Kroměříž: UNESCO gardens and a bishop's castle in Moravia

Czechia has plenty of castles. It has far fewer places where an archbishop built a garden so grand that UNESCO took notice three centuries later. Kroměříž is one. It is a calm town on the Morava, and for a few hours it feels like the quiet end of Moravia.

The gardens that made the list

The UNESCO listing covers two gardens and a chateau. The Flower Garden (Květná zahrada) is a formal baroque garden laid out in the seventeenth century for the bishops of Olomouc, with clipped hedges, symmetrical paths and a long colonnade that is its best-known feature. The Podzámecká zahrada, beside the chateau, is the larger landscape park, with winding paths, ponds and old trees. Together they were inscribed in 1998 as the Gardens and Castle at Kroměříž.

The point of seeing both is the contrast. One is a garden as a diagram, the other a park built to look as though nobody built it.

The chateau and the Titian

The chateau was the residence of the bishops and later archbishops of Olomouc, and it looks it: a large, serious baroque building with state rooms. The draw is the picture gallery, which holds Titian's The Flaying of Marsyas. Finding a Titian in a provincial town in Moravia is startling, and it tells you what a bishop could afford to collect.

There is also a Chamber of the Diet. In 1848 the Austrian constituent assembly, driven out of Vienna by the revolution, moved to Kroměříž and sat here into 1849. It did not achieve its aims, but it earned the town a place in Central European political history. The room can be visited on a guided circuit.

Parts of Amadeus were filmed here too. For the director's story, see our piece on Miloš Forman.

Getting there is the hard part

Kroměříž is not on a main line from Prague. The usual route is a train to Přerov, then a local train or bus, and the whole journey takes roughly four hours each way. Check cd.cz and idos.cz for current connections, since the best option depends on the day.

That makes it a big day trip, with most of it spent moving. Better to stay a night, or pair it with Olomouc, a natural stop on the way with a UNESCO monument of its own. A weekend in the east could also take in Litomyšl, another UNESCO castle town.

Wine, food and the rest of the town

Kroměříž lies at the edge of the wine country, and Moravian wine is a normal order in the restaurants. Our Moravian wine guide is worth reading first, and the guide to Czech dumplings will help with the menu. The old town is small and pleasant, and the main square is good for coffee. You do not need a sightseeing list beyond the chateau and the gardens.

Seeing the gardens

The chateau and the gardens are separate sites with separate tickets and schedules, and some interiors need a guided slot. Check each the week you travel, and do not leave the picture gallery for the last half hour before closing. English is less common here than in Prague, so a few words from our essential Czech phrases will go a long way. Wear comfortable shoes for gravel and cobbles.

The two gardens ask for different attention. In the Flower Garden, walk the main axis slowly and look back along it, because the design was drawn to be seen from set points. In the landscape park, do the opposite: leave the main paths and let the view change as you follow the curves. Gardens look best in the morning and late afternoon. Use the middle of a hot summer day for the chateau's cooler interiors.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kroměříž a UNESCO site?

Yes. The Gardens and Castle at Kroměříž were inscribed in 1998.

What is the main thing to see?

The two gardens, the Flower Garden and the Podzámecká zahrada, and the archbishop's chateau with its picture gallery.

How long does it take to get there from Prague?

Roughly four hours each way by train, usually with a change at Přerov. Check cd.cz and idos.cz for current connections.

Can I visit in a day?

Yes, but it is a long day. Many visitors stay a night or combine it with Olomouc.

What was the Kroměříž parliament?

In 1848 and 1849 the Austrian constituent assembly moved here from Vienna during the revolution.