Central Moravia is a region
with a rich history and hundreds of significant architectural
monuments. The historical centres of both the large and smaller
Central Moravian towns make it possible to get to know the
past of each of them as they gradually developed. Baroque
fountains and plague columns, ancient Town Hall buildings,
twisting streets, aristocratic palaces and burgher homes are
all waiting for those tourists interested in soaking in the
atmosphere here of both the past and the present.
| Hranice
| 20,000 inhabitants |
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One can stroll through several eras of history in this town,
still girded by its medieval walls. In the old town centre
you can visit the Town Museum and Gallery, located in the
Old Town Hall. Hranice will charm you with
its Renaissance burgher’s homes with Baroque façades and original
arcades, and by the Baroque
parish church of The Beheading
of St. John the Baptist. It will wow you by its beautiful
Renaissance chateau with arcades ringing
it like a necklace, with its unique roofed courtyard – part
of its original décor, used today for cultural activities.
The Hranice
synagogue, built in Moorish-Byzantine
style, is today used as a concert hall, and exhibition hall
for modern art. The existence of the Jewish community in Hranice
is also witnessed by the nearby Jewish cemetery, open to the
public as a place of reverence. Other cultural experience
may be had at the several Hranice galleries, its Cultural
Centre, and if you’re there in June, don’t forget to visit
the annual summer festival Hranice Rock Fest. In September,
Hranice hosts European Jazz Days.
tel.: +420 581 607 479
http://www.mic.hranet.cz
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http://www.mesto-hranice.cz
| Kojetín
| 6,500 inhabitants |
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Quaint Haná town located on the right bank of the Morava River
along the Olomouc–Kroměříž motorway. Archaeological finds,
located in the town museum, prove that already in the era
of the Great Moravian Empire there was an important settlement
on the site of today’s town. In the town there are a number
of significant historical monuments; leading the pack are
the
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, the Marian plague column from the year 1705
with statues of St. Florian and St. Wendelin by the Baroque
sculptor Bohumír Fritsch on Marsaryk Square, the Town Hall
from the second half of the 18th century renovated in Art
Nouveau style, and the
remains of the substantial
former Jewish community.
tel.: +420 581 762 046, +420 581 202 202
http://www.kojetin.cz
| Konice
| 3,060 inhabitants |
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The town, surrounded by the wooded hills of the Drahan highlands,
prides itself on its
Baroque chateau built in the
beginning of the 18th century, in which have been
preserved quite rare interiors. Also worth looking at are
the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and
the Church of St. John the Baptist. Nearby is the Kladec nature
park.
tel.: +420 582 397 250
http://www.konice.cz
| Kroměříž
| 30,000 inhabitants |
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The Kroměříž town centre is a
protected monument reservation
and is made up of countless architectural treasures. For its
uniqueness and spiritual and artistic past this “kingdom”
bears the nickname “The Athens of Haná”. In its majesty stands
the priceless and imposing
Archbishop’s Chateau and
its magnificent gardens. Its beauty however does
not detract from the atmosphere of the town square and the
town’s picturesque alleyways, old-fashioned burghers’ houses
and monumental churches. Among these, the most lustrous is
that pearl of High Baroque, the
Church of St. John
the Baptist, with its excellent interior with Rococo
elements, and also worth mention is the
Baroque Church
of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Kroměříž
offers cultural experiences as well. The Town Museum is located
in the originally most significant home in the town. Among
its other attractions is the archaeological-natural history
exhibition Nature and Man. It also houses the Max Švabinský
Memorial to this painter. The town is also famous for its
festivals in different musical genres – such as the festival
Forfest Czech Republic (contemporary art with a spiritual
dimension), the International Festival of Brass Band Music,
Music in the Gardens and Chateau, and top European orchestras
can be heard here during Kroměříž Musical Summer.
tel.: +420 573 331 473
http://www.mesto-kromeriz.cz
| Lipník
nad Bečvou | 8,500 inhabitants |
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Town Historic Monument Reservation
The pulse of this town is given its rhythm by the three bells
of its unique
Renaissance bell tower, located
next to the Church of St. Jacob. The bell named Jacob has
been marking time to 540 years of events and is the oldest
bell in the Přerov District; the bell named Michal is one
of the largest in Moravia. The hearts of architecture admirers
will leap when they see the Renaissance Town Hall, reconstructed
in Late Empire style, and the burghers’ houses with arcades
gathered around the Baroque fountains on the town square.
