the sixth stage of hiking
Kroměříž - Kvasice
Basic information about the trail
The hike from Kroměříž to Kvasice is short and comfortable, a complete flat trail with an altitude of 185 m above sea level. The whole trail goes almost through the fields. Along the way you can disturb the numerous deer, hare or pheasant population enjoying the fresh vegetation.
What's ahead of us?
Starting point: Kroměříž
Ending point: Kvasice
Distance: 10,4 km
Estimated travel time: 2:39 hours
Difficulty: low
Altitude: ascent 13 m, descent 13 m
Surface: paved asphalt road, forest and field paths
Critical points: none
Our tip:
the Chateau Garden
- Kroměříž
- www.zamek-kromeriz.cz
- zamek-kromeriz@ado.cz
- +420 573 502 01
The Chateau Garden
Originally a utility and flower garden, it was transformed in the 17th century into a beautiful Baroque garden, architecturally connected to the garden facade of the chateau. Rare plants and trees are complemented by streams and ponds, romantic small buildings and original sculptural decoration. The Chateau Garden is the largest of the “Archbishop’s Gardens” in Kroměříž. Together with the smaller Flower Garden and the Archbishop’s Chateau, it is a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site. The garden is located between the Archbishop’s Chateau and the Morava River and covers an area of 47.1 ha. Its oldest part (between the north wall of the castle and the Morava River) is known to have existed in the 15th century.
You can see the under-castle garden during a train ride. This departs daily, weather permitting, from the platform under the castle steps (sala terrena). The train takes visitors to the most attractive places in the garden. The prepared audio recording will also provide them with a lot of information about the history of the Chateau Gardens, their buildings and also the planting. The train offers two basic routes (40 minutes and 20 minutes), and children can follow a nature trail. There is also an audio guide through the Chateau Garden. Between 2018 and 2021, the Chateau Garden underwent a reconstruction of the water system, the banks of all the ponds and watercourses were de-watered and reinforced, the water system’s regulating elements were repaired, new elements (piers, etc.) were added, and waterfowl breeding facilities were restored.
Source: www.kudyznudy.cz
The Archbishop’s Chateau
- Sněmovní náměstí 1/2 767 01 Kroměříž
- zamek-kromeriz.cz
- zamek-kromeriz@ado.cz
- +420 573 502 011
The Archbishop’s Chateau
Formerly the summer residence of the Archbishops of Olomouc with a picture gallery and extensive library, a UNESCO monument. The Assembly Hall is often described as one of the most beautiful rococo interiors in the Czech Republic, for example the film Amadeus by Miloš Forman was filmed here. The Archbishop’s Chateau in Kroměříž is a dominant feature of the town. Its origins and development are linked to the history of the Olomouc bishopric and the archbishopric and subject community of the Olomouc bishops, which was elevated to a town in the 13th century. The original chateau and the later chateau were the residence of the bishops of Olomouc and the seat of their manorial organisation. The current appearance of the building dates from 1664-1695, when the Chateau was rebuilt under Bishop Karl Lichtenstein-Castelcorn after the Thirty Years’ War, according to the designs of architects Filiberto Luchese and Pietro Giovanni Tencalla.
The furnishings and interior decoration date back to the second half of the 18th century. The gallery is also of great importance, presenting works by European painters of the 15th-18th centuries (Veronese, van Dyck, Hans von Aachen, Cranach st.). You will be particularly captivated by the most important painting in the chateau gallery, Tiziano Vecelli’s Apollo and Marsyas. The chateau’s library, which contains 88,000 volumes, and the music archive with more than 6,000 Baroque compositions are very well known. The representative and living areas of Kromeriz Chateau are among the most valuable chateau interiors in Central Europe. Currently, the gardens and the chateau complex are accessible via several sightseeing tours. The Archdiocesan Museum Kroměříž manages the so-called cabinets, which thematically represent individual areas of the archbishop’s collections. In addition to the professional management of the collections, the museum also prepares short-term exhibition projects.
Visitor tours
Representative halls
The visitor tour will take you to the most beautiful and captivating halls and chambers of the castle with rare art collections. During the tour you will also see parts of the collections that are among the rarest and most valuable to be found in the Czech Republic. The representation halls offer the archbishop’s and prince’s interiors of the first and second floor of the castle. The tour includes the Hunting and Throne Rooms, the Imperial and Rose Rooms, the magnificent Assembly Hall and the Summer Apartment – the private rooms of the Archbishop’s former summer apartment. You will also visit the Manx Hall with its extraordinary painted decorations, the famous historical library with nearly 90,000 volumes of rare books, and the Music Hall presenting rare manuscripts by many composers.
