respectable towns, such a square would serve as the only central place, would boast a concentration of all sorts of decorative odds and ends and would serve as a favorite corner of the local residents. But in Olomouc this square has an unenviable second place, because right next door is the much more magnificent and spacious Upper Market Square. So all the fountains and columns are forced to lonely see off the tourists running past and seem to remain out of work.
Description: Lower Market is one of the two main squares of the old city that communicate with each other. There are many historical houses with their own stories and names, as well as a number of interesting attractions: the Capuchin restaurant, the fountains of Jupiter and Neptune, the Gauenschild Palace and, of course, the Marian Column. It was installed in 1715 after overcoming another plague epidemic. This is one of two so-called “plague columns” in the city center. At that time, similar monuments were erected in central Europe as a sign of gratitude for deliverance from a terrible disease. This column was erected on the initiative of the outstanding local stonemason Vaclav Render, who gave the city many wonderful sculptures that adorn Olomouc today.

1. Marian column on Lower market

2. General view of the area

3. Church of the Annunciation and monastery capuchins at the Lower Market

4th place
Cathedral of St. Wenceslas
Personal impression: The main tower of the cathedral became visible from the main square, the Upper Market. It seemed that this was not a very large structure on one of the neighboring streets. The greater the surprise when it turned out that the cathedral is located at the other end of the city, and its size is truly impressive. Such churches are usually found in capital cities in central squares, and rarely at a distance from the town hall square.
Description: St. Wenceslas Cathedral was built in 1140 in the Romanesque style. The temple was founded in 1130 by Bishop Jindrich Zdik. In the XIII-XIV centuries, the cathedral was rebuilt in the current Gothic spirit. A significant event was the assassination of the Czech king Wenceslas III in the nearby church deanery building on August 4, 1306. In 1883-1892, the architect Gustav Meretta introduced neo-Gothic elements into the architecture of the central tower. Its height is 100 meters, which makes this tower one of the tallest similar structures in the Czech Republic.

1. St. Wenceslas Cathedral

2. Archbishop's Museum - Przemysl Palace

3. View of the cathedral from the street on May 1st

3rd place
Church of St. Maurice (Mauritius)
Personal impression: From the Upper Market, only the jagged tower of the temple is visible, which makes the unprepared traveler imagine that there is some ancient castle nearby. Of course, up close it becomes immediately clear that this is a church in front of you, but its architecture is so unusual that, unlike hundreds of other Catholic churches, this one is etched in your memory. And if you remember Olomouc, then the Church of St. Maurice comes to mind first.
Description: This Gothic temple is a national cultural monument of the Czech Republic. It was built in the late Gothic style and acquired its modern appearance in the 15th century. The church and its surroundings are one of the oldest inhabited places in Olomouc. In the immediate vicinity of the church in the 1970s. During the construction of the store, the remains of an 11th-century Romanesque rotunda and 12th-century Romanesque stone manor houses were discovered. All finds are now collected in the funds of the National Heritage Institute Olomouc. This point was once a crossroads of trade routes, the oldest city bazaar operated here, and the shrine apparently served as a “market temple.” Until the mid-13th century, legally, the Church of St. Maurice was the main temple of the city, while the Cathedral of St. Wenceslas served as the temple of the capital's bishop. Today in the temple you can listen to the largest organ in Central Europe, made by the master Engler.

1. Church of St. Mauritius

2. View of the church from Pekarskaya Street

3. View from the Upper Market

2nd place
Column of the Holy Trinity
Personal impression: If you travel around Europe a lot, the plague columns will soon become familiar. Each of them is full of statues and curlicues, each is entertaining and charming in its own way, but it is unlikely that it alone can be remembered separately from the neighboring typical European beauty: the local cathedral, the town hall and a number of luxurious houses (such as the Viennese monument on the Graben) . The Column of the Holy Trinity on the Upper Market in Olomouc is truly a fascinating sight. It stands on a spacious square, surrounded by very remarkable buildings, and even next to the magnificent magistrate, and at the same time it definitely concentrates all the attention.
Description: The column was erected at the beginning of the 18th century as a sign of overcoming the plague. It should be considered, perhaps, one of the most outstanding such monuments in Central Europe. Built in the traditional local style known as "Olomouc Baroque", the column reaches a height of 35 meters. It is decorated with many beautiful religious sculptures by the outstanding Moravian sculptor Ondřej Zagner. The monument is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1. Column of the Holy Trinity on the Upper Market

