![]() The city's orloj or astronomical clock chimes on an hourly basis while mechanical proletarian figures shuffle past the clockface.Īs Josef Linek, explains, this socialist remodelling of the astronomical clock, is a far cry from the religiously inspired procession of its counterpart in Prague. It's really kind of different."Īs Inge says, Olomouc is not all about beautiful classic styles of architecture. And then you see some buildings that just seem to be dropped in the centre of the city, and there's no thought of any architectural style behind them. We've seen lots of churches, which are really beautiful. But you can also see the buildings of the communist regime, and it's really striking. Inge - a European Studies major from Holland - finds this opportunity to study in a former outpost of the Eastern Bloc to have been a fascinating experience: Palacký University, photo: Kristýna Maková This influx of foreign students is a far cry from the days before 1989, when the only frequent foreign visitors to the town were Soviet soldiers from a nearby garrison. ![]() Every year, we also have around 200 students coming under EU programmes or other exchange programmes with foreign universities." Now, we have about 24 partnership agreements with foreign universities. It used to be a small, regional, closed school, which had hardly any contact with foreign universities. Before 1990, the university had about 4-5,000 students, so that number has now tripled. Vice Rector Milada Hirschová says Palacký has now become a truly international university: Since the Velvet Revolution in 1989, it has taken advantage of a more open climate to forge closer links with other similar institutions abroad. Palacký University has always prided itself on its academic excellence and is perhaps best known as the place where the soft contact lens was discovered. Many of its 300 bars and clubs are often full of young scholars letting their hair down. In a town of around 100,000 people, such a high student population certainly makes Olomouc a lively and exciting place to visit. Over 14,000 students attend the local Palacký University. The city is also known as a seat of learning. For instance, Gustav Mahler, whose first symphony you've just been listening to, worked here as a choirmaster in the 1880s and has a street named after him. Trinity plague column, photo: CzechTourism Besides its architectural heritage, Olomouc is also something of a cultural hub. In 2000, the column was added to the UNESCO's list of historical monuments, and it is the only column in the world to make this list." It is over 35 metres high and there are more than 40 sculptures on it. The construction of the column took more than 20 years. It was built by a really famous Olomouc architect - Render. ![]() It was built as a way of giving thanks to God for saving the city from the plague. "This column was built in the 18th century. Josef Linek says that Olomouc's massive Trinity plague column, which was built by the local designer Václav Render, is perhaps the dominant feature of the town's rich architectural tapestry. It is also famous for its spectacular townhall and six Baroque fountains, which are actually seventeenth and eighteenth-century embellishments of the wells that comprised the town's original water supply. ![]() Michael's Church and the Chapel of Jan Sarkander. Moritz Cathedral, Olomouc has some classic examples of baroque architecture, including St. Chapel of Jan Sarkander, photo: Daniel Baránek, Wikimedia Commons, Licence CC 3.0 Besides some gothic remnants, such as the impressive St.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |