VENUE

Jump to: History — Sights — Getting to Olomouc — Conference location

OLOMOUC – MORE THAN THOUSAND YEARS OF HISTORY

Olomouc is a beautiful place on the Morava river with more than a thousand-year-long history. Once a capital of Moravia – one of the three historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown – nowadays, it still somehow waits to be rediscovered. The world-renowned tourist guide Lonely Planet alerted to this fact by putting Olomouc onto the list of TOP 10 tourist destinations not to be missed during a visit to Europe. It even claimed Olomouc is one of the most unappreciated destinations in the Czech Republic.

By its beauty, Olomouc can, however, easily compete with not only Prague but any other most sought spots around Europe. It certainly deserves our attention.

One can find there the second most important urban conservation zone in the Czech Republic, surrounded by splendorous parks, an incredible concentration of ecclesiastical structures, UNESCO-protected monuments, and even a horolog with a history maybe more interesting than the Prague one. All together safe from the neverending bustle of large cities...

BRIEF HISTORY OF OLOMOUC

(parts of the text below are taken from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olomouc, and adapted/shortened)

Olomouc has always been the spiritual capital of Moravia. In the middle ages, it was the third-largest city in the Lands of the Bohemian Crown (after Prague and Wroclaw) and competed with Brno to hold the status of the Moravian administrative centre. From 1642 till 1650, the city was occupied by the Swedish Empire's army led by field marshal Lennart Torstenson. Later or, in the half of the 18^th century, it was rebuilt into a mighty stronghold. Olomouc then used to be an important strategic defence centre and the seat of a powerful military garrison. During the next years, many barracks, exercising grounds, depots, and other military objects were erected in the city or its close vicinity. These were used by the army even after the stronghold was closed down in 1884, during the years of the Czechoslovak (First) Republic, and after WW2 too.

Since 1968, there was seated an enormous occupation garrison of the Soviet Army in Olomouc. Till 2013, the Joint Forces Headquarters of the Czech Army resided in Olomouc, thus making it the Czech state defence capital.

The first historically documented settlement in the present-day Olomouc area dates back to the end of the 7^th century. It was the oldest fortified Slavic settlement in the Czech Republic and was located some 1.5 km (1 mile) southwards from the current historic centre of the city. At the beginning of the 9^th century, the old fortress was conquered, and a new one, the Great Moravian fortress, was erected on Peter's hillock (today, there stands the Archbishop Palace).

In the 10^th century, during the reign of Přemyslid prince Boleslav I., Olomouc became one of the military-administrative centres of the Přemyslid dynasty on the line of the trans-European trade route Regensburg – Prague – Libice – Olomouc – Kraków – Kyiv.

A highlight of the otherwise dull 11^th century was the brave monkey business of prince Břetislav, who in 1021 kidnapped Judith, the daughter of a bavarian margrave, from the monastery of Schweinfurt, married her immediately, and moved to Olomouc castle to live there.

Another highlight was the founding of the bishopric of Olomouc in 1063. Centuries later, in 1777, it was raised to the rank of an archbishopric. The bishopric was moved from the church of St. Peter (after having been ruined) to the church of Saint Wenceslas in 1141 under the episcopacy of bishop Jindřich Zdík. The new bishop's palace was built in the Romanesque style. The bishopric acquired large tracts of land, especially in northern Moravia, and was one of the richest in the area.

Century later, Olomouc became one of the most important settlements in Moravia and a seat of the Přemyslid government and one of the appanage princes. In 1306, King Wenceslas III stopped here on his way to Poland. He was on his way to fight Władysław I the Elbow-high to claim his rights to the Polish crown and was assassinated. With his death, the whole Přemyslid dynasty, stretching back to the mythical first Czech prince Přemysl the Ploughman, died out.

The foundation of the city at the location of the original settlement is historically documented in the mid-13th century. It soon became one of the most important trades and power centres in the region. Through the Middle Ages, it was the largest city in Moravia and rivalled Brno in holding the position of the regional capital. Olomouc finally surrendered after the Swedish Empire's army took it and held for eight years (1642–1650).

In 1235, the Mongols launched an invasion of Europe. After the Battle of Legnica in Poland, the Mongols carried their raids into Moravia but were defensively defeated at the mighty stronghold of Olomouc. The upset Mongols moved south-eastwards and soon invaded and defeated Hungary.

A big pogrom aimed at the Jewish inhabitants of Olomouc took place in 1454 as the massive wave of anti-Semitism washed across the whole of Europe. In the second half of the 15th century, Olomouc lived through its golden era. It hosted several royal meetings, and the Czech estates elected Matthias Corvinus the King of Bohemia (in fact, anti-king) here in 1469. In 1479, the two reigning kings of Bohemia (Vladislaus II and Matthias Corvinus) met here and concluded an agreement (Peace of Olomouc of 1479) for splitting the country.