Lipník can be further proud of its
16th century chateau,
where rare woods grow in its landscaped park, and the
Piarist
monastery with its Church of St. Francis of Serafino.
This originally Renaissance church of the Czech Brethren was
built in the beginning of the 16th century by the famous Petr
Vok of Rožmberk, but the Piarists later rebuilt the church
in the style of Early Baroque. The town walls which ring its
centre are among the best-preserved in Moravia.
Jewish
culture is witnessed by the oldest synagogue in Moravia,
built in the 16th century, and the two restored Jewish cemeteries.
For active holidays you will find a swimming pool here, a
mountain climbing centre with a training (boulder) wall, tennis
courts, bowling, gyms and saunas. For culture there is the
Domeček exhibition hall in the town library, where various
exhibitions take place. A rich accompanying programme is prepared
for the annual St. Jacob Feast Days and Fair. Classical music
lovers should not miss Dvořák’s Lipník, the piano-for-two
duet show in May.
tel.: +420 581 773 763
http://www.mesto-lipnik.cz
| Litovel
| 10,000 inhabitants |
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Six branches of the Morava River weave through this town,
giving it the romantic nickname “The Venice of Haná”. The
precious
St. John Bridge, which crowns the
river, dates from 1592, and is the third oldest in the Czech
Republic. On the town square, looking down upon their water
kingdom, are the beautiful
Plague Column
and Town Hall, with its 72 metre-high tower. Valuable ecclesiastical
monuments are the
Gothic Church of St. Mark and the
Chapel of St. George. Litovel Beer has won a number
of prizes. This golden beverage has been brewed in here for
over one hundred years and maintains its unique flavour. If
you’d like to take a peek at how the beer is made, take a
tour of the Litovel Brewery. Located within its walls is the
brewery pub, in which you can slake your thirst and hunger
with its “liquid bread”.
Hikers and cyclists can take advantage of the lovely alluvial
forests which surround the town and form the Litovel Morava
Riverlands Protected Nature Area.
tel.: +420 585 342 300, +420 585 371 076
http://www.mestolitovel.cz
| Olomouc
| 110,000 inhabitants |
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Town Historic Monument Reservation
No other town in Moravia will charm you with its ancient
monuments as will Olomouc, the second oldest and most extensive
town historic monument reservation after Prague. This city
of a hundred thousand residents has a rich history and is
one of the most beautiful settlements in Central Europe.
Its historic Upper Square, surrounded by sumptuous palace
residences, is dominated by the
Holy Trinity Column,
a UNESCO monument. The heart of the town is its
Gothic-Renaissance Town Hall, and from
its clock tower you can observe all of Olomouc in its beauty.
The pulse of the town beats to the rhythm of its Astronomical
Clock with mosaics by the Olomouc native Karl Svolinský.
In the town centre there are
eight fountains and
countless ecclesiastical monuments. The historic
town centre is surrounded by remnants of the Theresian fortifications
and lovely parks, in which one-of-a-kind greenhouses are
located. Each year the famous Flora Flower Festival takes
place there.
Cultural events are the norm in this university town. At
the Moravian Theatre you can attend operas, ballets, and
theatre. There are puppet plays for children at Kašpárkova
říše (Punch’s Paradise), the Moravian Philharmonic is proud
to be one of the oldest symphony orchestras in the Czech
Republic, there is the multi-genre intimate space of Divadlo
hudby (Music Theatre), and significant cultural events take
place at the Arts Centre of Palacký University. Emotional
experiences can be had at the Olomouc Museum of Art and
a number of renowned Olomouc galleries, as well as the extensive
collections of the Natural History Museum.
The Holy Trinity Column – A UNESCO
Monument
Probably the most famous Olomouc monument, since its inclusion
on the UNESCO List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage,
is the monumental Baroque Holy Trinity Column on the Upper
Square.
