The House Signs of Olomouc

The House Signs of Olomouc (GCZT17)

Type: mystery micro cache
Coordinates: N 49° 35.770 E 017° 15.454 




Olomouc is a beautiful historical city and its house signs are very interesting, so we would like to lead you through some of them. You wil have a walk in the city centre and see some of the old signs as well as the newer ones. Every stage represents a house and is described by the adress (and the name of the house).


Stage 1: Třída 1. máje 12/44 - the Joseph's House
There used to be a wooden canopy with a plastic of St. Joseph carrying a baby. Now the plastic is being reconstructed.
Above the first floor there is an inscription written in capitals. 
The number of letters in this inscription = A1 (don't count the dots).

Stage 2: Denisova 28/283 + Univerzitní 2/283 - the Golden Lamb's House
The sign of the golden lamb is one of the oldest in the city (from 1592). The current design is from the 19th century. 
The number of symbols of a lamb on the house = B1.

Stage 3: Univerzitní 226 - the niche of St. Mary and a picture
The symbol of St. Mary used to serve as a protection of the house. The origin of the illumination below is unknown.
Write down the date in the illumination A.B.CD as a 4-digit number ABCD and = C1.

Stage 4: Univerzitní 22/244 - St. Wenceslas
In the first floor there is a stone sculpture of prince Wenceslas with a spear and a shield. He has a sword by his waist. On the piedestal there is a date celebrating the millenium of St. Wenceslas. The building used to serve as a Jesuitic monastery, a lyceum, a grammar school and a divinity faculty. 
St. Wenceslas is holding the spear in the left hand → D1 = 3 or in the right hand → D1 = 2.

Stage 5: Žerotínovo náměstí 14/249 - Madonna of Hostyn
There is a square picture of virgin Mary of Hostyn. 
The number of towers of the Hostyn castle depicted next to the Mary's feet divided by 2 = E1.

Stage 6: Michalská 1/253 - the Golden Luce's House
The golden luce has disappeared from the house recently, the sign was created in 1616. The stone cannonball which was situated below the front side of the house is still there. 
The number of letters in the name of the café (both words without gaps) = A2.

Stage 7: Horní náměstí 12/205 - the Black Dog's House
In 1685 there used to be a Golden Lamb's winehouse which was replaced by the Golden Dog's ironmondery lately and finally in the beginning of the last century there was built a Black Dog's drugstore.
The date below the dog = B2.

Stage 8: Horní náměstí 13 - the Knight's Helmet
A beautifully decorated portal with a cartridge and a symbol of a knight's helmet.
The number of lions' heads in the portal = C2.

Stage 9: Horní náměstí 15 - the Golden Star's House
The newest house sign from December 2006 by a ceramist Barbora Bendova.
The number of tips of the star = D2.

Stage 10: Horní náměstí 16/201 - the Golden Stag's House
The sitting stag in the first floor is the biggest house sign in the city centre. It was created in 1739 when the house was owned by Tomas Hirsch (hirsch means "deer" in German). 
The stag has 12 antlers → E2 = 12, it has 8 antlers → E2 = 8, or it has 6 antlers → E2 = 6.

Stage 11: Dolní náměstí 51 - the Salvator's House
The original pharmacy was here since 1528 and it was called the Golden Pelican's. Then it was renamed to Salvator's, meaning Saviour's. During 300 years there has been several generations of pharmacists. The picture of the Saviour has been already removed. Please mind the decoration of the Four Seasons with children.
The number of children playing = A3.

Stage 12: Dolní náměstí 8/193 - the Green Crown's House
There is a beautiful sign of a green crown. The original sign of the crown was made of tin and it depicted an angel with boys in colours.
The number of ribbons in the crown = B3.

Stage 13: Dolní náměstí 44/21 - the Black Horse's House
Probably the most beautiful house sign and one of the oldest ones. There is a legend told concerning this house sign: There used to live a young girl fallen in love with a handyman. She prepared a love potion for him but he shared it with his horse, who accidentally fell in love with her instead of the boy. The horse started to chase her, she ran into the house scared and finally jumped out one of the windows in the second floor. The horse followed her and stayed stuck in the narrow window.
The overall number of hoofs in the house sign = C3.

