The city of Olomouc in the Czech Republic. Olomouc, what to see, photos, our impressions. #1. Column of the Holy Trinity
Author - valniko77. This is a quote from this post
Olomouc - “Little Prague” on the banks of the MoravaOlomouc - “Little Prague” on the banks of the Morava
Charming town Olomouc comfortably located in the east of the Czech Republic and is the center of Moravia - a historical region on the banks of the picturesque Morava River.
City Olomouc founded in 1253. At one time it was the capital of the Moravian state. Currently, Olomouc is considered one of the most beautiful ancient cities in the Czech Republic with a rich cultural life.
It is not for nothing that Olomouc is called an open-air museum, because here, on an area of only about one hundred square kilometers, a great many historical monuments and architectural structures are concentrated, which turn the city into a “little Prague”, calm, quiet and homely.
Olomouc is less popular among tourists than Prague, Cesky Krumlov or Karlovy Vary, although it has the second largest protected historical center in the Czech Republic after Prague.
A legend that arose during the Renaissance states that Olomouc was founded by Julius Caesar on the site of a Roman camp. The original Latin name of the city, Juliomontium or Juliamons, is also given. And although the legend has not found historical confirmation, and historians confidently claim that Julius Caesar was not the founder of the city, four years ago during excavations a Roman camp from the 2nd century AD was discovered here. e. , which is the northernmost in Central Europe. ">
Since the Middle Ages, due to its proximity to Austria, the city has experienced strong German influence.
Despite the German influence, the Czech language was preserved, including in some religious publications of the 17th and 18th centuries. However, the use of German as the official language gradually led to a certain decline of the Czech language.
In the 19th century According to statistics, the German-speaking population of Olomouc was three times larger than the Czech one. The situation began to change after the First World War with the emergence of Czechoslovakia as an independent state in 1918.
The city's population increased due to its merger with nearby small settlements, where the Czech population predominated. The contradictions between the Czech and German residents of the city became especially pronounced during the Second World War, when the German-speaking population supported the Nazis.
Sights of Olomouc
Olomouc has long been the center of religious and spiritual life in Moravia. The most significant of Olomouc's Catholic churches, the Cathedral of St. Vaclav
Cathedral of St. Wenceslas
The Gothic Cathedral of St. Wenceslas is the second tallest building in the Czech Republic. It is located on a cozy, quiet square, hidden from prying eyes, but it is very easy to find: the three majestic spiers of the temple cutting through the sky serve as a good landmark.
The appearance of St. Wenceslas Cathedral (Katedrála svatého Václava) has changed several times, acquiring the features of new architectural trends. Today, the main temple of Olomouc is a unique structure that combines features of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and pseudo-Gothic styles. The height of the southern tower of the building reaches 100.65 m. The treasury of the cathedral contains a relic - a tabernacle in the shape of an ark, inlaid with four hundred diamonds.
There are several squares in the city center. We go out to one of them, called Upper. (Horní Náměstí).
On it is 15th century town hall, built in the Renaissance style, with a 75 m high tower and an astronomical clock. On the southern façade of the town hall is the Gothic chapel of St. Jerome, now there is a museum there. The Town Hall still serves its original purpose and is the residence of the city mayor.
In the center of the square is Column of the Holy Trinity (Sloup Nejsvětější Trojice)- a plague pillar, which is included in the UNESCO heritage list. The pillar, installed in 1754, has a height of 35 m. The column is crowned with a spire with the image of the Holy Trinity, near which there are sculptures of the Archangel Gabriel and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The base of the column is three-level, it is decorated with 18 sculptures of saints and 14 bas-reliefs.
Upper Square (Horní Náměstí
This Holy Trinity Column- the highest plague pillar in Europe. It was erected in 1716-1754. after ridding the city of the plague. In 2000 it was included in the UNESCO list.
Pillar of the Holy Trinity- created in 1754 Height - 35 meters.