The chateau picture gallery
The picture collection of the Archbishopric of Olomouc, housed for the most part in the Chateau Picture Gallery of Kroměříž Chateau, represents, after the National Gallery in Prague, the second most important and largest collection of Central European paintings from the beginning of the 15th to the end of the 18th century in the Czech Republic. In the chateau gallery itself you can see 85 selected original works by important European painters from the Gothic to the Rococo period, including Titian, van Dyck, L. Cranach st.
Hall of Terrena
Sala terrena – a hall with an entrance to the gardens. An open, representatively decorated building with imitations of caves (grottoes) is characteristic of the more important Baroque and Rococo palaces. The Sala Terrena stands out for its paintings and sculptures depicting scenes from ancient mythology, including two smaller artificial caves. The Sala Terrena served as a unique connection between the castle residence and the Chateau Garden. It retains its original appearance and beautiful stucco decoration with wall frescoes from the late 17th century. The three richly decorated halls, which represent the changing seasons, are linked by two artificial caves, the first of which charmingly tells the story of Ovid’s Metamorphoses and the second recalls the tradition of medieval mining of precious minerals in the vicinity, which were used to mint the archbishop’s coins in the castle mint.
Via Residentia
Representation Halls + Castle Tower
You will get a comprehensive picture of the uniqueness of the Kromeriz residence of the Olomouc princely bishops and archbishops. You will visit the representative halls of the castle, including the Tsar’s Room and the Chamber of Deputies.
The chateau tower
The chateau tower offers a unique view of the historic centre of Kroměříž and the wider surroundings from the 84-metre-high dominating tower of the chateau. Its floors hide the earliest stages of the development of the castle complex, and the tour is enriched with thematic exhibitions. Wonderful views of the whole town and the distant surroundings. The tower is accessible independently, without a guide, the ascent takes about 20 minutes (206 steps).
The Chateau Garden
The Chateau Garden was founded after 1509 and has been rebuilt in successive historical styles over several centuries. In the Classical period, around 1850-1855, it grew in the fashionable English landscape tradition of the time to an impressive 64 hectares with many rare trees.
Source: www.kudyznudy.cz
Flower Garden
- Generála Svobody 1192 767 01 Kroměříž
- www.kvetnazahrada-kromeriz.cz
- kvetnazahrada@npu.cz
- +420 723 962 891
Flower Garden
During the reconstruction of the town, destroyed by the Thirty Years’ War, the Italian architects F. Luchese and P. G. Tencalla built a charming late Renaissance garden on the barren and marshy land behind the walls. The garden is used for exhibitions, concerts, festivals, walks and leisure activities. On 16 hectares in Kroměříž, an Italian garden was built with paths in high espaliers, with a 244 m long gallery of statues of ancient gods and figures from history and myth, with a central Rotunda in the geometric centre celebrating the water element with its decoration and the art of plasterers, sculptors and fresco artists. The new entrance, built in the first half of the 19th century, forms a Classical Court of Honour, enclosed on the sides by large greenhouses (the Rough and Tropical Greenhouses).
An octagonal centrally-oriented pavilion – the Rotunda – was built in the heart of the Maypole between 1666 and 1668 to a design by Giovanni Pietro Tencalla. Its interior is richly and ingeniously decorated not only with mythological scenes with themes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, but also with details creating a strong illusory and emotional atmosphere – windows with multicoloured glass, a mosaic floor made of small pebbles and, above all, a grotto decorated with tufa and shells. The central space of the pavilion is complemented by Foucault’s pendulum, which was installed in 1908 on the initiative of Kromeriz gymnasium professor František Nábělek, and whose movement demonstrates the earth’s rotation.
The Garden of Flowers and UNESCO
The entire complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998 for its preserved historical and stylistic authenticity of architecture, landscaping and gardens of exceptional stylistic quality and purity as an exemplary ensemble influencing the development of landscape architecture in Europe. The Garden of Flowers in Kroměříž can be reached from Náměstí Míru, along Generál Svoboda Street and after about 300 m you will reach the current main entrance.
