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Olomouc
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Olomouc
Olomoucô'lômōts, Ger. Olmütz, city (1991 pop. 105,537), E central Czech Republic, in Moravia, on the Morava River. Olomouc is an industrial city, with factories producing machinery, appliances, and food products, especially candy and chocolate. An ancient town, it was once the leading city of Moravia and was strongly fortified. In 1242, Wenceslaus II of Bohemia defeated the Mongol invaders there. Also at Olomouc, in 1469, Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary, had himself crowned king of Bohemia. The city was held by the Swedes from 1642 to 1650. In 1758, Frederick II besieged it unsuccessfully. An agreement between Austria and Prussia was signed there (1850), dissolving the German Union under Prussia's presidency and restoring the German Confederation, headed by Austria. Prussia smarted under the humiliation of Olmütz until 1866, when it defeated Austria in war. Present-day landmarks include the Cathedral of St. Wenceslaus (begun 12th cent.), the city hall (rebuilt 13th cent.), and two Gothic churches. Also in the city are a university (founded 1566), the Cyril-Methodius theological faculty, and several libraries. The Marquis de Lafayette was once imprisoned in Olomouc's fortress. Today there are lovely parks and gardens where the fortress formerly stood.

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Wikipedia search results for: Olomouc
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis of Moravia. Olomouc contains several large squares, the chief of which is adorned with Holy Trinity Column, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The column is high and was built in 1716–1754. The most prominent church is the Saint Wenceslas cathedral. In the end of the 19th century it was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style, but it kept many parts from the original church, which had also been rebuilt many times. The highest of its three spires is The church neighbours with the Romanesque Bishop’s Palace, a 12th century...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Olomouc
Results 1 - 7  of 7
  • Jeritza, Maria

    Jeritza, Maria, 1887–1982, Austrian-American soprano. b. Brünn (now Brno). After her debut as Elsa in Lohengrin at Olmütz (now Olomouc) in 1910, she was a member (1912–35) of the Vienna State ...

  • Morava, river, Czech Republic and Slovakia

    Morava, Ger. March, river, c.240 mi (390 km) long, rising in the Sudetes, N Czech Republic, and flowing generally S past Olomouc into the Danube River, W of Bratislava. It is navigable in its ...

  • Wenceslaus III, king of Bohemia

    Wenceslaus III, c.1289–1306, king of Bohemia (1305–6) and of Hungary (1301–5), son and successor of Wenceslaus II. On the death of Andrew III of Hungary, last of the Arpad dynasty, he was elec...

  • German Confederation

    German Confederation, 1815–66, union of German states provided for at the Congress of Vienna to replace the old Holy Roman Empire, which had been destroyed during the French Revolutionary and ...

  • Moravia

    Moravia, Czech Morava, Ger. Mähren, region in the E Czech Republic. The region is bordered on the W by Bohemia, on the E by the Little and White Carpathian Mts., which divide it from Slovakia,...

  • Prussia

    Prussia, Ger. Preussen, former state, the largest and most important of the German states. Berlin was the capital. The chief member of the German Empire (1871–1918) and a state of the Weimar R...

  • Germany

    Germany, Ger. Deutschland, officially Federal Republic of Germany, republic (2005 est. pop. 82,431,000), 137,699 sq mi (356,733 sq km). Located in the center of Europe, it borders the Netherla...

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