Friends of Olomouc

Friends of Olomouc Activities organized in cooperation with sister cities of Olomouc.

♟️ There's a chessboard in Olomouc with a very special player sitting at it this week.Right now, Olomouc Chess Summer is...
19/08/2026

♟️ There's a chessboard in Olomouc with a very special player sitting at it this week.

Right now, Olomouc Chess Summer is underway in our city — one of the biggest international chess festivals in Moravia, running August 16–23. It's been a fixture of our summers since 1998, and this year's 27th edition has drawn over 330 players from more than 30 countries, some travelling all the way from Australia, India and the USA. (It opened the way it always does, too: with a grandmaster taking on a whole crowd of challengers at once, right out on the city square. ♟️)

But here's what makes this edition special for us: for the very first time, one of the players has come from a partner city. 🇭🇺 László Szakály — that's him in the red t-shirt in one of the photos — travelled from Pécs to test himself in the 50+ seniors championship. A seasoned, FIDE-rated competitor and the first person from any of our partner cities to sit down at this festival's boards.

He's the first to make that journey from a partner city — and with any luck, he won't be the last. There's something special about a friendship showing up where you'd least expect it: not at a ceremony, but at a quiet chessboard on an August afternoon. 💛

♟️ Welcome to Olomouc, László — we're so glad Pécs város - hivatalos oldala is in the room! And to everyone else: do you play? Tell us in the comments, and let us know which city you're reading from. 👇

📷 Photos: Kamil Mikeš, Jakub Fuksík, Ctirad Holík, and Statutární město Olomouc

👀 Why did they move a 300-year-old fountain? Why is there a golden deer keeping watch over a house? And what's the story...
29/07/2026

👀 Why did they move a 300-year-old fountain? Why is there a golden deer keeping watch over a house? And what's the story behind the silver spade hanging on a historic facade?

Even people who've lived in Olomouc their whole lives don't always know the answers. But someone's been quietly digging them up. 🔎

Olomouc has a new Instagram page — — and tucked among the photos is a brilliant little series called "Did you know?", uncovering the secrets, legends and quirks hiding in plain sight all over our city. The kind of things you'd walk straight past, never guessing there was a story there at all.

And here's why we're sharing it with you, our friends around the world: it's a lovely way to get to know Olomouc from wherever you are — and a ready-made treasure map for when you visit. Save these little mysteries, and one day you can stand in front of that golden deer yourself and know exactly why it's there. 🦌

👉 Any theories? Drop your guess on one of the mysteries below before you head over for the real stories!

🔗 Link to the page is in the comments — give a follow, wherever in the world you're reading from, so you never miss a secret. 💛

📸 All three from

🏓 There's a whole lot of table tennis happening in Olomouc this week — and our partner city Subotica is going home with ...
24/07/2026

🏓 There's a whole lot of table tennis happening in Olomouc this week — and our partner city Subotica is going home with silver! 🥈

Here's the story. From 23 to 25 July, our city is hosting the Czech International Youth Cup Olomouc: three days of youth table tennis at the OMEGA centrum sportu a zdraví sports center, with players from U11 all the way up to U19 competing in singles, doubles and team events. It's organised by our local club KST Olomouc, and it draws young talent from well beyond Czech borders.

Among those young players: a group from Grad Subotica 🇷🇸, our partner city in Serbia — who went and finished SECOND in the U19 category. Silver, away from home, against an international field. What a result! 👏

And if Subotica rings a bell, it should. They were here only last month, when their runners joined us at the Mattoni Half Marathon. Twice in one summer — and this time with a medal to show for it. We're absolutely not complaining. 😄

Yesterday, Mayor Miroslava Ferancová officially opened the tournament. And today she welcomed the international coaches to Olomouc City Hall — among them the coach who brought the young team from Subotica. You'll spot the two of them in the photos, with the Mayor holding up a Subotica team shirt. 🏓

City partnerships don't only live in signed documents and official visits. Sometimes they turn up in a sports hall in the middle of July — in a scoreboard, a handshake, a team shirt held up for a photo. Those are the ones we like spotting most. 💛

🎉 Huge congratulations to our silver medallists from Subotica — and good luck to every player still in the draw!

💬 Friends in Subotica, this one's for you — send your players a cheer in the comments! 👇 And wherever else you're reading from, tell us which city you're in.

📷 Photos: Statutární město Olomouc

🏅 World records tumbling, 42 countries competing, and a Croatian moment for the history books — what a week Olomouc just...
10/07/2026

🏅 World records tumbling, 42 countries competing, and a Croatian moment for the history books — what a week Olomouc just had!

