St. Wenceslas Cathedral

Olomouc was Moravia's capital until the 17th century so this is where the most important religious buildings were built.

Katedrála svatého Václava, St. Wenceslas Cathedral, is 900 years old and dominates the city skyline.

The Cathedral has been a Bishop or Archbishop church throughout the entire period of its existence.

The main tower is 100.65 meters (328 feet) high making it the tallest spire in Moravia, and the 4th tallest building in the ČR.

The original Romanesque basilica was consecrated in 1131 but was rebuilt in Gothic style during the second half of the 13th century.

After further adaptations in the cathedral, the front was given a Renaissance appearance. In 1616 - 1661 the Baroque presbytery and the crypt underneath were built. The front was changed in Classical style in the early 19th century. Neo-Gothic reconstruction (1883 - 1890) and construction of the choir chapel and a new tower gave the cathedral its present appearance.

Adjacent to the cathedral is the chapel of St.Anna. The chapel is attached to the chapter house, where the last Premyslid king, Wenceslas (Václav) III was murdered in 1306. In 1767, eleven year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his 6th Symphony here.