Stage 14: Dolní náměstí 39/26 - the Red Ox House
In 1963 the house started to be called "the Red Ox", probably thanks to the fact his owner was a butcher. In 1859 there used to be an ironmondery and later a restaurant.
The number of vowels in the whole name of the pub (all 4 words) = D3.

Stage 15: Dolní náměstí 37/51 - the Golden Ball's House
The house was shot by a canonade during the attack of the city by Prussians in 1758. Thanks to this there is a cannonball in the second floor of the house. Since 1856 until recently there used to be a paints-varnishes shop.
The number of floors of the house = E3.

Stage 16: Lafayettova 10/31 - the Red Cock's House
The walking cock is probably a reminder of a great fire of the city in 1709. There used to be a pub for a long time, nowadays the house is in bad conditions. Opposite there is a Cock's pub with tasty cuisine and beer.
The cock has its right foot lifted → A4 = 3, or it has its left foot lifted → A4 = 4. 

Stage 17: Uhelná 21/33 - the Pig's Head in a cartridge
The pig's head in a neogothic cartridge held by clamps with veils symbolises the house's location in the butcher's part of the city.
The number of clamps = B4.

Stage 18: Horní náměstí 18 - the Golden Ring's House
One of the new house signs, created in 2006.
The colour of the ring is blue-green → C4 = 10, or its colour is red-brown → C4 = 12.

Stage 19: Riegrova 3/405 - the plastic of an Eagle
There is a stone red-white checkered eagle on the ledge of the front portal. In the passageway there is a marble table with the names of the house owners since 1514 to 1926. 
If the eagle has a crown on its head → D4 = 8, or if it has nothing → D4 = 5.

Stage 20: Ostružnická 25/351 - the girl in the traditional folk costume
In 1910 the front wall was reconstructed - the main motif is a girl with a camera (used as a propagation for a photo studio that used to be there). 
The number of all green rectangles in a row above the girl (count the outmost as well) = E4.


Write the numbers gained into the following table, please:

	A	B	C	D	E
1
2
3
4
5 (sum)
6 (addition of numbers)

Put the sum of the numbers in every column into the fifth row. Then add the numbers from the fifth row in each column and write down the addition into the sixth row (e.g. 1984 in the fifth row gives the addition 1+9+8+4=22 and then 2+2=4 → so the final number is 4). You will get numbers from A6 to E6 then. Use them to fill the coordinates of the final cache.

N 49° A6B6.C6D6E6
E 017° D6B6.A6E6B6

ATTENTION - change of the final coordinates! 

After you get the final coordinates, subtract N - 14 and E - 74 and you will get the right place of the cache.

Place the cache back consistently, please!

Waypoints:  N 49° 35.917 E 017° 15.409 (free parking)
Hint: 2,1 metres above the ground, the arrow


Found it? Log the cache at: www.geocaching.com :-)

Metodej Simek - General of the Infantry

Metodej Simek - General of the Infantry (GC48FGJ)

Type: mystery micro cache
Coordinates: N 49° 35.820 E 017° 15.489


This cache is dedicated to one of the Czech legionaries, general Metodej Simek. 



To find the cache, you have to go through the Krajske vojenske velitelstvi building at Namesti republiky square in the city centre. You can see a memorial board there, but that is not the thing where you find the final coordinates. For that, you would have to answer a few history questions given in the original listing. However, I guess you would struggle to find the right answers (in Czech), so here are the final coordinates and you have to visit only the building at the starting coordinates.

Final coordinates: N 49°35.?12 E017°14.991
To replace the question mark with a number: go to the main door and find the bell to Krajske vojenske velitelstvi. Where else could you ring to? Count the letters on the second bell (the lower one) and add them to get one number - and that is nemuber instead of the question mark.





There is no pencil in the cache.
Place the cache back consistently, please!

Waypoints:  N 49° 35.774 E 017° 14.614 (parking)
Hint: the first left stake


Found it? Log the cache at: www.geocaching.com :-)

The Secrets of Moritz

The Secrets of Moritz (GC3QW8F)

Type: mystery large cache
Coordinates: N 49° 35.703 E 017° 15.060 

This cache was created by GEOOL (Olomouc geocaching society) to honour the history of our city and show you the St. Moritz church. It was also awarded no. 2 in the Cache of the year 2012!