This is a whole group of sculptural structures in the Baroque style, including 18 sculptures of saints, 12 figures of torchbearers, as well as 6 relief images of the apostles, located on three levels. The Holy Trinity Column is the largest sculpture of its kind in Central Europe.
It was erected in honor of the end of the plague epidemic that broke out in the 18th century, and in 2001 it was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
There is also a market on the square.
Pay attention to the scales. No newfangled electronic ones, everything the old fashioned way.
City Hall of the 15th century.
Olomouc Town Hall, built in 1378, has been a symbol of the city for more than six centuries; the residence of the city mayor is located here.
Southern façade of Olomouc Town Hall with protruding bay window Gothic chapel of St. Jerome.
View of the Town Hall tower.
Double staircase with a Renaissance box in the eastern part of the town hall.
Fairytale dragon on the rain drain of the town hall.
On its northern façade you can admire the famous chimes with an unusual architectural frame and design.
The main decoration of the Town Hall is its clock - the famous "Orloy" which appeared in 1500. Since Olomouc was the second most important city after Prague, the local residents decided to keep up with the capital and place a clock on their Town Hall, created like the one in Prague. However, in 1955 they were remade in the manner of socialist realism. Therefore, on the clock we see collective farmers and workers, military men and scientists.
Astronomical clock, located in a niche of the northern façade of the town hall. This is a post-war reconstruction, since the ancient chimes were destroyed during the battles for the liberation of the city in May 1945. They are 8 different clocks that show the time, days of the week, moon phases and the astronomical calendar. The clock is decorated with mosaics depicting types of work at different times of the year.
Olomouc is a city of fountains.
There are a lot of them for such a small town, just listing them will take a lot of time - the fountain of Caesar, Hercules, Jupiter, Neptune, Arion, Mercury, Tritons, Hercules, Sarkander, and a dozen more. And everyone is famous and attractive for something.
Fountain of Hercules.
Fountain of Arion.
The plot of the composition is taken from the ancient Greek legend about the poet, singer and musician Arion, who was saved from the sea by a dolphin.
Turtle at the Arion Fountain.
Triton Fountain on Republic Square.
Fountain of Julius Caesar.
Neptune Fountain on the Lower Square.
Fountain of Jupiter (1683).
Mariinsky Plague Column The “twisted” shape is decorated with figures of saints; at the top of the column is a statue of St. Virgin Mary.
Church of Our Lady of the Snows
Baroque Church of the Virgin Mary of the Snows (Kostel Panny Marie Sněžné) with a monumental portal. The interiors have remained virtually unchanged since its construction in 1716.
Very beautiful interior decoration
Church of St. Michael the Archangel
The Church of St. Michael the Archangel (Kostel svatého Michaela archanděla) is topped with three octagonal domes. It belongs to the Dominican Order and amazes with the richness of its interior decoration in the Baroque style. Founded in the 13th century.
Facade of St. Michael's Cathedral
Red Church
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. This 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?
Traditionally, 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.
- Cost of a ticket 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.
I like Olomouc right away. An ancient city with narrow streets, alleys and arcades. It's very nice, cozy and not crowded - there are a lot of open spaces in the center. Squares with baroque fountains are the highlight of the city. Many say that this is a second Prague - only quiet and calm. It seems to me that this is one of the most underrated cities in the Czech Republic among our tourists. And completely in vain. There is still something to see and where to walk. And if Rome is called the city of fountains and squares, then Olomouc is a town of fountains and squares.
Olomouc is one of the most beautiful ancient cities in the Czech Republic and the first one we visited in this country. It is almost 800 years old (founded in 1253). The town is small - only one hundred thousand people live here. You can walk around the entire old center in a couple of hours. Olomouc is much less popular among tourists than other cities in the Czech Republic. And completely in vain. It is not as nice and cozy here as in Cesky Krumlov, but also not as noisy as in Prague. A kind of golden mean. 