This unique construction, reaching a height
of thirty-five metres above the town, with more than forty
statues, is the heritage of work by master sculptors of
the 18th century. The best of which is certainly
the most original expression of its creator, the local artist
Václav Render, whose remarkable initiative, fulfilled also
by a huge financial investment, occurred at the beginning
of the monument’s conception. He, together with a number
of other Moravian artists, created a work which is absolutely
unique in both its extraordinary size and also in its elaborateness
and extent of sculptural ornamentation, without equal in
any other European city.
Its Unique Group of Fountains - A National Cultural Monument
The newest Olomouc fountain is the
Arion Fountain,
the work of an Olomouc native, the sculptor Ivan Theimer.
This new town square ornament at the beginning of the third
millennium serves both as a wading pool for children and
as a place of rest for passers-by.
Nearby the mythological hero
Hercules lords
over the first of the original Baroque fountains, located
throughout the historical town centre. The inspiration for
this work was taken by the Olomouc sculptor Michal Mandík
from Roman mythology, just as the
Neptune Fountain
on Dolní náměstí (The Lower Square), where the
Jupiter
Fountain is also located. Horní náměstí (The Upper
Square) is also decorated by the
Caesar Fountain,
honouring the legendary founder of Olomouc. Nearby to it
is the
Mercury Fountain on 8. května (May
the 8th) Street, and on náměstí Republiky (Republic Square)
you will find the
Tritons Fountain. The
group of Olomouc fountains was completed by the
Stone
Fountain with Lion’s Head from 1725, which was
recently reconstructed and installed on Sokolská Street.
Enchanting views of the romantically illuminated fountains
are to be had at night.
A Military and Ecclesiastical Town
Thus has Olomouc been known for centuries. As if by miracle,
it has survived recent destructive wars without great injury
and preserved the majority of its ecclesiastical monuments
in their full beauty. On a bend of the Morava River, just
a few hundred metres from the centre, stands the massive
Hradisko monastery complex. Although it
has served as a military hospital for the last two centuries,
it is partially open to the public and it is itself one
of the greatest living galleries of Baroque art in the city.
A number of other gems of ecclesiastical architecture are
sheltered in the streets of the Olomouc historical town
centre. The most imposing of these is the sky-scraping
Neo-Gothic
tower of St. Wenceslas Cathedral. In the 19th century
the remains of the
Romanesque Bishop’s
Palace were discovered next to it. Afficionados
of history can visit the precious Baroque
Chapel
of St. John Sarkander, including the underground
torture chamber where this saint was martyred. One of the
most valuable Late Gothic buildings in Moravia is the
Church
of St. Moritz. This massive church boasts the largest
church organ in Central Europe and its tower is open to
tourists for the fine view of the town centre. Visitors
to Olomouc should not forget to view at least the exterior
of the Early
Baroque Archbishop’s Palace,
home to the Olomouc bishops and archbishops. And fans of
the Baroque should not miss the
Church of St. Michael,
which juts upon a rise of the same name over the Upper Square.
tel.: +420 585 513 385
http://www.olomouc-tourism.cz
| Potštát
| 1,250 inhabitants |
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Potštát is famous for its chateau and historic town square.
The dominant feature of the square is the
clock tower
with its Baroque onion-shaped dome. Other significant
monuments in this village include the
Church of St.
Bartholomew with Gothic core from the turn of the
15th and 16th centuries, the Baroque Cemetery Church of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the fountain with plague
column and Baroque statues. Trips to its surroundings include
castle ruins, the nearby wooden church in Lipná and nature
walks.
tel.: +420 573 331 473
http://www.potstat.cz
| Prostějov
| 50,000 inhabitants |
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Originally a trading settlement, Prostějov was elevated to
a town at the beginning of the 15th century. Its T.G. Masaryk
Square is one of the most beautiful in the Czech Republic,
with its
New Town Hall and 66 metre-high
tower, the
Elevation of the Holy Cross Church
from the end of the 14th century renovated in Baroque style,
the Old Town Hall containing the Prostějov Museum, the burghers’
houses with quaint shops and the Baroque plague column. Other
items will not fail to escape your attention: the
Baroque
Church of St. John Nepomuk with adjacent monastery
and frescoes by F.A. Sebastini, the chateau with its beautiful
Renaissance entryway and romantic sgraffito by Jan Köhler
from the beginning of the 20th century. The Town Theatre is
in the
Národní dům, the magnificent work of the Czech
Art Nouveau architect J. Kotěra. It hosts 200 cultural
and social events annually. Prostějov boasts numerous galleries
and an observatory. In September, traditional Haná Celebrations
take place in the town square, accompanied by a rich cultural
programme including folk dancing and choir groups. One can
both view and buy folk arts and crafts at this huge fair.
