The restored Květná Garden was opened to visitors for the first time

Kroměříž - The Květná Garden in Kroměříž opened to the public yesterday for the first time after reconstruction. About a third of the garden has been returned to its 17th-century form, said one of the authors of the restoration, Lenka Křesadlová, to ČTK. Visitors could explore the new Rabbit Hill, Bird House, Dutch and Orange Gardens, Trout Ponds, and a new cultivation greenhouse. The garden was founded by Bishop Karl II. Lichtenstein of Castelkorna after he came into possession of a book about gardens in Versailles. It was created between 1665 and 1675. Now, the Květná and Podzámecká Gardens, along with the Archbishop's Castle, are on the UNESCO list.
    During the restoration, period engravings that the bishop commissioned were also referenced. "The engravings depicted the most beautiful parts of the garden. We are putting the mosaic back together today," noted Křesadlová. For example, a new pool has been added to the Bird House, which had previously disappeared. "We rebuilt Rabbit Hill entirely; the archaeologically discovered foundations were preserved. We have the original statue at Neptune's Fountain; we found the original foundations, but we had to create a new fountain pool according to the period engraving," Křesadlová said.
    The five-meter Rabbit Hill, topped with a stone statue of the goddess Diana, will delight especially the younger visitors. There are indeed several rabbits living in the burrows here. The entrance object to the Květná Garden's honor courtyard and the adjacent Palm and Large greenhouses were also modified during the reconstruction. Throughout the restoration, the Květná Garden was not closed to the public, allowing interested parties to observe the progress of the work.
    The garden's restoration began in the autumn of 2012 and the work cost about 230 million crowns. It was part of the National Center for Garden Culture project in Kroměříž, for which the Kroměříž workplace of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) received a European grant of nearly 337 million crowns. Its aim was to establish a center dedicated to the restoration and care of historical gardens and parks in the country.
    "Garden culture is still neglected in our country," said NPÚ director Naďa Goryczková during the garden's opening today. As part of the project, a horticulture facility has already been built in the Podzámecká Garden, the interiors have been partially modified, and new exhibitions have been created in the castle. The garden opening was accompanied by a baroque celebration called Hortus Magicus, which featured singing, music, dance, theater, games, and baroque opera.