The tower is open from May to September, from Mon - Sat between 9 - 17. In case of bad weather it is closed, and also in case of nice weather it could be open in autumn and spring.

In order to get the key to open the cache, you have to visit a few of Olomouc historical monuments and get four numbers.
Stage 1: N 49° 35.752 E 017° 15.396 (Namesti republiky- St. Mary's church) - hint: on the left, joining the stones
Stage 2: N 49° 35.632 E 017° 15.234 (St. Michael's church) - hint: right up, left down, your fingers don't go downwards
Stage 3:  N 49° 35.434 E 017° 15.241 (St. Catherine's church) - hint: metal in the wall
Stage 4: N 49° 35.788 E 017° 15.001 (Dominican church) - search for the stem without leaves

Place the cache back consistently, please!
Waypoints:  N 49° 35.774 E 017° 14.614 (parking)


Found it? Log the cache at: www.geocaching.com :-)

Jaroslav Foglar: The Mysterious Rasnovka

Jaroslav Foglar: The Mysterious Rasnovka (GC1466E)

Type: mystery micro cache
Coordinates: N 49° 35.710 E 017° 14.905 


This cache is a part of a series of caches thematically connected to Jaroslav Foglar, one of Czech most popular writers. The whole series of 10 + 1 bonus caches was founded to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jaroslav Foglar.
"Rasnovka" is a name of a part of the town where Foglar's stories take place.

To gain the final coordinates of the cache you have to solve the following picture:




Place the cache back consistently, please!

Hint: cut the picture and make a 6x6 square connecting the same symbols; windowsill above your head


Found it? Log the cache at: www.geocaching.com :-)

The Epochal Trip of Mr. Kacirek to the 18th Century

The Epochal Trip of Mr.Kacirek to the 18th Century (GC45WC5)

Type: multi micro cache
Coordinates: N 49° 35.459 E 017° 15.022

This cache originally tells us a story of Mr. Kacirek, who accidentally appears in the 18th century and discovers the city of Olomouc and its looks of that time. The story itself is very long, so we will just list the stages you have to visit in order to complete the formula and get the final coordinates.

Stage 1: N 49°35.459 E 017°15.022 (Theresian gate)
Find the writing "????. M. THERESIA, D.G.R.I.G.H.B.R., ????" and replace the question marks by a four-digit number, giving you letter A.

Stage 2:  N 49°35.507 E 017°15.085 (Uhelná street)
Count the number of little stakes on the buildings on the left side of the street and it gives you letter B.

Stage 3: N 49°35.516 E 017°15.143 (Lower square - Dolni namesti)
Stand in front of the pub "Hanacka hospoda" and find the archery. Now search for the date when Leopold Mozart and his wife visited this house - that gives you letter C.

Stage 4: N 49°35.562 E 017°15.316 (Hrnčířská street)
Count the number of vertical rods in the grate of the loophole and get letter D.

Stage 5: N 49°35.609 E 017°15.167 (Kozí street)
Count the number of arcs with small roofs joining the opposite houses in the whole street and get letter E.

Stage 6: N 49°35.627 E 017°15.107 (Upper/Main square)
FInd the gothic archery on the wall of the townhall and count the number of small funny heads in the lower part of the archery. That gives you letter F.

Stage 7: N 49°35.633 E 017°15.029 (the Holy Trinity column on the Upper square)
Count all the figures of angels along the column inits  lowest part/storey and get letter G.

Stage 8: N 49°35.700 E 017°15.065 (St. Moritz church)
Count the number of figures/people, depicted in the sculpture in the wall of the church and get letter H.

Stage 9: N 49°35.669 E 017°15.264 (St. Michael's cathedral)
Go to the Jan Sarkander's chapel and find the date when St. Jan Sarkander was labeled a traitor, and get letter I.