Few towns can boast a distillery which dates back to the 16th
century. In the Prostějov distillery U Zeleného stromu (The
Green Tree) traditional liquors are made to this day. Today
Prostějov is the cultural, societal and sporting centre of
the district.
tel.: +420 582 329 722–3
http://www.mestopv.cz
| Přerov
| 50,000 inhabitants |
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The town is dominated by the
Renaissance chateau
on the Upper Square (Horní nám.), surrounded by burghers’
homes from the 15th century. The chateau contains the Comenius
Museum and from its tower there is a splendid view of the
town and its surroundings: Michalov Park, the Žebračka alluvial
forest and Popovický Hill. Surrounding the square are beautiful
town walls, and in the centre there is the
Neo-Renaissance
Municipal Hall with rich stucco work and Art Nouveau elements.
It is both a cultural and social centre in which various concerts,
theatrical and social events take place. One of the most famous
of these is the Czechoslovak Jazz Festival in October with
performers from all over the world, held annually since 1966.
The international Přerov Grand Prix takes place here, as well
as autocross and motocross races. If you like sports, try
the Sport Centre, which offers squash, bowling, miniature
golf, or the Tennis Centre, one of the largest in the Czech
Republic. The Přerov Swimming Centre offers indoor and outdoor
swimming as well as water sports and relaxation. Here for
example is a Relaxation Centre with reconditioning tables
for regeneration of the locomotory system or improving one’s
condition, as well as sauna, tanning, and massage. At Laguna,
the natural outdoor swimming area in Přerov, there is also
a Skatepark.
tel.: +420 581 217 187
http://www.mu-prerov.cz
| Šternberk
| 14,500 inhabitants |
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Ancient town, dominated by its castle and the
Church
of the Annunciation, the work of the Brno architect
F.A. Grimm. The square in front of it has a Marian column
from the year 1719. The church is adjacent to a former
Augustinian
monastery with provostry, and in this complex there
is the Handke Gallery, where the works of this famous Baroque
artist are on display. Galerie Šternberk has shows of contemporary
art. If you need to take a break from culture and sight-seeing,
there is a town swimming pool with toboggan, a children’s
wading pool, and a sporting field with a living chessboard
on which you may become a chess figure yourself. At night,
try night swimming. Šternberk Cultural Summer has regular
events. Every June there is the annual Ecce Homo European
Uphill Motor Championship and in September an antique car
race.
tel.: +420 585 012 320
http://www.sternberk.cz
| Tovačov
| 2,700 inhabitants |
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This town in the centre of Haná, thanks to its chateau’s 100
metre-high
Gracious Tower, can be seen for
miles. It is surrounded on three sides by water and alluvial
forests. Tovačov has the oldest standing town square in Moravia
with a number of burghers’ houses. The chateau is also worth
a look. The unique Tovačov fish ponds on the outskirts of
the town attract rare birds and the walk to its embankments
is lined by hundred year-old oaks.
tel.: +420 581 731 301
http://www.tovacov.cz
| Uničov
| 12,500 inhabitants |
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Uničov is located where the borders of Haná, and the Hrubý
and Lower Jeseníky Mountains meet, in the Oskava River basin.
It boasts the
oldest town charter in the Czech Republic,
dating back to 1213. The magnificent interiors of the Neo-Gothic
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
are worth seeing. Another interesting ecclesiastical monument
is the originally medieval Church of the Elevation of the
Holy Cross, which was renovated in Baroque style after a fire.
At present it serves as a concert hall and gallery. The town’s
history is full of rises and falls, as can be seen in the
U Vodní branky (Waterside) Museum, which also contains the
Uničov Mayors’ Gallery. The annual Young Camera festival,
showing the work of amateur filmmakers younger than 30 takes
place at the cinema here.
If you enjoy sports, there is the Uničov swimming pool. Children
love the toboggan and playground with roundabout, while adults
can measure their strength on the sporting field or compete
with their friends in skittles.
tel.: +420 585 054 880
http://www.unicov.cz
