Location

It is located along the access road from Brno and D1 and at the other end along the Morava River. With its area of 64 ha it reaches the Chateau in the town with entrances from the bridge over the river on the way from Hulín, two gates on the sides of the Chateau, a gate from Kojetín Street, and an entrance gate on the north side of the garden.

Description

An original utility garden in a swampy territory between the Chateau and the original arms of the Morava River was completed with an orchard and a flower part in as early as the time of Renaissance. The changes of style in the garden introduced any changes of style in the Chateau. After the Thirty Years´ War architect Filiberto Lucchese extended its Renaissance core in the style of period salon in the open air by extending the Chauteau. The axial view of the Chateau made the placement of works of art, paths, rich French broderies from the water canal (the later pond) to the sala terrena possible.


In the first half of the 18th century within the framework of Naive Romanticism a number of protoromantic facades were created (Temple of Friendship, an observatory with an umbrella-shaped shelter, the remains of antique ruins, etc.). Baroque statues from the Flower Garden battered like “antique torsos“ were placed at the ruins as an illustration of romantic feeling. Giardino Segreto was also established at that time in the place of the moat at the northern frontage of the Chateau of the Classicist Colloredo Colonnade – a gallery connected with the Chateau via a new entrance. The garden, altered into a Classicist park thus obtained an authentic reminder of the past architecturally interpreted stages of development.

The architect of the building office of the Archbishop’s Chateau Antonín Arche brought the final stage of the garden development into the late stage of a European landscape park according to the principles of H. Repton and Prince Pückler-Muskau in the first half of the 19th century under Archbishops Ferdinand Marie Chotek (1931–1836) and Maxmilian Joseph Sommerau-Beeckh (1836–1653) – cancellation of all strictly geometrical pits, paths and shores of ponds, only the fundamental alleys and giardino segreto were preserved, and the park was extended with large meadows and pastureland, groves, lone trees, groups and water surfaces. He created the Pompeian Colonnade and Max’s Yard – a model milk farm. Water courses were completed with cast-iron catwalks. These changes moved the second garden from the centre of attention – the Baroque Libosad (Flower Garden). The Chateau Garden in the form preserved from the second quarter of the 19th century has its leading position in the European late-Romantic landscape parks.
The water element is represented by three ponds – Dlouhý (Long), Divoký (Wild) and Chotkový (Chotek´s), Mlýnská strouha (Mill-race) and a system of interconnected brooklets. When it comes to dendrologic structure, trees and bushes from all over the world are present.

As for architecture, the Fisherman’s House at Lond Pond, Gardener’s House at the Chateau, the Pavonine Yard with a small game-park, cages with exotic fauna in the place of greenhouses deserve attention.

The garden is a part of the National Historical Landmark and a complex registered on the UNESCO List in 1998.
It is administered by the National Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, Zoning and Planning Department in Kroměříž.
The Chateau Garden is open to the public all year long free of charge, with the exception of extraordinary meteorological conditions (rain, snow, strong wind). There is a possibility of sitting in the snack bar at Long Pond for visitors in the summer season. The meadow in the north-west part (at Kojetín Street) is used for sports activity, display of livestock and cultural events for the public.