Colonnade with a viewing bridge
The colonnade, or more precisely the arcade gallery, was completed in 1671 to a design by Giovanni Pietro Tencalla. With its length of 244 metres, it occupied one entire wall of the garden. The colonnade had several functions – it was an entrance building and at the same time it was conceived as a gallery of sculptures – 22 female and 22 male figures. Bishop Charles II of Lichtenstein – Castelkorn found inspiration in the gardens of distant Italy, when originals from ancient excavations were common. However, there were no such finds in our country, so a special set of statues was created for this garden. Michael Mandík worked on the sculptures together with Michael Zürn Jr. and they are copies of famous ancient works from Roman collections.
The inner side walls of the Colonnade were originally decorated with the Neptune and Venus fountains, of which only the rest of the stucco decoration has survived. The garden façade of the Colonnade is decorated with 46 busts depicting ancient gods and goddesses, mythological creatures and heroes as well as personalities from the history of ancient Greece and Rome. In the 1980s, a walkway was built on the roof of the Colonnade, which allows visitors to see the planting of flowers in the so-called Janák’s parterre from above. The Colonnade thus took over the function of the main vantage point of the garden. The Colonnade, including the viewing footbridge, was renovated in 2022 and reopened at the end of May 2023.
Source: www.kudyznudy.cz
St. Moritz Church
- Stojanovo náměstí 1139/2, 767 01 Kroměříž
- www.svmoric.net
- fakromeriz-smo@ado.cz
- +420 573 338 952
St. Moritz Church
The Church of St. Moritz in Kroměříž is one of the largest Gothic buildings in the Czech Republic. The church is the seat of the collegiate chapter of St. Moritz in Kroměříž. It is adjoined to the north by the Archbishop’s Gymnasium complex, which is connected to the Archbishop’s Chateau by the Mill Gate. The bishop chose the unusual dedication to St. Moritz in the Czech lands after his former place of residence, the Church of St. Moritz in Magdeburg. The church in Kroměříž has undergone several modifications throughout its history and was given its present form during a pseudo-Gothic restoration after a fire in the 19th century. The church is adjacent to the Archbishop’s Gymnasium and the Archbishop’s Chateau.
Adjacent to the three-nave hall is the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the tombstones of Bishop Wolfgang H. Schrattenbach and Leopold Egkh. This Marian chapel is one of the most beautiful Baroque interiors in the Czech lands. The main altar is dated 1582. It depicts the patron saint of the church, St. Moritz. The veneration of this saint was introduced by the founder of the church, Bishop Bruno of Schaumburg in Olomouc, whose relics are kept in the chancel in front of the main altar. The canonry and the adjoining vicar’s sacristy are adjacent to the north wall of the chancel. Between it and the chapel is inserted a two-armed spiral staircase leading to the tower. The trussed towers are topped with neo-Gothic belfry extensions. Above the portal at the entrance is a cast-iron plaque commemorating the fire of the church in 1836. Currently, at the opening of the school year and similarly important events, Masses are held for the students of the Archbishop’s Gymnasium or the Music in the Gardens and Chateau festival organised in cooperation with the UNESCO Club.
Source: www.kudyznudy.cz
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
- Riegrovo nám. 165 767 01 Kroměříž
- farnostpm.cz
- farnostpm@farnostpm.cz
- +420 573 338 974
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
The parish church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built in the 13th century by Bishop Bruno of Schauenburg, Bishop of Olomouc, who was also the founder of the nearby St. Moritz Church in Kroměříž. When Kroměříž was occupied by the Swedes and the Evangelical Wallachians in the summer of 1643, the church was looted and almost destroyed. Only a large part of the tower and the church wall have been preserved from the original medieval building. Then the sanctuary was orphaned for several years, because it could not hold services due to its poor condition. Since 1651, repairs have been carried out at a slow pace, after which the clock that originally hung in the Kromeriz town hall was placed on the 42-metre high tower.
The present-day appearance of the sanctuary dates from the first half of the 18th century. It impresses with its valuable, mostly Baroque interior. Its author is considered to be the prominent architect Ignác Josef Cyrani of Bolleshaus, who also contributed to other magnificent sacral buildings in Moravia (for example, the Basilica of St. Hostýn, the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kroměříž and the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows at the Church of St. Moritz, also in Kroměříž). The foundation stone for this reconstruction of the church was personally laid by the Bishop of Olomouc, Cardinal Wolfgang H. Schrattenbach, in 1724. The church was consecrated in May 1736 after the completion of the construction work. The church was repaired several times afterwards. It survived two world wars, but without its three bells, which were taken away and melted down for military purposes. In 1996, this characteristic landmark of the historic centre of Kroměříž received a new facade, in 2001 the church received a new roof, in 2004 the stained glass windows were restored, and in 2006-2008 the balustrade was completely restored. In the baptismal chapel there is an interesting baroque baptismal font and the most important work in this interior is the altar of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, a valuable carving from the period around 1715. The church also contains two side altars by the important Baroque sculptor Ondřej Zahner, whose works include, among others, the Column of the Holy Trinity in Olomouc, a UNESCO listed monument.
