Statues in Flower Garden, Colonnade with statues in Kroměříž, Czech Republic

The Kolonáda v Květné zahradě is a 244 m long arcaded loggia forming one entire side of the Květná zahrada in Kroměříž. Its niches hold 44 statues of ancient gods, historical and mythical figures, with 46 anonymous busts above the pillars on consoles in the spandrels between the arcades.

The colonnade was founded in 1675 on the initiative of Karl II of Lichtenstein-Castelcorn, Bishop of Olomouc, and originally served as the main entrance to the Flower Garden. Its statues were carved from about 1671 onward after engravings in François Perrier's publication on Roman garden collections and Johann Jacob Sandrart's book of Roman bas-reliefs. In 1988 a rooftop viewing promenade by architect Zdena Zábrodská was added, reached by a spiral staircase at the right corner.

The figures alternate regularly between male and female, each identified by a Latin inscription on a low plinth, while the 46 busts above the pillars stay anonymous. The statues were carved from about 1671 after engravings in François Perrier's publication on Roman garden collections and Johann Jacob Sandrart's book of Roman bas-reliefs.

The colonnade forms one whole side of the Flower Garden and is 244 m long, so it can be walked end to end. A spiral staircase added at the right corner leads to a rooftop promenade built in 1988, which gives a view over the garden layout.

The 44 statues alternate male and female figures, each labelled with a Latin inscription on a low plinth, while the 46 busts above the pillars are anonymous. The models were engravings in François Perrier's book on Roman garden collections and Johann Jacob Sandrart's plates of Roman reliefs.