The Olomouc Archdiocese is preparing repairs for monuments in Kroměříž

Kroměříž - The Olomouc Archdiocese is preparing repairs to the Kroměříž Castle and the Podzámecká Garden. The project value is estimated to be around 240 million crowns, and a request for European funding is being submitted these days. Jiří Gračka, the spokesperson for the archdiocese, told ČTK. Repairs are to be carried out in the castle's Assembly Hall and roofs, while the garden will see improvements to the water system and the Pompeian colonnade.

The archdiocese acquired the castle and the Podzámecká Garden in church restitutions. However, it agreed with the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) that the state would manage the monuments. The castle, the Podzámecká Garden, and the Květná Garden, which the state refused to return to the church, are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

During the Pilgrimage Days next Friday, a symbolic handover of the keys to the monuments is planned. "We will hand them over to the archdiocese, and the archdiocese will hand them back to us," said the castle's curator Martin Krčma to ČTK. According to Gračka, this will be a symbolic conclusion to the process of taking over the castle and the Podzámecká Garden. "And at the same time, it will be the first step of a new phase, in which we charge the NPÚ to take care of the objects," Gračka added.

The NPÚ will cover operational expenses and ensure visitor operations, and it will also manage the entry fees. Major investment repairs will fall on the archdiocese. According to Krčma, the church has previously collaborated with the management of the castle, and the NPÚ is taking over the planned repairs of the monuments. "We want the garden and the castle to be repaired. However, this cannot be done from our own resources," said Gračka.

If the archdiocese is successful in obtaining the grant, the work is expected to begin this autumn. Krčma indicated that the roofs and roof structures of the castle should be repaired. "However, the most attention will probably be drawn to the restoration of the Assembly Hall, a large-scale restoration of one of the largest historical halls in Central Europe," Krčma said.

There should also be a completed tour circuit in the castle, including the art gallery and cabinets for numismatics, music, gardening culture, and next week’s newly opening drawing exhibition. The project also includes the restoration of historical furniture. The Mill Gate near the castle is also to be restored, where an exhibit of the bishop's guard is planned.

In the Podzámecká Garden, the greenery should be renewed, and the water system cleaned and modernized. "If it doesn't work, we would seriously endanger the garden. The restoration should be comprehensive - strengthening the banks, dredging the ponds, and restoring all the technical components of the waterworks," said Krčma. Visitors will also be pleased by the restoration of the Pompeian colonnade from the mid-19th century.

"Its condition is deteriorating every year due to vandalism. The Pompeian colonnade also includes a fountain that we would like to restore. The plan also involves modifying the area around the colonnade to return its appearance to its historical form," Krčma said. He added that the restoration of all small buildings in the garden is not part of the project and will be repaired gradually.