Litomyšl will celebrate 25 years of the restored Monastery Gardens

Litomyšl – Litomyšl in the Svitavy region will celebrate 25 years since the city restored the Monastic Gardens. They are adorned with statues by Olbram Zoubek, among other things. The town hall has scheduled a cultural program for September 12 and 13. The Piarist Garden was historically used for both utility and ornamental purposes, said Michaela Severová, head of the Department of Culture and Tourism, in a press release.

"Before the construction of the Baroque Piarist church, the garden had a Renaissance layout. Later modifications were Baroque, during which an herb and fruit garden also spread out here. Even in the 1930s, the gardens were used and maintained. After the departure of the Piarists from Litomyšl in 1948, they fell into disrepair and became completely inaccessible," Severová stated.

In 1997, the city announced a public competition for an architectural design. "We wanted to create a place for short-term recreation for residents and visitors to the city, a relaxation area in the center of the castle hill, which connects to the cultural and social-conference center of the castle," said emeritus mayor Miroslav Brýdl.

The winners of the architectural competition were architects Zdeněk Sendler, Václav Babka, and Radko Květ from Brno. Reconstruction began in 1999 and lasted more than a year. The opening of the gardens took place on September 2, 2000, during the national launch of the European Heritage Days.

The garden covers over 11,000 m², providing space for relaxation and rest, as well as for the permanent or temporary installation of artworks. In the middle, there is, for example, a pool with a sculpture group by Olbram Zoubek. For its tenth birthday, the Monastic Gardens received a bronze copy of a 90-million-year-old fossil.

The city could not celebrate the twentieth anniversary due to COVID, so it wants to enjoy the quarter-century even more. The celebrations will take place during the European Heritage Days on the second weekend in September. The Friday and Saturday program includes concerts, sausage roasting, modern circus performances, and fairy tales.