Last week (2–4 July), our city hosted the second edition of the Olomouc WPA Grand Prix — a women-only World Para Athletics meet often described as the para-athletics equivalent of the Diamond League. More than 180 of the world's best women para-athletes, from 42 countries, came to compete — and across three thrilling days, four world records fell. 🌍

We loved seeing athletes from several of our partner cities' home countries out there, giving it everything on the track and in the field. 💪

But one performance took our breath away. 🇭🇷 Croatia's Karla Hergotić stepped into the shot put circle and rewrote the record books — a throw of 8.73 m that shattered a world record standing since 2001, by more than three metres. How dominant was she? Every one of her six throws would have broken the old record. Hers was named the best performance of the entire meeting. Phenomenal. 👏

And here's what makes it extra special for us: next year, Olomouc celebrates its Croatian Season 2027, honouring our friendship with partner city Grad Makarska 🇭🇷. So consider Karla's world record a dazzling first taste of the Croatian brilliance still to come!

💬 A huge bravo to every athlete who left it all out there — and a special cheer for Karla and all our Croatian friends. Who else can't wait for Croatian Season? 👋

📷 Photos: William Law, Zuzana Mazurová & Amálie Koldová

🎬 Last week, you met the Moomins. This time, meet the remarkable woman who dreamed them up.Our Finnish Season moved to t...
29/06/2026

🎬 Last week, you met the Moomins. This time, meet the remarkable woman who dreamed them up.

Our Finnish Season moved to the big screen last Saturday, when Kino Metropol — Olomouc's classic cinema — screened the acclaimed Finnish film "Tove." 🇫🇮

"Tove" (2020) — Finland's official entry for the Academy Awards that year, with a luminous lead performance by Alma Pöysti — tells the true story of artist Tove Jansson in post-war Helsinki. The gentle, slightly melancholy tales she once invented that comforted frightened children sheltering from air raids — stories about little creatures called the Moomins — soon took on a life of their own and carried her name around the world. The film follows her hunger for freedom and her search for an artistic identity.

There was something quietly moving about the timing, too: the screening fell on 27 June — exactly 25 years to the day since Tove Jansson passed away. A fitting way to honor the woman whose imagination still brings joy to children and grown-ups the world over. 🤍

And a heartfelt thank-you to Kino Metropol, who've had our back season after season — be it Slovak, Austrian, Hungarian, Polish, or now Finnish. A true Friend of Olomouc. 🎞️

💬 Did you know the Moomins were first dreamed up during World War II and comforted Finnish children? Have you seen "Tove," or do you have a favourite Moomin story? Tell us in the comments — and a warm wave to Tampere, the Moomins' true home. 👋

🎬 Poster: official international poster for Tove (2020). Film stills: Photo © Nordisk Film.

25/06/2026

🌍 Welcome to Friends of Olomouc — the meeting point for our city and its partner cities around the world!

Tucked into the heart of Moravia, Olomouc shares friendships with thirteen partner cities across Europe and beyond — from neighbours just over the border to friends on the far side of the world.

And it's so much more than a line on a map. Over the years we've thrown whole cultural seasons, welcomed partner-city orchestras and artists to our squares, swapped exhibitions, sent students back and forth, teamed up on European projects, and connected on everything from sport to firefighters and city hall know-how.

Here are the cities we're proud to call our partners:

🇫🇷 Antony, France

🇩🇪 Berlin Treptow-Köpenick, Germany

🇸🇰 Bratislava-Staré Mesto, Slovakia

🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland

🇨🇳 Kunming, China

🇨🇭 Lucerne, Switzerland

🇭🇷 Makarska, Croatia

🇩🇪 Nördlingen, Germany

🇺🇸 Owensboro, USA

🇭🇺 Pécs, Hungary

🇷🇸 Subotica, Serbia

🇫🇮 Tampere, Finland

🇳🇱 Veenendaal, Netherlands

This page is where it all comes together — a place to share the events and projects we create with our partner cities, and to bring our communities a little closer, wherever in the world you call home.

👋 So wherever you're reading from, give us a wave in the comments and tell us your city — we'd love to know who's part of the Friends of Olomouc community!

🌿 What do the Moomins snack on? Today, Olomouc found out! 🧺First, for anyone just joining us 👋: every year, Olomouc devo...
24/06/2026

🌿 What do the Moomins snack on? Today, Olomouc found out! 🧺

First, for anyone just joining us 👋: every year, Olomouc devotes a whole season to one of its partner cities — numerous events, hosted by venues right across the city, all celebrating one country and its culture. Right now it's the Finnish Season, a tribute to 40 years of friendship with our partner city Tampere 🇫🇮 — and today brought one of its most delightful moments yet.

It was a culinary-literary picnic with the sweetest title — "What Do the Moomins Snack On?" — put on by Knihovna města Olomouce together with Skandinávský dům, made especially for little readers and their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other favourite grown-ups. 📚

It was a treat for all the senses: families visited to leaf through Finnish children's books and taste "Moomin" recipes, and children from local schools also enjoyed what the event had to offer.