2. Column details

3. General view of the column and town hall

1st place
City Hall
Personal impression: Olomouc Town Hall is beautiful. Light and majestic, ancient and at the same time snow-white, it impresses greatly and immediately, and even this piercingly high spire, soaring above all the roofs of the city... For my taste, I have not seen a single better town hall in the Czech Republic.
Description: The famous Olomouc Town Hall is without a doubt the main architectural dominant of the Upper Market Square. It was built in the mid-15th century in the Gothic-Renaissance style with Baroque elements. Today, it houses the meeting hall of the city administration, a marriage registration hall, a tourist information center, restaurants and exhibition galleries. The building of this town hall was built on the site of the previous one, a wooden one, which was destroyed by fire in 1420. The following centuries left a significant imprint on the modern appearance of the building. The design of the town hall was constantly updated and improved: the original structure was supplemented with a third floor, the Chapel of St. Jerome, a Gothic bay window and a large Gothic hall. The four wings of the town hall form a small courtyard. The most interesting elements of the building can be considered the 75-meter tower and the amazing astronomical clock, which was once a copy of the famous Prague Orloj, but was destroyed during the Second World War. The clock was restored only in 1955, at which time it acquired the features of socialist realism as we see it today.

1. Caesar Fountain in front of the Town Hall

2. Main facade of the town hall

3. Astronomical clock

Olomouc, Czech Republic - detailed information about the city. Olomouc guide: popular attractions with photos and descriptions.

City of Olomouc

Olomouc is an ancient city in the east of the Czech Republic, in the very center of the historical region of Moravia, one of the most beautiful cities in the country. This is a city of students, ancient streets and squares, interesting sights. Olomouc is very similar to the capital of the Czech Republic - Prague, but it is more comfortable and quieter.

City information

1. Population - more than 100 thousand people.
2. Area - 103 km².
3. Currency - Czech crown.
4. Language - Czech.
5. Time - UTC+1, in summer UTC+2.

The city of Olomouc is a student city. There are almost 10 thousand students per 100 thousand inhabitants. One of the oldest universities in the Czech Republic is also located here. In addition, Olomouc is a very beautiful, cozy city, popular among tourists. Its peculiarity is its beautiful ancient streets, spacious squares in the Baroque style, built in the 18th century. There are also quite a lot of parks and green areas.

Olomouc has always been one of the most important royal cities of the Czech Republic. Thanks to its convenient location, the presence of an ancient university and spiritual, cultural and craft traditions, over many centuries the city became the center of Moravia, which attracted artists, intellectuals and merchants.

In the 10th-12th centuries Olomouc existed as a fortress. But already in 1253 the city received royal status. Until 1641 the city was the capital of the Margraviate of Moravia. After the Thirty Years' War, Olomouc was captured by the Swedes, who occupied it for 8 years. During the occupation the city suffered greatly. After this, Olomouc lost its position in Moravia and the status of the region's capital passed to Brno.

In 1848, the imperial court of Austria-Hungary temporarily moved to Olomouc. Here Emperor Ferdinand I abdicated the throne in favor of Franz Joseph.

The city's close location to Austria largely determined the strong German influence. In the 19th century, the German-speaking population of Olomouc was three times larger than the Czech population. The situation changed after the First World War, when Olomouc became part of Czechoslovakia. Currently, Olomouc is an important economic, tourist and cultural center of the region.

How to get to Olomouc

The most convenient way to get to Olomouc is from Brno - the distance is only 80 km. The city is located 280 km from Prague. You can view the schedule and buy tickets here - http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlakyautobusymhdvse/spojeni/. You can also get to Olomouc from Krakow.

Nutrition

The specialties of the Olomouc region invite you to visit local restaurants and try all the Moravian dishes. Olomouc cheese curds and a glass of good beer are the main thing in any Olomouc restaurant. From the wide selection of beers, we recommend Moritz and Vašek, which are brewed in small breweries right in Olomouc. Those with a sweet tooth will surely be delighted by the dumplings made from yeast dough, stuffed with fruit and sprinkled with cottage cheese.

Average prices in Olomouc restaurants

• set lunch - about 90 Kč
• a la carte dishes - about 150 Kč
• ready dish - about 120 Kč
• beer 0.5 l - about 33 Kč
• glass of wine - about 40 Kč
• non-alcoholic drinks and coffee - about 35 Kč

Accommodation

In Olomouc you can choose a hotel, guesthouse or apartment according to your taste. Accommodation options include hotels, boarding houses and hostels. If you are planning to stay in a hotel, then for a double room you will pay approximately 2000 CZK per night. If you are looking for a cozy guesthouse, then the price for a modest double room will be approximately 700-800 CZK per night, in a guesthouse in the city center - 1500-2000 CZK. An overnight stay in a hostel costs from 300 Kč.

