Because of my decision to re-visit all the sites on the Czech list, I traveled to Olomouc and Kroměříž in July 2020, OK, not only of that but also to meet old friends and enjoy the summer time… Besides the separate WHS the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, these two towns have a lot of things in common, and my visit to ecclesiastic district in Olomouc (the Archbishopric Palace, the crypt in the Cathedral with coffins of bishops active also in Kroměříž such as Karel II Lichtenstein-Castelcorn) was very helpful to put what I have seen in Kroměříž into the context.

The castle in Kroměříž with the castle garden was very recently returned to the archbishopric see, and old-new owner already started with extensive reconstructions of the castle garden (revitalization of ponds and water canals), and some reconstructions and changes of the visitor routes are planned also for the castle (construction of new expositions in the Mill Gate and in the gothic parts of the castle tower). However, the Pleasure Garden still remains the property of the state of Czechia.

I decided to visit everything possible of this WHS so I joint the following separate tours: in the Castle (i) representative rooms of bishops, (ii) the gallery in the second floor with oils of Titian, A. Gentilesci, among others, (iii) Sala Terrena in the ground floor, (iv) the castle tower with nice views (v) the English park with fountains and Pompeian Colonnade in the Castle Garden that is open for public for free, and finally (vi) guided tour in the Pleasure Garden that was very interesting and informative because the guide was really brilliant.

As the Pleasure Garden was reviewed in detail by others, the castle garden needs to be revisited again after finishing the extensive revitalization works and reconstruction of Pompeian Colonnade, I will focus on the castle only.

Well, this WHS has not very high ratings in our community and the Pleasure Garden is always selected as the only worth-visiting component in line with the evaluation by ICOMOS, and some travelers even refuse a visiting of the castle interiors. OK I get it, but I cannot imagine fully understanding the OUV of this site without visiting the residence of persons who initiated construction of the gardens.

If you are not in a hurry and do not suffer from a baroque-castles-phobia, it is quite interesting 2-3 hours to visit all the expositions the castle offers now. In the case you want to spend as short time as possible in the castle, I would recommend the Sala Terrena tour.

(i) The tour to the representative rooms might be slightly boring even for baroque-castles-enthusiasts, but I found it much more interesting than the interiors of another Czech WHS - the castle of Litomyšl. Furthermore, the interiors in Kroměříž as the summer residence of (arch)bishops of Olomouc are surprisingly more representative and interesting than what I have seen in the Olomouc archbishopric palace itself. It was also quite evident that the bishopric and from 1777 archbishopric sees were tightly related to the Emperors in Vienna (paintings of the Emperors besides those of bishops on almost every wall). My highlights were the Library and especially the Vassal Hall (PHOTO), which belongs to the most beautiful and valuable baroque interiors in the Central Europe.

(ii) The Sala Terrena tour should be the choice for travelers who enjoyed the Pleasure Garden, because it bears similar Italian and “pleasure” spirit. I liked the stuccoes and statues inspired by Ovidius. The mine-like grotta was a kind of bizarre.

(iii) The archbishopric gallery belongs to the most valuable collections of oils of old masters in Czechia and I enjoyed it as well. The question sis if it contributes to OUV.

To conclude: my 2020 visit to Kroměříž was rather surprisingly enjoyable, and in contrast to austere exterior of the castle, there are hidden treasures such as the Vassal Hall. All in all, I spent very pleasant couple of days in this town.