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To begin with, according to tradition, the history of the place in two paragraphs. According to legend, Olomouc was founded by Julius Caesar himself on the site of a Roman camp. In the Middle Ages, the city was the capital of Moravia, then one of the key cities of the Habsburg Empire. In 1640 the Swedes came and wiped Olomouc off the face of the earth. The city was quickly rebuilt - it became larger and more beautiful, but it did not return to its former status and influence. Then Olomouc became part of Austria-Hungary and quickly developed as part of the empire. By the 19th century, there were three times more Germans living in the city than Czechs. After World War II, almost all of them were expelled. 
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Plague pillar on the Upper Square. This is the calling card of Olomouc. The height of the column is 35 meters. This is the tallest of its kind in all of central Europe. The pillar of the Holy Trinity was built for almost 40 years (from 1716 to 1754) - in honor of the city's deliverance from the plague.
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The second dominant feature of the main square is the town hall. The building was built in the 15th century. Now it houses the city administration and the registry office. The height of the tower is 75 meters, twice the height of the pillar. But you can’t say that)
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The tower is decorated with chimes with an astronomical clock. This is a replica in the spirit of socialist realism. The ancient clock was destroyed by the Germans at the end of World War II. Leaving the city, they fired a couple of times at the town hall - they hit the dial right.
Fountain of Hercules on the Upper Square.
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Squares with baroque fountains are the highlight of the city. There are more than 20 fountains here (the same number in Odessa, which is ten times larger than Olomouc). The sculptures use motifs from Roman mythology. One of the fountains depicts Julius Caesar himself. Residents of Olomouc like to believe that he founded the city.
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As in Odessa, fountains were needed not for beauty, but for a normal water supply. When water supply was invented in Europe, fountains were demolished in all cities. And in Olomouc they played it safe and left it just in case of fire. At the same time, they rebuilt it in the Baroque style to make it beautiful. 
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Arion is perhaps the most famous fountain in Olomouc. And one of the newest. It was opened in 2002, although it was planned to build it back in the 18th century. In the bowl there is a whole complex of bronze figures - turtles, fish, dolphins and the Greek poet Arion himself.
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According to legend, Arion was returning home from Italy with treasures that he had earned in a foreign land. On the way, either the ship was attacked by pirates, or the crew simply decided to rob a rich man. Arion was thrown overboard - but he was saved by a dolphin, who was attracted by the young man’s singing. The Czechs consider this an example of the triumph of justice. In summer you can swim in the fountain.
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Marian Column on the Lower Square. Another plague pillar. It was built a little earlier than the pillar of the Holy Trinity. But in the midst of another epidemic, they decided that it was not chic enough and did not protect well from diseases. Therefore, another column was built in the neighboring square. But this one, just in case, was not demolished. 
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Fountain of Neptune on the Lower Square. 
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Houses in the vicinity of Lower Square. 
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Arches and alleys in the old town. 
Statue of St. Florian. Interesting guy. He was a Roman commander, but suddenly turned to faith. I learned about the execution of several dozen Christians in Lochre and went to save them. For this he was sentenced to death, and before execution, according to tradition, he was tortured in every possible way. Then they threw him into the river. The soldier who did this was immediately blinded, and the waves carried Florian himself off the shore. At night, he appeared in a dream to a local righteous woman and asked to bury him humanly. 7 years later, the Roman Empire issued an edict on freedom of religion. And Florian was canonized.
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Chapel of St. John Sarkander. The church is large, but the alley is narrow. In fact, these are not just photographs, but panoramas of four frames. 
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Cathedral of St. Wenceslas. The main temple of the city. The church was rebuilt many times, but in the 19th century it was restored to its Gothic appearance. Here is the largest bell in Moravia. The height of the southern tower is more than a hundred meters. Above is only the St. Vitus Tower in Prague. 
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Next to the temple is the modest palace of the archbishop. 
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We return to the city center. On the left photo is the south tower of the Church of St. Wenceslas. On the right are the Triton Fountain and the Church of the Virgin Mary. 
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In Olomouc they really like to decorate the facades with animal figures. Every decent house does this. 