In modern history, Olomouc participated in the Protestant Reformation. During the Thirty Years' War, it was occupied by the Swedes and they devastated it almost entirely. In the 1740s, Olomouc was held by Prussians for a short period. The wars between the Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa and the Prussian king Frederick the Great brought Olomouc a new strong fortification. Due to it, Frederick was not successful in trying to besiege the city in 1758.

In 1746 the first learned society in the lands under the control of the Austrian Habsburgs, the Societas eruditorum incognitorum in terris Austriacis, was founded in Olomouc to spread Enlightenment ideas. Its monthly Monatliche Auszüge was the first scientific journal published in the Habsburg empire.

In the revolution year of 1848, Olomouc set the scene for the abdication of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Ferdinand. Two years later, the Austrian and the German met here at the event called the Punctation of Olmütz. This conference brought them together to plan the restoration of the German Confederation and Prussia accepted leadership by the Austrians.

After the 1848 revolution, the government rescinded its Jewish expulsion order of 1454. Jews returned to the city and, in 1897, built a synagogue. The Jewish population reached 1,676 in 1900.

OLOMOUC SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

(parts of the text below are taken from www.visitczechrepublic.com – Olomouc and adapted/shortened)

If you want to start your journey through history from the oldest monuments, first head to Olomouc castle with the gothic cathedral of St. Wenceslas and the seat of the archbishop of Olomouc. In addition to the thousand-year-old remains of the romanesque bishop's palace, you can admire church treasures and works of art from the collections of the Olomouc bishops and archbishops in the recently reconstructed Archdiocesan Museum. For the beauties of baroque architecture and sculpture, continue to the Horní náměstí (Upper Square), where you will find one of the essential sights in Olomouc – the Holy Trinity column. This plague column, the largest group of baroque sculptures in Central Europe, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. If you go from Horní náměstí to other local monuments, you will be captivated by the splendour of baroque architecture almost everywhere you go.

Directly in Olomouc, you can admire a unique set of baroque fountains, the church of St. Michal, or the complex of the Jesuit school and church, but you can continue on your way beyond the city limits. Architectural gems are also waiting for you here – the ancient monastery Hradisko, which is nicknamed the "Moravian Escorial" for its impressive size, or the basilica on Svatý Kopeček. A visit to this ancient pilgrimage site with spectacular views of the calming and fertile Haná plains was made even by Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa.

Apart from the many historical buildings, another interesting point about Olomouc is the astronomical clock (horolog), designed in the spirit of socialist realism. It is a real gem and needs not to be missed.

GETTING THERE

The city of Olomouc has a convenient location close to the geographic centre of Moravia (a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic), on the banks of the river Morava. The place forms an important highway and railroad junction; thus, it is easily accessible using both individual and public means of transport.

Olomouc lies 260 km (162 mi) eastwards from the Czech capital Prague , and 210 km (130 mi) from both the Slovakian capital Bratislava and the Austrian capital Vienna . The closest international airports are 77 km (48 mi) away in Brno , and 202 km (126 mi) away in Katowice , Poland.

GOING BY TRAIN

Olomouc is an important railroad junction and therefore, there are many trains from various directions coming to the city. From the Czech capital Prague, there goes at least one train in each hour during the day. The same applies for trains coming from Brno or Ostrava.

You can use a very convenient transportation planning web application idos.cz to find a suitable connection for you.

The main railway station in Olomouc is located very conveniently close to the city centre (2 km / 1.25 mi) and to the conference venue (1.5 km / 0.9 mi). There is a tram/bus stop right in front of the station building. The public transport in the city is procured by the Dopravní podnik města Olomouce, a.s. (Olomouc City Transportation Corp.)

GOING BY CAR

The city has a fast road connection south-westwards to Brno and then north-westwards to Prague (Praha) via motorways D46/E462 and D1/E50/E65. The motorways D46/E462, D1/E50/E65 and D2/E65 can take you easily to Slovakian capital Bratislava or Austrian capital Vienna (Wien). Another easy access to Olomouc is from Poland's Śląskie and Małopolskie regions (Katowice, Kraków) via Ostrava using motorways A1 → D1/E462 and D35/E442.

For other road directions consult a map with route planning capabilities.

CONFERENCE LOCATION

The conference will be hosted by the Faculty of Arts of the Palacký University Olomouc.

The event will take place in the Palacký University artistic centre Konvikt, located at Univerzitní 225, 779 00 Olomouc (see the map below).

CONFERENCE VENUE ADDRESS

Faculty of Arts – Palacký University Olomouc
Konvikt, Umělecké centrum UP
Univerzitní 225
CZ-779 00 Olomouc
Czechia

GPS: 49°35'41.771"N, 17°15'19.905"E
Phone: +420 585 633 011 (Secretary of Dean)
Website: https://www.ff.upol.cz/en/

Getting there easily: The Faculty of Arts is located right in the historical centre of Olomouc, about 2 km (1.25 mi) from the main railway station and about 3 km (1.9 mi) from the main bus terminal.