Kroměříž is also known as the ‘
Athens of Haná’. The fame of this Moravian town boomed mainly thanks to the fact that it became the property of the Bishops of Olomouc at the start of the 12
th century.
The
Archbishop’s Chateau and adjacent historical gardens were entered onto the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage list in 1998. The chateau picture gallery holds rare works by leading European painters of the 15
th to 18
th centuries, such as Tizian, Lucas Cranach the elder, Hans von Aachen, Paolo Veronese or Jan Breughel the elder. The Baroque chateau garden was transformed in the 19
th century into a landscaped park with remarkable fountains and geometric regularity.
Points of Interest
The chateau in Kroměříž also hides several unique curiosities. For example, the largest collection of medals and coins in the world after the Vatican is to be found here. These were minted locally. The graphic designer and painter Max Švabinský also comes from Kroměříž. His mosaic lunettes depicting famous personalities from Czech history were originally supposed to be part of the decoration for the National Theatre in Prague, but we can now be found in the former Franciscan monastery.
Kroměříž is located 270 km from Prague.