At the beginning of 2008, after the end of the first phase of the reconstruction of the buildings where the Faculty of Arts resides, the search for funds from outside the Student Chapter for the revitalisation of the gardens at Křížkovského Street No. 10 began.
In May 2008 the Town Council publicly announced their plans to revitalise the town parks and gardens, situated next to the university gardens. Already from the start we felt that the university gardens, situated on the town walls at Křížkovského Street, ought to be an integrated part of the project. Once it was possible to combine the projects, the actual preparation of the work, dubbed Revitalisation of Parks and Public Spaces of Palacký University, could be started.
A work group consisting of academic staff, students and professionals within art history as well as other professionals was set up. These representatives were then consulted on the preparation of project documentation and in particular on the concept, the future use of the gardens and the problems expected in the implementation. Specific help with visualizations of the project for promotional needs was supplied by a Geo-Information Science student Ondřej Sadílek from the Faculty of Science.
The work group consisted of:
Ivo Barteček, Ladislav Daniel, Wilken Engelbrecht, Jiří Fiala, Pavel Šaradín, and Milan Togner.
The implementation group consisted of:
Jiřina Menšíková, Principal Manager and UP Faculty of Arts Secretary, Radka Vašutová, UP Faculty of Arts Project Manager, Pavel Píža (Anna Kolárovitsová), Pavel Absolon of UP Rector’s Office, Development and Construction Unit.
During the process the project team constantly relied on the active support from the university management.
As soon as there was realistic hope for finding the funds for the project, the Olomouc Town Council joined forces with the university. The first step was to secure the necessary funds to repair the Castle Stairway, leading from the park up to the university buildings. The stairway had for a long time been in a state that posed a danger to pedestrians, as well as being a source of displeasure for the academic community as well as the public. The staircase is a part of the St. James’ Lane, which used to be a popular short cut from the town centre towards Envelopa, a part of the town outside the historical fortifications. During the summer of 2011 the roofs of the buildings at 12 and 14 Křížkovského Street were scheduled to be repaired due to leaks, and it was decided to connect these tasks to the renovation of the terraces.
The various renovations and repairs were officially started on 9 December 2010, and on 19 October 2011 the gardens were opened to the public.
It might at first glance seem strange to start revitalizing the gardens before the repair work on the buildings at Křížkovského Street are finished. On the other hand, the possibility of opening the gardens anew was a chance not to be missed. The newly rebuilt gardens are a cultural heritage of which the public can be proud.
More information about the history, the project, and contractors is posted at the entrance to the gardens.
The long-term aim is to create a historical trail, which would connect the Cathedral Hill, the Bishop's Square, and the gardens at Křížkovského Street with the so-called “Fort Science” (situated on the other side of the park in an 18-century fortification) and the Mausoleum of Yugoslav Soldiers.
