282 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp288–91 and pp292–5

P Main Square

The Main Square

(Horní náměstí) has

at its centre the grand

13th-century Town Hall

(radnice), which was

greatly extended in

the 15th century, when

it acquired an exquisite

astronomical clock. A

finely vaulted Gothic

Debating Hall and a

chapel dedi cated to

St Jerome were

also added during

the renovation.

The huge Holy Trinity

Column (sousoší

Nejsvětější Trojice) in

front of the Town Hall

was added to the

UNESCO World Heritage

List in 2000. This

unique example of

Baroque sculpture was erected

between 1716 and 1717. Its

three tiers are decorated with

historical fig ures and saints

and crowned by figures repre-

senting the Holy Trinity.

Olomouc has seven

fountains, three of

which are located

in this square.

The largest of

them, made by

local architect

Jan J Schauberger

in 1725, is the

Caesar Fountain,

sporting an

equestrian statue of

Gaius Julius Caesar,

the legendary founder

of the town. The

other two are the

Arion Fountain, depicting the

ancient poet Arion, and the

Hercules Fountain, portraying

the famed Greek hero holding

a white eagle – the official

symbol of the town.

R Church of St Michael

Žerotinovo náměstí. # 10am–noon,

2:30–3:30pm Wed, 2:30–3:30pm Fri.

The Dominicans, who arrived

in Olomouc in about 1240,

soon began to build a monas-

tery and the Church of St

Michael (sv Michala) on the

town’s most elevated site. In

the 14th and 15th centuries it

was destroyed by fire, and

in the 17th century it suffered

damage during the Thirty

Years’ War. Between 1673 and

1699 it was rebuilt in Baroque

style by the architect Giovanni

Pietro Tencalla, who designed

the first three-domed edifice

in Moravia. Most of the fur-

nish ings, including the organs,

date from the Baroque period.

In 1829, the main façade of

the build ing was decorated

with fine statues of the Virgin

Mary and Christ, produced

by Ondřej Zahner.

R Church of St Maurice
Úzká. # 8am Mon–Sat, 7:30am,
9am & 10:30am Sun. 8 Tower

May–Oct: 9am–5pm Mon–Sat,

noon–5pm Sun.
The 15th-century Church of
St Maurice (sv Mořice),
with two asym-
metrical towers,
resem bles a
medie val fort-
ress. Out side,
it has a highly
unusual archi tectural
detail in the form of an
external stair case
enclosed within a
round cage. The Gothic
interior is impres sive,
with stained-glass
windows and a vast
1505 wall paint ing. It
also houses the larg est organ
in Central Europe, made by
organ maker Michael Engler,
in 1745. The church’s Tower
provides pano ramic views of
the Main Square.

According to legend, Olomouc, one of Moravia’s oldest

towns, was founded by Julius Caesar. However, it did not
actually come into existence until the 7th century, when
it grew into a major power centre. In 1063 it was made a
bishopric and in 1187, the capital of Moravia; from 1655
it became a military stronghold. Today, Olomouc is a
prosperous and vibrant university town. The oldest part
of the historic town centre, surrounded by a ring of
parks, is centred on the Main Square (Horní náměstí).
This part of the town is fascinating to explore for its
lively atmosphere and beautiful religious buildings.

Olomouc y

Stained-glass window, Church of St Maurice

Top of the Holy

Trinity Column

R St Jan Sarkander Chapel

Na Hradě. Tel 603 282 975.

This chapel (sv Jana

Sarkandera) is a Neo-Baroque

building designed by E Sochor

between 1909 and 1912.

Dedi cated to Jan Sarkander, a

17th-cen tury prea cher who

was can on ized by Pope John

Paul II in 1995, it was erected

on the site of the town prison.

R Church of Our Lady of

the Snows

Denisova.

Built between 1712 and

1722 by Olomouc Jesuits,

this church (Panny Marie

Sněžné) served, until 1778,

Sculptures in the cloister of the

Church of St Michael