ÿþ<html> <head> <title>Olomouc, about Unesco Heritage Town!</title> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="town-styles.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="nav-bar.css" /> </head> <body> <h2>Olomouc  The Trinity Column</h2> <p><strong>Olomouc, the fifth largest city in the Czech Republic, a regional administrative centre and the seat of the Archbishop of Moravia, is also home to the second oldest university in the Czech lands, the Palacký University founded in 1573. The Trinity Column was added to UNESCO s list of world heritage sites in 2000 and is the largest collection of Baroque statues in one piece of sculpture in central Europe. The Baroque column, erected in 1716 1754, is evidence of the manifest piety of the bishopric. </strong></p> <p>More than 900 years of history make Olomouc one of the highlights of the Czech Republic. In the heart of the city with its remarkably well-preserved medieval layout visitors will find the second largest protected urban reservation in the country, and the best-preserved historical centre in Moravia with many historically and architecturally important buildings.</p> <p>In 2000 Olomouc became a UNESCO-listed site thanks to the Baroque Trinity Column which at 35m high is one of the tallest in the Czech lands. The column is one of the best monuments to the plague which hit the region and a work of art so characteristic for the Baroque period in central Europe. Its monumental appearance is a blend of architectural styles, including an inner chapel, and groups of statues, one on top of the other, which have special artistic value. It was erected in the mid 18th century as the climax to a set of Baroque works on Horní Square.</p> <p>The most important religious site in Olomouc is the Cathedral of St Wenceslas, rebuilt in 1883 1890 in the neo-Gothic style, and the scene of the murder of the last PYemyslid king, Wenceslas III in 1306. Other important buildings are the PYemyslid Palace, Hradisko, the largest Premonstratensian monastery in Europe, and the fortified Church of St Moritz dating from the 15th century, and housing a famous organ. The organ can be at the annual International Organ Festival. Following the Thirty Years War the town was rebuilt on a grand scale in the Baroque style. In addition to buildings for the Jesuits, the Archbishop s Palace and the Svatý Kope ek pilgrimage site near Olomouc, a unique set of six Baroque fountains and plague columns has also survived.</p> <p>Olomouc straddles the (Brno ) Vyakov Ostrava road around 300km from Prague. Today the quickest way to reach Olomouc is by the SuperCity Pendolino train service which makes the journey in 21 hours.</p> <br /> <br /> <div id="navbar"> <ul><li><a href="index.html" class="current">Home</a></li> </div> </body> </html>