The Olomouc Archdiocese filed a lawsuit regarding the Flower Garden

Olomouc - The Archdiocese of Olomouc has filed a lawsuit regarding the ownership dispute of the Květná Garden of the Kroměříž Castle, which the state did not return to the church as part of restitution. The archdiocese is convinced that the garden forms a whole with the Kroměříž Castle and the Podzámecká Garden, which were returned to the church during the restitution process, said Jiří Gračka, spokesperson for the archdiocese, to ČTK today. The District Court in Kroměříž will decide on this matter.

"The Archdiocese of Olomouc has submitted a request for the review of the ownership of the Květná Garden. We are convinced that this area constitutes a whole and has a functional relationship with the Kroměříž Castle and the Podzámecká Garden, and therefore restitution claims of the Archdiocese of Olomouc should also apply to it. We want an independent court to verify this fact, and that is why we have filed this lawsuit," Gračka stated.

The lawsuit regarding the ownership of one of the most significant garden monuments worldwide, which is registered on the UNESCO list along with the castle and the Podzámecká Garden, was filed by the archdiocese two months ago, but it has not been made public. ČTK obtained this information today. The archdiocese considered the move for a long time. "We want the court to assess whether this claim is justified or not. The functional relationship is, in our opinion, obvious and clearly documented historically. We want the court to consider whether that is still the case today," Gračka added.

The state decided to return the Kroměříž Castle and the Podzámecká Garden to the church as part of property settlement with the church in 2015. It refused to return the Květná Garden because its historical complex is intertwined with new constructions, which, according to the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), cannot be separated, and therefore cannot be returned under the restitution law. Three years ago, work costing 230 million crowns in the Květná Garden was completed, restoring about one-third of the garden to its 17th-century appearance.

The Kroměříž Květná Garden is also known by the name Libosad. Today, it is practically the only representative of such a composed complex in Europe. The Květná Garden was built by the Olomouc Bishop Karl of Lichtenstein-Castelcorn in the second half of the 17th century, according to the castle administration on the website www.zamek-kromeriz.cz.

The symbolic keys to the Kroměříž Castle with its unique gallery, which the church regained from the state along with the Podzámecká Garden, were handed over to the Archdiocese of Olomouc this April. However, shortly after, the NPÚ returned them, and the heritage officials will continue to care for the monuments by agreement. Visitors should not notice any changes. The NPÚ has signed a contract with the archdiocese regarding servitude.