European Heritage Days in Olomouc

The main program of European Heritage Days is scheduled for the weekend of September 12 and 13, when the gates of nearly sixty monuments, historic buildings, and other sites will open to the public. These will include museums and galleries, churches, military monuments, as well as university buildings and other interesting historic sites. A new addition to this year’s program of open heritage sites is the opening of the unique Fortress Bastion No. 8, located above the staircase next to Villa Primavesi. Visitors will thus have a unique opportunity to see the interior of this structure. Among the program’s regular fixtures are the Ceremonial Hall at the Komenium Faculty of Education, the civil defense shelter in Bezruč Park, and the Archbishop’s Palace. The South Slavic Mausoleum, which has been a regular feature on the list of open monuments for several years, will also open its doors to the public. This year, however, a special program is being prepared for Thursday, September 10, at 8:00 p.m., to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its construction. The mausoleum will be adorned with floral arrangements and illuminated. Visitors to this year’s European Heritage Days can also look forward to the popular video mapping show. It will be projected from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. onto the facade of the former Jesuit college and will be inspired by street art. It will showcase the Lomená Gallery (the passageway across from the Museum of Art) from its inception in 2014 to the present day.

The open-air event will showcase the best of ballet and the philharmonic

A traditional Friday open-air concert on Horní náměstí is a highlight of the Olomouc European Heritage Days. This time, the program will feature the best of the contemporary opera and ballet repertoire of the Moravian Theater in Olomouc and orchestral pieces by the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra in Olomouc. The program, titled “Opera, Ballet, and Philharmonic,” will bring together the philharmonic orchestra, choir, and solo vocalists, complemented by dance performances, all in a single evening. Soloists will include opera singer Eva Urbanová, tenor and member of the National Theater in Prague Daniel Matoušek, and Jiří Přibyl, a soloist with the Moravian Theater in Olomouc. Reserved seats for 150 CZK can be purchased at the Olomouc Information Center in the town hall arcade or at https://vstupenky.olomouc.eu/

When Landmarks Become Concert Halls

Following last year’s premiere, selected historic sites will once again be transformed into concert halls on the weekend of September 12 and 13. Music will fill the Prelate’s Garden near Klášterní Hradisko, the Red Church, the Komenium Ceremonial Hall, the Chapel of the Body of Christ, the Church of Our Lady of the Snows, the Parkán Gardens, the Renaissance loggias of Olomouc City Hall, and the area around Caesar’s Fountain. The venues will feature, for example, chanson, a vocal quintet, and a brass quintet; the GEMID Pop Quintet string ensemble—composed of members of the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc—will perform; and the Cima d’Oro men’s choir from Italy will sing. The concerts at these historic sites will conclude with “Nighttime Music-Making Under the Renaissance Loggia,” an event revived last year, which is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, at 8:00 p.m. and will be directed by the Olomouc Brass Quintet, composed of members of the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc. Admission to the concerts at these historic sites is free.

A guided tour of the city

From Monday, September 7, through Sunday, September 13, visitors will also be able to join guided tours and walks on interesting themes. For example, there will be a guided tour titled “Olomouc in Europe,” which will highlight important figures associated with Olomouc, such as Wenceslas III, Matthias Corvinus, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose 270th birthday we are commemorating this year. There will also be the popular guided walks through military monuments, and the “In the Footsteps of the Servants, Guests, and His Princely Grace” tour will take participants to areas of the Archbishop’s Palace that are normally off-limits. This year, the Olomouc Information Center will once again offer the “In the Footsteps of the Creators of the Holy Trinity Column” tour, which visitors can join on Saturday and Sunday at 12:00 p.m. each day. The tour will showcase the masterpiece by stonemason Václav Render, as well as how it was created and who contributed to this unique Baroque column.