Olomouc City

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Olomouc – a students’ town

A brief history

Olomouc_CZ_CoAPrince Bretislav built the Olomouc Castle in the first half of the 11th century and the castle was first mentioned in the writings of Kosmas Chronicle from 1055 A.D..

By the end of the 11th century a new Moravian bishopric and Benedictine Monastery had been established there. Olomouc became the capital town of Moravia during the 13th and 14th centuries and the second Czech university was established there in the second half of the 16th century. The Olomouc bishopric was promoted to an archbishopric later on which was an important event in the history of the town. This main academic and eccelestial centre of Moravia was striken heavily by two large epidemics of plague, especially by the second one in the time period 1713-1715, and by a few conflagrations, namely the fire in 1709 that destroyed about 350 houses and some of the churches.

In 1971, Olomouc was declared a historical town, a registered national landmark, and in 2000 the Holy Trinity Column was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sightseeing

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The most important sight is the Holy Trinity Column on the Upper Square (Horni namesti) and the Town Hall with an astronomical clock. You can also find many churches and monasteries there, e.g. St. Wenceslas Catedral, St. Nicholas Church, St. Moricz Church or Monastery Hradisko. The Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary on The Holy Hill (Svaty kopecek) is one of the most significant and most visited pilgrimage sites in the Czech lands. On the 11th of April 1995 the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary was officially raised to the status of a Basilica Minor by Pope John Paul II. Other beautiful sights worth visiting are e.g. Premysl’s Castle or Archbishop Palace.

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Apart from sightseeing tours you can find many other kinds of entertainment in the town such us galleries, cinemas, restaurants or clubs.