Author: Petr Gremlica a Ondřej Polišenský | Friday 14.8.2015 Tips for Trips
Imagine museums and galleries with collections of an incalculable value. Imagine the atmosphere of a baroque town with vast splendid gardens and a unique architecture. Imagine concerts, exhibitions, parades, theater plays... All this is to be found in Kroměříž.
Kroměříž in Art | Source Town Kroměříž
When in Kroměříž, art will enthrall you the very first minute after your arrival. The picturesque cobblestone streets and preserved old burgher houses dominated by an impressive chateau will transport you back to the times of ladies with large gowns and gentlemen with white wigs.
The chateau itself boasts with richly decorated chambers and the picture gallery is a home to the second most precious collection of paintings in the country. You will get to know about the work of world-famous artists such as Tizian Vecellio, Antonis van Dyck, Paolo Veronese, Luca Giordano, Lucas Cranach the Elder and Jan Breughel the Elder. The Archbishop's chateau alone hosts more than 130.000 pieces of artwork of a great value.
The chateau library is definitely not of a lesser importance. It consists of more than 90.000 books out of which the most valuable one is a sacramentary that dates back to the second half of the 9th century. Kroměříž also features a vast collection of coins which is outnumbered only by collections in the Vatican. Also, definitely worth mentioning is a collection of music scripts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn and many more world-famous composers. Kroměříž has always been connected to music and various music festivals have a long tradition here. Therefore, a good variety of music genres can be heard at shows throughout the year.
Both two gardens of Kroměříž are undoubtedly unique and inspirational places. The Chateau Garden follows the typical natural English style of landscape gardening, whereas the Flower Garden is characterized by the geometrical precision of the French style.
Furthermore, Kroměříž is the hometown of a recognized painter Max Švabinský who was, among others, a member of Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris and an honorary professor of Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In the Museum of Kroměříž District, you can visit Švabinský's permanent exhibition devoted to his life and work. In the grounds of Kroměříž Cider House, you can find Švabinský's lunettes (a half-moon shaped mosaics) which were originally designed for the foyers of the National Theater in Prague.
Discover a town which inspired many artists throughout centuries. We recommend livening up your vacation with one of the events or shows that are organized in the town well often.
Day 1.
We recommend accommodating yourself in one of the local hotels. After your arrival, take a stroll through picturesque streets of the old town. If you fancy, take the guided tour "Secrets of Old Kroměříž". The tour takes place every summer Friday at 6PM, with the meeting point by the fountain at the Main Square. During the tour, take a look at the decorative facades of historical baroque houses or try to discover memorial plaques of famous residents or natives.
Day 2.
After breakfast, start your day with a visit of the Archbishop's Chateau. During the tour, you will get to discover a beautiful residence of Olomouc archbishops with its breathtaking Assembly Hall of the 1848 Imperial Diet, a magnificent library and, last but not least, the Sala Terrena – a unique richly decorated foyer with grottoes. What is not to be missed is definitely the Chateau picture gallery with works by Tizian Vecellio, Antonis van Dyck, Paolo Veronese, Luca Giordano, Lucas Cranach the Elder or Jan Breughel the Elder.
After having lunch in one of the local restaurants, get ready to climb up the Chateau tower. Admire the scenery of Haná countryside and the Kroměříž historical center like Max Švabinský did in romantic times of early 20th century. Afterwards, take a walk and embrace the serenity and beauty of the Chateau Garden.
Day 3.
Have the morning reserved for visiting the unique collection of religious coins in the Bishop's Mint. Next to the mint, there is a local gallery called "Orlovna" where you can admire contemporary art. The gallery, in fact, is situated in the old chateau water plant - one of technical historic sights of Kroměříž which is open to visitors as well.
Before leaving the town, you should not miss a visit of the Flower garden. Take a stroll or even get lost in green labyrinths, admire ornaments of the precisely cut bushes and flowerbeds. Visit an astonishing baroque rotunda with Foucault's pendulum and a 244 meters long colonnade punctuated by statues of gods and personalities from the Greek and Roman mythology.
TIP: Follow the footsteps of the famous painter Max Švabinský and admire his paintings in the Museum of Kroměříž District, discover his lunettes in the grounds of the Kroměříž Cider House where he lived, or visit the house in Jánská Street where he was born.
Set off for a scavenger hunt of Bishop Bruno's treasure. Bishop Bruno lived in the 13th century and contributed greatly to the development of the town. The trail leads through the picturesque streets of old Kroměříž and it passes by all the landmarks. To take part, just pick up your “treasure card” in the town’s Information Center and at each landmark collect stamps representing historical coins. Once you manage to fill up your treasure card, you'll be awarded with a real coin that you can mint yourself following an original old technique of minting.
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