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This is the first photo report from the Czech Republic. We spent almost a week there. During this time we managed to see a lot of interesting things - Olomouc, Prague, Brno, Cesky Krumlov, Kutna Hora, Hluboka nad Vltavou and the incredibly cool Slovak Bojnice Castle. So in the near future there will be a series of cool photo reports. We went by car - I’ll be happy to share the routes, tell you where to live, where to eat and what to see. 
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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.
Morava River, view from Masaryk Street 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.
Olomouc street, not a single person, all shops closed, Sunday 
Just a beautiful window display of a closed store 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.
Neo-Gothic Cathedral of St. Wenceslas 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.
Fountain of Tritons in Olomouc on Republic Square 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 independent Czechoslovakia was helped by the United States, they bet on Masaryk and pushed him into the presidency, doesn’t that 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.
Regional Historical Museum 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.
Art museum building 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.
Mechanized figure of the robber Robert (sculptor 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.
One of the bas-reliefs on the building of the Museum of Art, clearly about the cadet corps 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.
Church of Our Lady of the Snows Art comes out of the museum onto the streets and brings the arch of an ancient building to life.
Czech arts next to the art museum 
Another piece of art 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.
Caesar's Fountain (1724) 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.
Olomouc Town Hall 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.
And here are all those who gathered to watch the astronomical clock show, about 30 people 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.
Column of the Holy Trinity 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?
Beach soccer match on the Upper Square of Olomouc 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.
Arion Fountain 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.
Bourgeois house "At the Golden Deer" 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.
Fountain of Mercury, next to the shopping center (1727) 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.
Model of the Church of St. Mauritius 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.
Jesus on the Mount of Olives, copy of a medieval sculpture 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.
St. Mary's Column on Lower Square 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.
The house on the far left with a bay window is Gauenschild Palace 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.
Mausoleum in memory of Yugoslav soldiers who fell during the First World War 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.
Olomouc street in the evening, no cars, no people 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
Olomouc Zoo is located in a coniferous forest on Holy Hill, ten kilometers from the city. The zoo, covering an area of 42 hectares, is beautifully equipped, which will delight both children and adults. Animals and birds live in open pavilions; animals are fed daily at different enclosures. In total, more than 1,700 animals from 350 species live in the zoo, 17 of which are listed in the Red Book.
The most popular places are the macaque enclosure, which can be observed without barriers, the bat pavilion, and a huge aquarium containing not only fish, but also blacktip sharks. On the territory of the zoo there is an observation tower 32 meters high, which offers a panoramic view of 50 km. The zoo also has a restaurant, an electric train that runs between pavilions, and a children's playground.
Modern Art Museum
The Museum of Modern Art is located in a large old castle-like house on Republic Square in Olomouc. Initially, in the 14th century, a church and a shelter for the infirm were built on this site. In the first half of the 19th century, the building was destroyed and a new one was built in the classical style, where the prison was located.
In 1989, the building was purchased for the Museum of Art, which presents excellent examples of national and world culture, applied and fine arts of the 20th and 21st centuries. For example, works by the Czech artist Joseph Lada are exhibited here, as well as Victor Vasarelli, who used optical illusions in his works.
The halls with a huge number of sculptures, paintings, sketches and other masterpieces will not leave you indifferent. In addition, the museum organizes seminars, classes for children and other events related to contemporary art.
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Town Hall
Architectural dominant of the Upper Square of Olomouc. Made in the Gothic-Renaissance style with introduced Baroque elements. Now the town hall houses the meeting hall of the city administration, the Olomouc Wedding Hall, an art gallery and a café restaurant.
The first town hall on this site appeared at the end of the 14th century and was wooden. After it was destroyed by fire, it was decided to build a stone building. The new town hall was built in 23 years, by 1443. Subsequently, as usually happened with medieval architectural monuments, it was repeatedly rebuilt and modified. Thus, much later, a third floor, a large Gothic hall, and the Chapel of St. Jerome, decorated with a Gothic bay window, a glazed projection in the wall of the building, were added to the town hall.
