The story
As you stand here in the heart of the Upper Square, let your eyes rest upon the most famous and artistically sophisticated of Olomouc’s six Baroque fountains. This is the Caesar Fountain, a grand monument to power and a bold claim to an ancient heritage. Completed in 1725, this fountain is the work of the local master mason Václav Render and the sculptor Jan Jiří Schauberger.
It depicts the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, but he is not portrayed as a remote figure from a history book. Instead, he is a dynamic, charging presence, riding a spirited stallion that seems ready to leap right off its stone pedestal. Take a moment to look at Caesar himself.
He isn’t sitting passively; he is turned in his saddle, looking back toward the city’s Town Hall as if surveying his creation. This leads us to the legendary heart of this monument. For centuries, the people of Olomouc held a firm belief that their city was founded by Julius Caesar himself.
In the humanist era of the sixteenth century, the city even adopted the Latin name Juliomontium, or Caesar’s Mount. Local historians pointed to archaeological finds of Roman camps in the area as proof. While modern scholars tell us that the legend is likely more myth than fact, the story remains a vital part of the city’s identity.
By placing Caesar on this pedestal, the citizens of the eighteenth century were declaring that Olomouc was not just a provincial town, but a place of imperial significance. Now, look down toward the base of the equestrian statue. You will see two seated figures representing the rivers Morava and Danube, but your attention should really be drawn to the shield and the bird at Caesar's feet.
This is the eagle, the symbol of the city’s coat of arms. In the heraldry of Olomouc, the eagle is checkered in red and silver, a mark of the city’s status as the historic capital of Moravia. By placing the Olomouc eagle directly beneath Caesar’s horse, the artists were visually linking the city’s present authority to the ancient Roman Empire.
It suggests that the strength of the eagle is derived from the legacy of the founder. As the water splashes around the sandstone figures, notice the incredible detail of the horse’s musculature and the flowing robes of the emperor. This fountain was designed to impress travelers and locals alike, standing as a testament to the wealth and cultural ambition of Olomouc during the height of the Baroque era.
Before you move on, take a slow walk around the basin to see how Caesar’s gaze follows the square, watching over the city he supposedly founded two millennia ago.