A high point in the history of the town was reached during the glorious reign of the Olomouc Bishop Bruno of Schaumburg (1241 - 1281) when Kromeriz´s boundaries were extended and an early Gothic castle was erected where the Archbishop's palace stands today. Bishop Bruno surrounded the town with fortifications and founded the Cathedral of St. Maurice. In 1266 he also established the wine cellars, which were later expanded under the rule of the Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV who in 1345 granted the bishop´s cellars the right to produce ceremonial wine.

    The original wine cellars are part of the Archbishop's palace in Kromeriz, located underground at a depth of 6.5 meters with an area of 1.030 meters which is divided into an Upper and Lower Cellar. The year-round temperature in the cellar ranges from 9 to 11 degrees Celsius which creates an ideal environment for the production of the highest quality, purely natural wine - an age-old tradition going back 735 years. The wine is fermented in traditional wooden casks of various size, the oldest dating back to 1805.  The largest cask holds 19,100 litres wine!

     The cellars walls are also the oldest preserved structures of the original 13th century Gothic castle. Kromeriz, one of the jewels in the Bohemian Crown Lands, is internationally recognized today by UNESCO for the resplendent Archbishop's Palace and its spectacular gardens. For those who are interested, we would be happy to arrange for a one- or two-day trip to picturesque Kromeriz as well as to other famous Moravian wine-producing towns. The Archbishop Wine Cellars are open from 9 AM to 6 PM and we can organize a tour (including a wine-tasting, naturally!) with an English- (German-, French-, Spanish-) speaking guide. A wine gallery is located on the ground floor of the palace, entered from the courtyard; its opening hours are the same as those of the palace. During your visit, you are free to purchase all the delectable varieties of wine produced in the Archbishop's Wine Cellars which are also available in attractive gift packages.