From September 8 to 14, Olomouc will be celebrating European Heritage Days. The program includes open monuments, guided tours, open-air performances, and, above all, celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the inscription of the Holy Trinity Column on the UNESCO World Heritage List. New features this year include musical performances and chamber recitals at selected historically significant sites, as well as the return of nighttime music under the Renaissance loggia.
Monuments will play the leading role in this year’s European Heritage Days in Olomouc. During the weekend of September 13 and 14, around sixty of them will be open to the public, giving visitors the opportunity to visit places that are usually inaccessible during the year. For example, the private garden of the archbishops will be open at the Archbishop’s Palace, and a 19th-century ice cream menu will also be on display. The crypt will be open to the public in St. Wenceslas Cathedral, and an interesting and rich program is also prepared, for example, at the Capuchins on Lower Square. Guided walks will take interested visitors to interesting places in the city and also recall the stories of Olomouc’s Baroque fountains.
Celebrations marking the anniversary of the column’s inclusion on the World Heritage List
At the beginning of December this year, it will be exactly 25 years since the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. European Heritage Days are therefore a great opportunity to commemorate and celebrate this important anniversary. The highlight of the anniversary celebrations will be the open-air concert Century of Czech Songs on Friday, September 12. Starting at 7:30 p.m., the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc, conducted by Jan Kučera, will perform on Horní náměstí. Guests Hana Holišová, Lenka Nová, Michal Skořepa, and Josef Fečo will sing iconic Czech songs of the 20th century, such as Stín katedrál (Shadow of Cathedrals), Nechte zvony znít (Let the Bells Ring), Časy se mění (Times Are Changing), as well as melodies from popular films and musicals such as Limonádový Joe (Lemonade Joe), Starci na chmelu (The Old Men on Hops), Kdyby tisíc klarinetů (If a Thousand Clarinets) and Šíleně smutná princezna (The Madly Sad Princess). The concert program was created in collaboration with the Smetana’s Litomyšl Festival.
On Saturday, September 13, themed lectures will be held for the public at Horní náměstí, revealing a number of interesting facts about the ongoing restoration of the column, the creation of its 3D model, and even how it was added to the World Heritage List a quarter of a century ago. The lectures will take place every hour on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be free of charge.
The Olomouc Information Center has also prepared a special program for European Heritage Days and the anniversary of the column’s inscription. On the weekend of September 13 and 14, it invites visitors to take part in the premiere tour “In the Footsteps of the Creators of the Holy Trinity Column.” During the tour, the guide will reveal interesting facts about the construction and financing of this unique monument and will also mention the names of other important artists who worked on the column after Render’s death.
Music will bring monuments to life, including the Renaissance loggia at the town hall
New to this year’s European Heritage Days are musical performances on Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14, which will take place directly at selected monuments. Music will resound, for example, at the Red Church, Villa Primavesi, Parkánové Gardens, the garden at Klášterní Hradisko, the Chapel of the Body of God, and the Church of Our Lady of the Snows.
After a break of several years, the Renaissance loggia at Olomouc Town Hall will come alive with music on Saturday, September 13. In the space where councilors entered the town hall in centuries past, the public can look forward to renewed music-making under the Renaissance loggia, directed by the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc, starting at 8 p.m. Nighttime music under the Renaissance loggia will also enliven the last two Saturdays in September.
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