The renovation of the colonnade in the Flower Garden in Kroměříž continues; it will be completed this year

Kroměříž - In the Květná Garden in Kroměříž, which is a UNESCO monument, repairs on the so-called colonnade are ongoing. Work on the restoration of the roofs, the copper roofing, the wooden observation walkway, and the stone balustrade began last year and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The costs amount to approximately 28 million crowns, funded by the state budget, said custodian Zdeněk Novák today.

Currently, carpenters and roofers are primarily working on the construction, having completed about half of the planned work. "Then we have restorers and stonemasons who are dealing with the restoration of the balustrade. Here we have about a quarter of the original balustrade completely restored, about half of it is now in restoration workshops, and the last quarter is still on the colonnade waiting for the stonemasons to take it down," Novák stated.

Although the work is likely to last until the end of the year, some visitors might admire the garden from a walkway attached to the roof of the repaired colonnade even this season. According to the custodian, this could happen, for example, during guided tours. The history of the colonnade, as well as the entire Květná Garden, dates back to the 17th century.

The staff is now preparing the garden for the main spring and summer influx of visitors, but it is open year-round. "We have rejuvenated shaped hornbeam walls and decorative fences along the gravel paths. Right now, a lot of digging and transplanting is happening because we grow all the annuals we plant into the ornamental shaped boxwood ornaments ourselves," said the custodian.

Currently, employees are also cleaning fountains and the irrigation system in the garden. According to landscape architect Pavla Nedbalová, there is new clay tennis court surface in some areas between the plant ornaments. "The color contrast is already visible," Nedbalová said.

Visitors to the Květná Garden will now encounter a rarity in the Palm Greenhouse, where a several-meter-high banana tree has bloomed. "It may be after decades that this has happened here," said Nedbalová. The greenhouse, according to her, is designed for growing subtropical plants. It does not provide suitable conditions for tropical plants, including the banana tree. Therefore, its blooming was a great surprise for the gardeners.

Last year, nearly 90,000 visitors came to the Květná Garden, according to Novák, about 10,000 more than in 2020. Just like at other monuments managed by the National Heritage Institute, people will have to pay more for visiting the Květná Garden this year. According to the custodian, the annual increase in admission is 30 crowns.

The Květná Garden is one of the most significant garden works in the Czech Republic and is exceptional on a European scale. Its construction was taken care of in the 17th century by architect Giovanni Pietro Tencalla, and it has undergone modifications in the following centuries. In 1998, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage list along with the Archbishop's Palace and the Podzámecká Garden in Kroměříž.