And why are the Moomins so at home on this page? 🤔 Because those round, gentle, adventure-loving creatures — dreamed up by Finnish author and artist Tove Jansson — are one of Finland's most treasured cultural exports. And the Moomin Museum just happens to live in Tampere itself! So a little piece of Tampere came to picnic with us. 💙

A warm thank-you to the Embassy of Finland Prague - Suomen suurlähetystö Praha for the wonderful cardboard Moomins who came along for the day — you'll spot them in the photos! 👀

And keep your eyes peeled: those same Moomins will soon be back for a panel exhibition all about Tove Jansson — her life, her Moomins, and yes, Tampere too. There's plenty more Finnish Season magic on the way! ✨

💬 Did you grow up with the Moomins? Tell us your favourite character in the comments — and a big wave to our friends in Tampereen kaupunki, the Moomins' true home! 👋

📸 Photos: Knihovna města Olomouce

🚲🎨 Remember those matching red dino shirts from our marathon crew? 🦖 Time to meet the artist behind them.This is Daniela...
23/06/2026

🚲🎨 Remember those matching red dino shirts from our marathon crew? 🦖 Time to meet the artist behind them.

This is Daniela P. Meier — an artist from Lucerne 🇨🇭 and the very first guest of our brand-new artist residency. The idea is close to our hearts: every so often, we invite an artist from one of our partner cities to live in Olomouc rent-free for a while — to create, connect with local artists and cultural institutions, and soak up everything the city has to offer. Daniela is our pioneer: she arrived in early May, and her stay wraps up at the end of June.

But here's the twist — Olomouc is just one stop on a much bigger adventure. Daniela travels by bike 🚲. She pedalled here all the way from Lucerne, and when she leaves she'll ride on to Belgrade 🇷🇸 for her next chapter. Along the way she draws and makes artwork, then prints it on risographs (a printmaker's favourite for bold, retro colour) at print shops she tracks down en route — she even keeps a spreadsheet of them!

During her residency, Daniela shared her work with the city in a couple of lovely ways:

🎤 Last Thursday she gave a presentation about her work and her journey at Čekárna Olomouc, a wonderful little Olomouc movie theater and clubhouse — followed by the opening of an exhibition of her work there.

🏠 And yesterday she opened her studio to the public, welcoming people in to see where she's been living and working these past weeks. The open studio also showcased some of the artwork she has made while living in Olomouc.

And here's the part that ties it all together: joining her at the open studio was Adéla Navarová — an Olomouc artist who also presented some of her work today and made the very same journey in reverse. Through this exact exchange, Adéla spent two months in 2025 living and creating at the Neubad cultural centre in Lucerne. Two artists, two cities, one friendship flowing in both directions. 💛

To our friends in Stadt Luzern 🇨🇭 — your artist is doing you proud, and this is exactly the connection we hoped for when we set this up. And to Daniela: thank you for being our very first. Safe travels on the road to Belgrade — we'll be cheering you on every kilometer. 🚲✨

📸 A few glimpses below: from her presentation, the exhibition opening, and yesterday's open studio.

👉 Send Daniela some good wishes for the road ahead in the comments! 👇

👋 Look who's back!It's been a while — okay, a long while 😅 — but we couldn't have picked a better moment to switch the l...
18/06/2026

👋 Look who's back!

It's been a while — okay, a long while 😅 — but we couldn't have picked a better moment to switch the lights back on. Last weekend, Olomouc was buzzing. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

On Saturday evening, 19 runners from 11 of our partner and friend cities took on the Mattoni Half Marathon Olomouc — a sunset race through the heart of our historic old town, past the UNESCO-listed Holy Trinity Column, and those cobbled streets we never get tired of showing off. ✨

A few moments that made us especially proud:

🥇 Our fastest finisher, Erik Dekker from Veenendaal 🇳🇱, crossed the line in a blazing 1:19:54 — and it wasn't his first time with us; he also ran here back in 2017. Welcome back, Erik!

👟 Our fastest woman, Le Zhang from Antony 🇫🇷, posted a superb 1:25:55.

🎉 For the very first time, we welcomed a runner from Wiener Neustadt 🇦🇹 — Sarah Voit. It's a friendship that's grown so close that the city even joined us for the Olomouc City Celebrations earlier this month.

🤝 And after a long time, it was wonderful to have Subotica 🇷🇸 back with us, with Kristifor Bogdanić and Danijela Dragojević.

On Friday, our guests were officially welcomed by First Deputy Mayor Otakar Štěpán Bačák — the perfect kick-off to a weekend full of running, friendship and a good dose of Olomouc hospitality. 💛

👕 And those matching red shirts? 🦖 They were designed just for the occasion by Daniela P. Meier, an artist from Lucerne 🇨🇭 who's living and creating right here in Olomouc as the very first guest of a brand-new artist residency we've just opened. We'll get to Daniela and the residency properly very soon, so keep an eye out. 👀

👏 To our friends around the world — congratulate the runners in the comments, and tell us which city you're reading from! We love seeing how far this community reaches. 👇

We welcome friends from our partner and friend cities to this race every year — and we can't wait to see who lines up with us next time. 💛

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