Purchases

In the center of Olomouc there are many shops and retail outlets where you can buy both Czech and foreign goods. If you want to spend the whole day shopping, you can go to one of the Olomouc shopping centers, where there are many cozy cafes and good restaurants where you can have a good time after a busy day. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere: in hotels, large restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets and many other stores. You can withdraw cash from an ATM.

Small shops are open on weekdays from 8:00 to 18:00. Some shops also have a lunch break - from 12:00 to 13:00. Larger shops and supermarkets close at 20:00. Exceptions are the so-called “evenings”, which are open until late at night. On Saturdays, shops are open until lunch, and on Sundays – a day off. Shopping centers are open on all days of the week from 9:00 to 21:00.

Sights of Olomouc

(Sloup Nejsvětější Trojice) - plague pillar, one of the main attractions of Olomouc. The building is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Column of the Holy Trinity is a unique work of Central European Baroque.

The Column of the Holy Trinity is primarily a religious monument. It was built in gratitude for the city's deliverance from the plague. Construction began in 1716 and lasted 38 years. The column was started by the architect Wenzel Raeder and completed by Johann Ignatius Rokicki.

The column is decorated with a spire with the image of the Holy Trinity. Near the Holy Trinity there are sculptures of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel. The base of the column consists of three levels, decorated with 18 stone sculptures of saints and 14 bas-reliefs.

On the upper level there are sculptures of people associated with the earthly life of Jesus Christ. In the middle are Moravian and Czech saints. On the lower level there are sculptures of St. Mauritius and St. Wenceslas.

Address: Horní nám. 779 00 Olomouc
How to get there: Tram - 1 7, Okresní soud or tram 4 6, Náměstí Hrdinů.

(Radnice s orlojem) - the town hall in Olomouc with a tower on which an astronomical clock (orloj) is installed. Symbol of the economic and political power of Moravia. The town hall building was built 6 centuries ago. The City Hall dominates the architecture of the historic city center. Next to the town hall building there is a column of the Holy Trinity. Nowadays the municipal authorities of Olomouc are located here.

(Kostel svatého Mořice) - Catholic Gothic church. The history of the temple begins in the mid-13th century. The Church of St. Mauritius is a national cultural monument of the Czech Republic and the largest late Gothic church in Moravia.

The new church in the Romanesque-Gothic style was erected on the site of an early Romanesque building from the 11th century. The south tower with a bell tower was built in 1403, the north - in 1412. In 1540, after reconstruction, the church acquired its modern appearance. The temple houses the largest organ in Central Europe.

(Olomoucký hrad) is an architectural complex on the Wenceslas Hill in Olomouc. National cultural monument of the Czech Republic. The complex also includes St. Wenceslas Cathedral.

Now the most important parts of the castle are the Gothic Cathedral of St. Wenceslas and a partially preserved Romanesque palace. Also, even the remains of the Roman wall south of the cathedral have been preserved here. On the northern and northeastern side, on a rocky cliff, rise the remains of stone walls and a Romanesque palace. The first mention of the castle dates back to 1055. In 1302, the Czech king Wenceslas III was killed there. In the Middle Ages, church nobility lived in the castle. In 1767, young Mozart visited him.

Address: Václavské nám.,779 00 Olomouc

(Katedrála svatého Václava) is a cathedral in Olomouc dedicated to St. Wenceslas - patron saint of the Czech Republic. Originally the church of St. Wenceslas was built in Romanesque style in 1140. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the cathedral received a Gothic appearance. In 1883-1892. The architect Gustav Meretta introduced neo-Gothic details in the central tower. The height of the cathedral tower is 100 meters. It is second in height only to the tower of St. Vita in Prague. Many details of the cathedral are perfectly preserved (Romanesque crypt, Gothic arcade, Baroque chapel).

Graditsky Monastery(Klášter Hradisko) is a monastery in Olomouc, a national cultural monument of the Czech Republic. The monastery belonged to the Catholic monastic order of the Premonstrants. It was founded in 1078 and is considered one of the first in Moravia. It was founded by Benedictine monks, who were expelled from Olomouc in the mid-12th century. The monastery was handed over to the Premonstratensians. Throughout its long history, the monastery was destroyed several times. In the 17th-18th centuries, the monastery was restored and rebuilt in the Baroque style. Now the monastery building houses a hospital.

Address: Sušilovo nám. 1/5 771 11 Olomouc

Main attractions on the map

A short video of Olomouc