Flower Garden in Kroměříž, Czech Republic

Address:	Květná zahrada, gen. Svobody 1192, 761 01 Kroměříž
Description of work:	Restoration of statues of the Roman gods Diana and Neptun Restoration of historical stone elements Supply and installation of all stone elements Building of new reservoir in the 17 th centrury fashion
Investor:	National Heritage Institute, Prague
Contractor:	GEMA ART GROUP a.s.
Implementation:	12/2012 – 04/2014

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History

The unique complex of the Archbishop’s Château and the Château and Floral Gardens was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List already in 1998. The Baroque Floral Garden was built between 1665 and 1675 by Karel II of Lichtejnštejn-Kastelkorn, the then bishop of Olomouc.
The garden’s dominant features are the rotund decorated with rich interior stuccos and the 244-metre long colonnade with numerous alcoves.
The garden includes a sophisticated water supply system which feeds into lakes, waterworks, fountains, and ponds in which carps and trout were bred. The 18th century saw the founding of the special Orange Garden where citrus fruits were grown and the Dutch Garden for growing tulips and narcissus flowers.
Further construction modifications were made between 1840 and 1845. In this period, the city of Kroměříž grew and spread beyond the city walls and therefore the access to the Floral Garden from the city centre had to be added. The new entrance is preserved to this day and its tympanum with the gold-plated archbishop’s coat of arms in the middle draws immediate attention. The aim of the restoration in which GEMA ART GROUP a.s. participated as a sub-contractor was to restore the garden to its original 17th and 18th century appearance.

Restoration work

Restoration of the stone elements:
Restoration work involved historical stone elements. These included the baroque balustrade around the courtyard, individual stone elements on the exterior of the entrance building, stone pools and stone parapets in the individual greenhouses.
The stone elements were cleaned and strengthened with organosilicon compounds; broken-off parts were re-moulded. The missing joints were filled with suitable sealants. The surface colours were smoothed out and the surface was hydrophobised. Before cleaning, the historical balustrade was pre-consolidated in the areas surrounding metal parts.

Restoration of the statues of Diana and Neptune:
The statue of the Roman goddess of hunt was made in the 1770s; it is situated on the “Rabbit Hill”, an artificial hill with a network of rabbit tunnels.
The statue was covered with a thick crust; overall decay of the surface layer was showing especially in fine details. The material suffered from the loss of cohesion and there were a number of cracks in the rear parts of the statue of Diana and also in the head area. The restorers aimed to significantly reduce the effect of the outside environment on the ageing of the statue. The crusts were removed using microjet cleaning with alumosilicate abrasives. Consolidation of the stone material and restoration works on the missing parts followed. Final hydrophobisation and smoothing out of colours also had to be performed.
The statue of Neptune, the Roman god of the seas, was situated on top of a stone fountain. Comprehensive restoration work was performed on the statue already in 2000, therefore only minor works were involved. Cleaning was done by hand. This was followed by the introduction of organosilicate strengthening agents and minor treatments with mineral sealants, colour retouch and hydrophobisation. The statue was fixed on the fountain with chromium-nickel pegs.

Supply and installation of stone elements:
The works carried out by GEMA ART GROUP a.s. consisted in the supply and comprehensive installation of stone elements replicas in the whole complex of the Floral Garden. This included the restoration of the Trout Pond – the construction of the reservoir, installation of a stone stairway and the balustrade railings. The works aimed to restore the garden to its original state as depicted on a surviving 17th century engraving.
The garden house and the fowler’s house underwent a refurbishment of the stone portals, jambs and window sills. The Bird-house received a new stone balustrade, birdbath, stairway, window sills and stone paving on the bridge and in the area around the Bird-house.
The garden courtyard also underwent complete reconstruction; a natural stone paving was added and the concrete stairways and ramp were restored.