St. Wenceslas Cathedral

Olomouc, Czech Republic

Saint Wenceslas Cathedral is a neo-gothic cathedral in Olomouc. The square was named after Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia on the thousandth anniversary of his death in 1935. The cathedral is also named after him.

The cathedral began in the Romanesque style and was consecrated in 1131. Extensive Gothic modifications were made in 13th and 14th century. Czech king Wenceslaus III of Bohemia was murdered in a nearby house of the former dean of the cathedral on August 4, 1306. Wenceslaus III was the last of the male Přemyslid rulers of Bohemia.

Gothic revival changes, which included refacing the building, rebuilding the west front and the construction of the central tower, were made during 1883–1892. These were designed by Gustav Meretta and R. Völkel. The cathedral's main tower is 100,65 metres high, making it the 4th tallest building in the Czech Republic.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Komenského 7, Olomouc, Czech Republic

See all sites in Olomouc

Details

Founded: 1131/1883
Category: Religious sites in Czech Republic

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
tourism.olomouc.eu

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Holy Trinity Column (1 km)
St. Maurice Church (0,9 km)
Olomouc Castle (0,1 km)
St. Michael’s Church (0,8 km)
St. Catherine's Monastery (1 km)
Hradisko Monastery (0,9 km)

Kromeriz Castle and Gardens (34,5 km)
Bouzov Castle (29,4 km)
Hrad Helfštýn (27,8 km)
Buchlov Castle (54,6 km)

User Reviews

Ali Ali (2 years ago)
We visited during the week, when there were no one else there and a lovely gentleman offered to show us around and tell us more about the history of the cathedral. It was amazing! We were in absolute awe - just the amount of detail in the frescoes are unbelievable. Down in the crypt are several metal "coffins" with such intricate metal decoration. Just gorgeous. Pay attention to the cheeky self portrait 'bust' of the architect, right in the middle of the churches entrance way (outside), above the door in a gargoyle-style.

iTravel (2 years ago)
St. Wenceslas cathedral is massive! It is a beauty. I actually prefer Olomouc than Brno. I highly recommend visiting this church.

Ayat Alali (3 years ago)
Beautiful city

Jiri Antos (3 years ago)
Highly recommended ?

joby akkara (3 years ago)
Nice Church

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Timeless Treasures of Wales

Gothic Cathedrals of Belgium

Migthy Cathar Castles

Photo from Flickr, copyright ys*

Historic Site of the week

Goryokaku Fortress

Goryōkaku (五稜郭) (literally, 'five-point fort') is a star fort in the Japanese city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido. The fortress was completed in 1866. It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.

Goryōkaku was designed in 1855 by Takeda Ayasaburō and Jules Brunet. Their plans was based on the work of the French architect Vauban. The fortress was completed in 1866, two years before the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate. It is shaped like a five-pointed star. This allowed for greater numbers of gun emplacements on its walls than a traditional Japanese fortress, and reduced the number of blind spots where a cannon could not fire.

The fort was built by the Tokugawa shogunate to protect the Tsugaru Strait against a possible invasion by the Meiji government.

Goryōkaku is famous as the site of the last battle of the Boshin War.