The first things that come to mind when one says “Olomouc”,
aside from its history, are flowers and its international
floral show Flora Olomouc. Quiet walks in parks, rare woods
and interestingly arranged gardens are found with every step
throughout the Haná region. And here there are the famous
Kroměříž gardens, renowned chateau gardens and unique arboretums.
The gardens and parks attract thousands of visitors a year.
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Bílá Lhota Arboretum |
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In
the Bílá Lhota Arboretum can be found not only local trees,
but also rare European woods and trees from overseas—more
than 400 species in all. The park was founded at the chateau
in Bílá Lhota circa 1700 and some of the original trees are
still standing. Credit for the beginnings of the arboretum
goes to the dendrologist Quido Reidl, who amassed several
hundred species of rare woods there in 1926. More than two
hundred of these specimens have been preserved to this day.
tel.: +420 585 340 075
http://www.volny.cz/arboretum
Horizont Natural Paradise
One
interesting trip is to Přírodní ráj (Natural Paradise), an
arboretum in Bystrovany u Olomouce, with 100,000 visitors
annually between April and October. Its five-metre waterfall,
set among 200 species of foreign plants and woods, is not
to be missed. A Wednesday night tour lit by bamboo torches
is an unforgettable experience.
tel.: +420 585 311 030
http://www.horizont-zs.cz
Forestry High School Arboretum
The Forestry High School Arboretum functions as a practical
learning experience for students and called the “green textbook”
due to its fairly rich collection of rare woods. Access and
tours are available with the school’s permission, preferably
one day in advance (tour guide available), Mon-Fri, 8 am-6
pm.
tel.: +420 581 601 231
http://www.slshranice.cz
The Kroměříž chateau is surrounded by an unparalleled system
of gardens, which, together with the chateau, are listed on
the UNESCO List of World Cultural Heritage. It is made up
of two gardens, and tourists here can see extraordinary garden
landscaping of European renown.
Chateau Garden
Originally the chateau vegetable and flower garden, it was
transformed in the 17th century into a gorgeous baroque garden,
which is connected to the chateau via a stairway and extends
to the river. In the 19th century it was further extended
into a stylish landscaped park over an area of 64 hectares.
Rare shrubs and trees are complemented by streams and fish
ponds, romantic architecture and original sculptural details.
It is among the very finest landscape gardens in Europe.
Flower Garden
Founded in the second half of the 17th century on infertile
and swampy land, outside the walls of the city at that time.
The garden was created in the spirit of mannerism, and abounds
in carefully trimmed shrubbery, mazes, as well as beautiful
flowers. It features a colonnade with statues of Classical
deities and a rotunda, in which a Foucault pendulum demonstrates
the turning of the Earth upon its axis. The entire complex
is interlaced by a complicated waterworks, which feeds the
fish ponds, fountains, the pool in the aviary, water jets
and the “water gags” in the interior of the rotunda.
tel.: +420 573 502 011
http://www.azz.cz
| Lipník
nad Bečvou |
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Chateau park, Bratrská Street
Lovely garden at the local chateau, founded in the mid-17th
century by Prince Dietrichstein. The arrangement of the chateau
park was first influenced by French parks; from 1880 the park
began to be arranged in the style of the English natural landscape
park, and this appearance has been maintained to the present
day. Part of the complex is also the unique roofed garden,
the oldest in the Czech Republic. Interesting trees are to
be found in the park, such as the Weeping Green Beech, several
branches of which have taken root and together with the original
trunk have created an interesting arrangement. This tree was
a finalist in the 2005 Tree of the Year contest.
tel.: +420 581 773 763
http://www.mesto-lipnik.cz
Olomouc is surrounded by a ring of parks with rare trees and
colourful flowers. The parks are not only a cultural aspect
of the city, but a historical feature as well. The first Olomouc
park area was Rudolf Avenue, a favourite place for Olomouc
citizens to walk in the 1820s. The original humble tree-lined
walk has expanded into more than 47 hectares throughout the
last two centuries, and those who would like to take a walk
through the Smetana, Čech and Bezruč parks can count on a
four-hour journey.
Smetana Park
Extending between the Theresa and Katherine gates, and featuring
tall chestnuts and lindens, as well as bountiful flowers and
dendrological specimens. Its atmosphere is further enhanced
by interesting sculpture and palm, cactus, tropical and subtropical
greenhouses.
Čech Park
The Litovel gate welcomes you into the park. It was the second
park area in Olomouc, founded in the 1830s. Here too are rare
wooded species and much landscaping of interest.
Bezruč Park
The
park runs along the medieval and Maria Theresa city walls,
and thanks to its unequalled landscape, made up of rocks,
city walls and the Mill Stream, the walks here are of an exceptional
quality. Part of Bezruč Park is made up of the Botanical Garden,
boasting an Alpine section and rose gardens where more than
400 types of roses bloom.
International Horticultural Exhibition
and Fair Flora Olomouc
The annual international Flora exhibition is highly prestigious.
Here top horticulturists meet from the four corners of Europe
and its colourful displays attract ten thousand visitors a
year. Its nearly 50-year tradition takes place in three stages,
with spring and summer gardening and horticultural fairs followed
by an autumn show of fruits and vegetables.
tel.: +420 585 726 111
http://www.flora-ol.cz
tel.: +420 585 513 385
http://www.olomouc-tourism.cz
Flora Olomouc Exhibition Halls
Botanical
Garden and Rose Garden
Greenhouse
P.O.BOX 46
Wolkerova 17
771 11 OLOMOUC
tel.: +420 585 225 566
http://www.flora-ol.cz
Michalov Town Park
This natural landscaped town park, created according to a
design of František Thomayer, celebrated its 100th anniversary
of existence in the year 2004. It has also been newly reconstructed.
Inside the park are sculptural works representing renowned
Přerov natives, hundreds of wooded species as well as a new
children’s playground.
tel.: +420 581 217 187
http://www.prerov.cz
Chateau Park
The
chateau park in Věžky is known to almost every Czech gardener.
It hosts the annual Floria fair, with gorgeous floral displays
and exhibitions of gardening goods. Here in this small town
near Kroměříž gardeners and visitors meet every May and August
for the spring and summer stages of the fair.
tel.: +420 573 363 033
http://www.obecvezky.cz
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http://www.floria.vezky.cz