The town hall consists of four wings forming a small courtyard. The most noticeable elements of the building are the 75-meter tower and the astronomical clock. This clock was once similar to the famous Prague Orloj, but it was destroyed in May 1945. The clock was restored by 1955 in the style of socialist realism, and this is how it has been preserved to this day.
The aviation museum is located in two hangars on the territory of the Neržedin airfield in Olomouc. This is a very young museum, it was opened in 2009 on the initiative of two collectors Roman Sperl and Zdenek Svobodnik and is supported on a voluntary basis. The main focus of the museum is on the history of Czech and Czechoslovak aviation.
Several Li-2, Tu-104A, Lockheed T-33, British DH-100 Vampire and several varieties of MiGs are on display here. In addition to aircraft, visitors can see various aircraft units, a workshop where aircraft are restored, an archive, and many aircraft models.
Astronomical clock
The astronomical clock or Olomouc Orloj is located on the wall of the town hall in the main city square of Oloumoc - Gornje Náměstí. The clock was built in the first half of the 15th century, and was rebuilt and changed its appearance several times. In 1898, the watch mechanism was equipped with a heliocentric system, which is a rarity throughout the world. Thanks to the puppet show that takes place every hour, they are reminiscent of the famous Orloj in the Old Town Square. During the Second World War, the clock was badly damaged; it was restored in the spirit of communist ideology. The images and dolls took on the character of socialist realism: instead of saints, workers and peasants with hammers and sickles appeared on the clock, and the clock dial began to resemble not only Catholic holidays, but also proletarian ones.
Column of the Holy Trinity
The Column of the Holy Trinity in Olomouc is a beautiful monument from the Baroque era. Initially conceived as a sign of gratitude for ridding the city of the plague, it was later consecrated in the name of the Most Holy Trinity.
Sculpted so-called “plague pillars” can be seen in almost any city in central Europe, but the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc is an outstanding architectural monument, included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
The idea of creating this column belongs to the architect Vaclav Render, a native of Olomouc. He developed its project, allocated his own money for its implementation, and even bequeathed his property to bring this grandiose idea to life.
Construction of the column began in 1726 and lasted almost forty years. Its consecration took place in 1754, when Vaclav Rander had been dead for twenty years. The pedestal on which the column is installed consists of three levels, on each of which there are figures of saints, 18 in total. The column is crowned by a gilded sculptural group personifying the Holy Trinity.
The height of the entire monument is about 35 meters. The structure is so monumental and majestic that there is a chapel inside it. It should be noted that this is the tallest architectural monument of this type in Europe and a source of pride for local residents.
Bouzov Castle
Buzov Castle is one of the romantic castles in the Czech Republic. It was founded in the 13th and 14th centuries and is located in the picturesque countryside around Olomouc. The castle has had several owners - famous Czech families. Since 1945 it has been state property. The castle is beautiful both inside and outside. The interior of the house has preserved antique custom-made furniture, paintings, and art objects.
In the park around the building there are many benches, paths, and two drawbridges. In 1999, Buzov Castle was declared a national monument. The building is now used for public events, concerts, theater performances, exhibitions and weddings. It also served as the setting for several fairy tales and historical films.
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Bouzov Castle
Bouzov Castle is one of the medieval Moravian castles, built in the Romanesque style. This castle, founded at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, is located in the picturesque countryside - in the settlement of the same name in the Olomouc district, Olomouc region, in the Czech Republic.
Over the centuries, the castle was owned alternately by members of various Czech and Moravian families, until, in 1696, the castle estate was purchased by the Order of the Teutonic Knights. After World War II, in 1945, the castle became state property, and in 1999 it was declared a national monument.
The interior of the castle is represented by a collection of paintings, art objects and antique furniture. Some examples were made to order, respecting the furniture details of the time - battlements, bay windows, trapdoors and gargoyles. Here you can see two working lattice drawbridges, as well as a demonstration of their operation. Currently, Bouzov Castle has become a permanent venue for exhibitions, concerts, and theatrical performances. And on the territory of the castle, productions of many historical films and fairy tales were filmed.
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