The Archbishop’s Château with two surrounding gardens is located in Kromeriz, one of the most attractive towns in Moravia. The historic complex as a whole was added to the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List in 1998
The Archbishop’s Château in the town of Kromeriz ranks among the most valued historic monuments in Moravia. It used to serve as a representative residence of its owners, Olomouc Archbishops. In 1110, a market settlement called Kromeriz was bought by the Olomouc Bishop Jan II. (1104 – 1126) and it became the property of Olomouc Bishopric (Archbishopric). In the middle of 13th century Bishop Bruno of Schauenburg (1245 - 1281) promoted Kromerz to a town (1261) and built a Gothic castle at the place where nowadays the palace is located. He introduced a Manx administration system and concentrated all the administration of the Bishopric in Kromeriz. The castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance palace during the episcopate of Stanislaus Thurzo (1496 – 1554). The Thirty Years War became an affliction to the palace – in 1643 Kromeriz was conquered and destroyed by the Swedish troops of general Torstenson. Bishop Karl von Lichtenstein- Castelkorno (1665 – 1694) - based on the designs by the imperial court architects F. Luchese and G.P. Tencalla- rebuilt the site more or less into today´s form. In 1752, large fire in town destroyed tens of buildings in Kromeriz and damaged 2nd floor and the interiors of the palace. In 1848-1849 the Archbishop’s Château housed the Constituent Imperial Assembly of the Austrian nations. The most significant building revision in the 20th century was the reconstruction of the Château Tower (the tower was set on fire by the retreating German troops in the last days of the Second World War). In 1998 the complex of the the Archbishop’s Château and gardens as a whole was registered in the UNESCO list of the World Cultural Heritage.
The individual parts of the palace were in the past organized hierarchically – the ground flood was dedicated to the economic and operational purposes, on the second floor were rather representative halls and the third floor emphasized bishop´s worldly and administrative authority.
Today´s Château is not only a unique historic site but as well a lively research centre offering rich collections of paintings, books and music, that originate in the diligent work of enlightened scholars and researchers throughout the centuries.