Stage 10: N 49°35.881 E 017°15.725 (St. Wenceslas cathedral)
Next to the cathedral there is the St. Anne's church. Go in front of it, find the board and search for the date when it was built. That gives you the last letter, J.

Now do the addition of all numbers (letters) you got to get each of them only one-digit. E.g. addition of no. 69 is 6+9=15, 1+5=6, so the final number is 6.

The final formula is: 
N 49° 35.(F-B+C) (J-H) (D-B)
E 017° 15.(I-D+E) (A-G) (E)

Don't multiply the brackets, they represent the positions of coordinates.

The map of all  stages:




There is no pencil in the cache.
Place the cache back consistently, please!

Waypoints:  N 49° 35.431 E 017° 15.042 (parking - fee paid)
Hint: undercounter goods - left front corner


Found it? Log the cache at: www.geocaching.com :-)

Cannonballs in Olomouc

Cannonballs in Olomouc (GC2DVMR)

Type: multi micro cache
Coordinates: N 49° 35.457 E 017° 15.270 




During the history, the city of Olomouc has been attacked by a number of armies. 
The Prussian attack in 1758 was one of the most devastating for the city. The shooting lasted for 30 days and more than 100 000 cannonballs were shot. The western past of the city was destroyed the most heavily. Some of the houses attacked were then reconstructed, many of the cannonballs were removed and later placed again to remind the war suffering and the final victory.

Some of the cannonballs are still a part of the front sides of the houses. They are placed in different heights, sometimes also in the passageways.
To gain the final coordinates, you will have to find and count them. The whole journey is about 3,7 km long and should take you from 2,5 to 3 hours.
Then you have to fill the numbers in the following formula:

N 49° 35.(A+B+C+D+E+F+G+H+I+J+K)*AD-B
E 017° 14.(A+B+C+D+E+F+G+H+I+J+K)*DK-J

Stage 1: Your journey will start in Havelkova street.
Coordinates: N 49° 35.457 E 017° 15.270
The number of cannonballs in this street = A.

Stage 2: Let's continue to Šemberova street. 
Coordinates: N 49° 35.441 E 017° 15.170
The number of cannonballs in this street = B.

Stage 3: Now go to Lafayettova street.
Coordinates: N 49° 35.478 E 017° 15.115
The number of cannonballs in this street = C.

Stage 4: If you have counted everything so far, let's move to Dolní náměstí (the Lower Square).
Coordinates: N 49° 35.530 E 017° 15.150
The number of cannonballs in the whole square = D.

Stage 5: Continue to Panská street.
Coordinates: N 49° 35.553 E 017° 15.160
The number of cannonballs in this street = E.

Stage 6: Let's go to Univerzitní street. 
Coordinates: N 49° 35.640 E 017° 15.295
The number of cannonballs in this street = F.

Stage 7: Now move to 1. Máje street (the 1st of May).
Coordinates: N 49° 35.790 E 017° 15.520
Since the street is too long, you only have to count the cannonballs you see from the given coordinates = G.

Stage 8: Go quickly to Denisova street.
Coordinates: N 49° 35.760 E 017° 15.397
Here you have to count only those cannonballs measuring 15 cm or more = H.

Stage 9: Find the Golden Luce's House.
Coordinates: N 49° 35.645 E 017° 15.160
The number of cannonballs in all three visible walls of the house = I.

Stage 10: Follow to the Horní náměstí (the Upper Square).
Coordinates: N 49° 35.645 E 017° 15.060
The number of cannonballs in the whole square = J.

Stage 11: This is the last stage, Pavelčákova street.
Coordinates: N 49° 35.580 E 017° 15.055
The number of cannonballs in the street = K.


Loads of them, right? And it's more than probable that there are more than these...they are just not visible.

There is no pencil in the cache.
Place the cache back consistently, please!

Hint: search for a black ball


Found it? Log the cache at: www.geocaching.com :-)

Karel Kryl

Karel Kryl (GC2M4DY)

Type: multi micro cache
Coordinates: N 49° 35.812 E 017° 15.599 

This simple cache is dedicated to Karel Kryl, one of the most popular Czech singers. 

