Basic information - City History Welcome to the official tourism website for Olomouc.
QUICK TIPS:
Information Centre
Horní náměstí (Upper Square)
Town Hall's archway
779 11 Olomouc
Opening hours: daily 9:00am –7:00pm
Tel.: (+420) 585 513 385, 392
E-mail: infocentrum@olomouc.eu
Map
Olomouc region Card
Olomouc Region Card is a tourist discount card that allows you to visit Olomouc significant savings. Its purchase to make sure you completely discounted or free admission.
City History
City of Olomouc, Palacky University in Olomouc
HISTORY OF OLOMOUC
1. / 2. volume
2x600 pages, hardcover with jacket
Released: March 2010
Price: CZK 550
A detailed history of the city was recently compiled in 2 volumes commissioned by the City of Olomouc and created by Univerzita Palackého.
The book is an academic treatment of Olomouc history from its inception to the present. The two-volume edition, which is offered as a whole, is available at well-established booksellers or in the Information Centre.
Olomouc, today a city of more than one hundred thousand citizens, is located in the heart of the Haná region. It has been one of the most important Czech cities from of old. Its history started many centuries ago...
Olomouc history in a nutshell
- already in the early Middle Ages, Olomouc was one of the main centres of Moravia and a princely seat
- in the 11th century, a Diocese was established and in 1306 the last Czech king of the powerful Přemyslid dynasty (King Wenceslas III.) was murdered here
- in 1576, the University was founded (the second oldest in the Czech Republic)
- during the Renaissance, Olomouc was a rich town with magnificent palaces and 30 thousand inhabitants, the capital of Moravia (the second largest city in the Czech lands after Prague)
- during the Thirty Years War, a devastating occupation by Swedish troops took place (1642-1650) , the city was completely destroyed during the siege, the vast majority of people either died or moved away from the wreckage of Olomouc
- in the Baroque period many unique monuments, buildings and churches (Holy Trinity Column, a set of six Baroque fountains, the St. Michael’s Church...) were built
- in 1767, the eleven year-old W. A. Mozart composed Symphony No. 6 in F major in Olomouc
- in 1848, Franz Joseph I. Europe's longest-serving monarch, ascended the throne in Olomouc
- in the 18th and 19th centuries, the city turned into an important military centre of the Austrian monarchy, the city changed into a fortress, construction of new fortifications and forts took place
- during the Second World War, around 2000 of Jewish inhabitants died in concentration camps, after the war (1945), the vast majority of citizens of German nationality was deported (before the war the Germans constituted one third of the city population)
- after the Communist coup (1948), a decline of Olomouc importance, the historic heritage neglected
- after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, gradual reconstruction of the historical centre and monuments, construction of new sports facilities, places of recreation, hotels, transport and tourism infrastructure
- now the fifth largest city in the Czech Republic, the centre of the Olomouc Region, the seat of the arcibiskupství, 20 thousand young people studying at the Palacky University
- since 2000 the grandiose Holy Trinity Column has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List
For those who do not get discouraged by a few dates, we have prepared a brief overview of basic historical dates.
