Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
oloMoUc
Olomouc (OH-loh-moats), the historical capital of Moravia, is a
showcase of Baroque city planning. Today, it's the Czech Republic's
fifth-largest city (pop. 100,700) and harbors Moravia's most presti-
gious university. Students rule the town. With its wealth of cafés,
clubs, and restaurants, Olomouc is the place to taste vibrant local
culture—without the hassles and scams of Prague.
Olomouc has pride. It's at a crossroads about 150 miles from
each of the other great cities of the region (Prague, Wrocław,
Kraków, Bratislava, and Vienna) and wants to play with the big
boys. While it ruled Moravia from the 11th century until 1642,
today it's clearly playing second fiddle to Prague in the modern
Czech Republic. Locals brag that Olomouc has the country's
second-most-important bishopric and its second-oldest university.
Like Prague, it has its own fancy astronomical clock. Olomouc
actually built its bell tower in the 19th century to be six feet taller
than Prague's. Olomouc is unrivaled in one category: Its plague
monument is the tallest and most grandiose anywhere.
Although Olomouc's suburbs sprawl with 1960s apartment
complexes and factories, its historic core was spared Stalin's experi-
ments in urban design. It's not lost in a time warp like the old-town
areas of Český Krumlov, Telč, and Slavonice. It's simply workaday
Moravia. Trams clatter through the streets, fancy boutiques sell
stylish Versace fashions, and locals pack the busy pubs. Few tour-
ists come here, so the town lives on its own booming economy.
In the mornings, proud farmers dig out their leeks and carrots
and descend upon the colorful open-air market. Haná, the region
that immediately surrounds Olomouc, is the most fertile in the
Czech Republic. The big landowners here have never had trouble
converting their meat, milk, and bread into gold and power. The
most distinguished landowner of all has always been the Church.