Museum of Kroměříž Region
- Velké náměstí 37/19, 767 01 Kroměříž
- www.muzeum-km.cz
- muzeum@muzeum-km.cz
- +420 573 338 388
Museum of Kroměříž Region
The Museum of Kroměříž Region has its headquarters in Kroměříž, but it also manages the Rymice Open Air Museum and the Velké Těšany Windmill. In the museum building on Velké náměstí, you can visit permanent exhibitions as well as interesting short-term exhibitions, creative workshops, programmes for schools and youth, lectures and conferences all year round. The main building of the Museum of Kroměříž is located in the heart of Kroměříž in a historic house on Velké náměstí. You can literally walk through it from the basement to the attic. There are five permanent exhibitions and temporary exhibitions in the Small Gallery and the Gallery in the arcade.
In the basement of the museum there is the History exhibition hidden under the pavement of the city. In this attractive setting, you can see objects from prehistoric times to the end of the 17th century, such as finds from uncovered sewage pits and wells, evidence of diet and hygiene, as well as torture instruments and weapons from the Thirty Years’ War. In the exhibition The Time Keepers there is a unique “time machine” assembled in 1929 by the cooper Jan Linduška. It has eight different dials and is equipped with a calendar with 13 months. You can try winding the weights and swinging the clock pendulum or see a real representation of the sundial function. In six exhibition halls, the Max Švabinský Memorial offers seven decades of the work of one of the most important Kromeriz natives. He is presented as the author of a number of paintings, graphic sheets, the creator of mosaics or stained glass, as well as graphics of postage stamps and banknotes. The exhibition Kroměříž in the wheel of history 1848-1948 invites visitors to take a walk through the more recent history of the town. You will learn many interesting facts – what the town centre was illuminated with at the time of the Diet or who among the citizens of Kroměříž took part in the Normandy landings. There are also large stylized models of now defunct monuments, such as the Jewish synagogue. The mysterious Treasures of the Old Soil exhibition is housed in reconstructed authentic rooms with preserved beams, dark corners and mysterious doors. From the real world, you will be transported to the realms of literary and film heroes – you will find yourself, for example, with the Little Prince or the wise Aslan, and children will experience Alice’s journey down the rabbit hole.
Source: www.kudyznudy.cz
Church of St. John the Baptist
- Masarykovo náměstí 1138/17, 767 01 Kroměříž
- www.svmoric.net
- fakromeriz-smo@ado.cz
- +420 573 338 952
Church of St. John the Baptist
The Baroque Church of St. John the Baptist is one of the most beautiful monuments of the 18th century in Moravia. The Church of St. John the Baptist was built on the site of a Maltese commandery, which is commemorated by the Maltese crosses on the double towers. The original Romanesque church with Gothic elements, founded by the Johanites at the hospital, was handed over to the Piarist order in the 17th century, which came to the town in 1687 and founded a grammar school, a college and a singing seminary. The Piarists added a dormitory to the church and in 1737 began construction of a new church designed by the episcopal architect Cyrani of Bolleshaus. The church was consecrated in 1768. To commemorate this event, 12 bronze crosses are placed around the perimeter of the church.
The design was based on the plan of the Salesian Church in Renngasse, Vienna, and the façade is reminiscent of the designs of the churches in Vienna and Prague. Above the entrance is a sculpture of the Baptism of Christ with adoring angels. The exquisite interior, decorated with rococo elements, is the work of leading Moravian and Austrian artists. Its location and its dimensions (21 m long, 15.8 m wide) make it a landmark in the central part of Kromeriz, which is the entrance to the historic centre.
Source: www.kudyznudy.cz
Kvasice Castle
- Parková 21, 768 21 Kvasice
- www.kvasice.cz
- dzr.kvasice@tiscali.cz
- +420 573 358 009
Kvasice Castle
In the Moravian village of Kvasice stands a four-winged two-storey castle with a prismatic tower, which is surrounded by a nice castle park. In the past, there was a fortress, which was built in 1365. The owner of the fortress was Milota of Benešov and Kvasice. During the Hussite wars the fortress was completely burnt down. The fire destroyed the fortress down to its foundations, so it was necessary to build a new fortress, which was surrounded by a moat. In the 1680s, Havel Kurovský from Vrchlabí was the owner of the water castle. He had the water castle completely rebuilt and a handsome Renaissance chateau was created. The Renaissance arcades, which decorated the inner courtyard of the castle, were particularly beautiful.
The later owners of the Renaissance castle, the Rottals, made Kvasice Castle the seat of the administration of the area they controlled. At that time, all the unnecessary outbuildings in the forecourt were demolished and all the moats and the pond were filled in. In the 19th century, the Renaissance castle in Quasica underwent numerous structural modifications. At that time, the chateau was given a classical style, which has been preserved to this day. Nowadays it is a home for the elderly. However, the chateau garden is open to the general public, so you can take a walk here and if you are cycling, you can take a nice rest break or have a quiet snack here.
Zahlinice Ponds
- Doubravice, 768 24 Hulín
- https://nature.hyperlink.cz/zahlinicke-rybniky.php
- janal.jiri@npu.cz
- +420 606 541 859
Zahlinice Ponds
The Záhlinické rybníky Nature Park is a unique area on the middle Morava River. It includes the complex of Záhlinice Ponds, adjacent meadows and floodplain forest in the localities of Filena and Zámeček. It was declared in 1995 and covers an area of 500 ha. The Záhlinice Ponds lie south-west of the town of Hulín, are fed by the Rusava and Mojena rivers and consist of the main ponds Nový, Pláňavský and Doubravický. The terrain is mostly flat with an average altitude of 186 m. The ponds are the most important ornithological site in Central Moravia.
All large ponds are interwoven and divided into several water areas by an extensive network of dykes. On their banks, large areas of reeds rustle in the wind, the dykes are planted with avenues of trees, thousands of fish splash in the water and an unprecedented number of water birds can be seen on the water surface. Around 270 species of birds have been repeatedly observed here, 135 of which are breeding birds. The combination of ponds, meadows and floodplain forest has created an area of high landscape value, which fulfils an important ecological function as a regional biocentre.
More than 100 species of bird species are permanent inhabitants of Záhlinice Ponds. During large migration routes, birds use the ponds as a breeding ground for short stopovers and resting. Among the permanent inhabitants of the ponds we can see the great cormorant, the ashen and white heron or the spoonbill.
The ponds, originally built in the 14th century, were later expanded in 1547-1573 by Jan Skála of Doubravka, who later became bishop of Olomouc and had his name changed to the better sounding Jan Dubravius. Doubravice, a former solitude in the middle of the ponds, is named after him. At a much later time a poultry farm was built here, today it serves the fishing association and there is also a small fallow deer preserve.
Source: www.kudyznudy.cz
Where to eat and sleep?
Restaurants and accommodation along the trail.
Recreational facilities Sport Centre Kvasice
- Tlumačovská 681, 76821 Kvasice
- www.kvasice.cz
- karel.kunovsky@seznam.cz
- +420 605 703 376
Pension Pod Kaštany
- A. Dohnala 13, 76821 Kvasice
- www.podkastany.eu
- info@podkastany.eu
- +420 772 001 122
Art Club Bowling Kvasice
- Dvůr 699, 76821 Kvasice
- www.facebook.com/Bowling-Kvasice
- bowling.kvasice@email.cz
- +420 770 653 262
Are you interested in having your establishment appear on this website? Click on the link on the right and fill in the attached form.
Photogallery
Photos from hiking.
Why walk the trails of the Cyril and Methodius Route?
The long-distance trails of the Cyril and Methodius Route invite you to pilgrimage sites and archaeological sites that have contributed significantly to the development of Slavic culture. They are signposted in both directions and encourage wandering without borders, not only state borders.
- Experience: you'll be surprised what you can do
- Great signposting: tourist signposting
- Incredible landscape: we wander through the countryside off the busy stretches
What can be obtained?
Perhaps everyone likes to bring back something from hiking, be it various tourist and souvenir items. If you will be hiking the Cyril and Methodius Route, we have prepared the following printed materials to motivate you to hike the trail:
- Pilgrimage passports: collecting stamps for a special passport
- Memorial letters: a souvenir letter at the end of the journey
- Maps: printed guide