Karel Kryl (12 Apr 1944 - 3 Mar 1994) was a Czechoslovak singer, poet and graphic and one of the most important representatives of the Czech protestsong production of years 1968 - 1989. He wrote his own songs, which were short pamphlets as well as long poetic and melancholic songs. He was often called "the poet with the quitar".
If you look around while standing on the starting coordinates, surely you will find the answer why the author chose this place and more importantly, the hints to find the final cache.
If you found what you needed, you should see 4 dates. Let's add all the 16 numbers from the dates. You will get a number XY. Then place this XY number to the following formula and you will get the final coordinates:

N 49°35.(XY + 779)
E 17°15.(XY + 137)

If you put the coordinates into your GPS and it shows you the distance of about 460 metres, you are right and can follow the arrow :-)

There is no pencil in the cache.
Place the cache back consistently, please!

Hint: right blue foot


Found it? Log the cache at: www.geocaching.com :-)

The Narrowest House

The Narrowest House (GC38YVB)

Type: multi micro cache

Starting coordinates: N 49° 35.691 E 017° 15.211 

Do you know that in Olomouc there is one of the narrowest houses in the whole country? Almost every city boasts of some narrow houses, however, in Olomouc, there is situated one of the narrowest houses in the Czech Republic - it's just in the centre of the town in Ztracená Street and its width from this street makes 2.90 m!

The area of the house is about 101 m² and connects two streets – Ztracená Street and Ostružnická Street. The house has a separate entrance from each street and by implication also dual numbering, depending on which street you enter the house [19 Ztracená Street and 26 Ostružnická Street (descriptive number 335)]. At the entrance from Ostružnická Street the house is a bit wider (from this side about 5.20 m), but anyway it is still the narrowest house in Olomouc.

The house is three-floored, viewed from Ztracená Street, there is only one window on each floor. The inside residential space is very tight, all the rooms on all the floors are similarly small. The object was built in the 16th century, however, in 1709, it succumbed to a great town fire. The house was built again between years 1710 and 1719. Today the house has been renovated and equipped with all required (water supply, sewerage, electricity). There is one more curiosity just next to it, there is another narrow house, which is about half a meter wider. Houses are structuraly completely separated and it is interesting that even after the above mentioned fire they were not connected into one complex.


Cache

Because of the conflicts with other caches it's not a traditional cache but a multi-cache and the author tried to make it the easiest and the shortest.

Task for you is a simple one: when you stand directly in front of the house (the initial coordinates), on its left side you'll find drainpipe - at the level of your eyes there is a glued sticker with the number which you substitute into a following formula:

N 49° 35.X     E 017° 14.Y

X = discovered number + 232

Y = discovered number + 631

Final coordinates are targeted according to the maps on the Internet because there is a very bad signal at the location where the cache is hidden. Please use the photohint not be conspicuous and showy - the place is sometimes quite overpopulated.

There is no pencil in the cache.

Hint: kneel down - see photohint (magnet)

Found it? Log it at: www.geocaching.com :-)

Art Nouveau in Olomouc

Art Nouveau in Olomouc (GC190K0)

Type: multi micro cache
Coordinates: doplnit !!!

Art nouveau is the last of the universal international art styles. It made fashion and lifestyle of the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. It was called Art nouveau in France or Jugendstil in Germany. The name Sezession means secession in German. It points to the German and Austrian groups of artists that fell apart with conservative academies.
Art nouveau came back to handicraft which was supposed to be an opposite to industrial ugliness.

Let´s go for a walk through Olomouc and watch some typical signs of art nouveau architecture.

Because the streets are sometimes narrow and your GPS might lose the signal it can be handful to use the prepared plan of our walk (se below).
Significant signs of art nouveau architecture will be written underline.

---

1st Stage N 49° 35.732’   E 17° 14.931’
Our walk begins in 8.kvetna street. There you can see a house with typical rich stuccoed floral and figural decoration.

A = count of bubbles including the one which is stil on boys´ mouthpiece. Joined bubbles count each separately.

---

2nd Stage N 49° 35.704’   E 17° 14.879’
At these coordinates stands a house with a wavy ending of the upper outline of building and rich stuccoed decoration. Interesting are nearly jewellery ornaments on the front.

B = count of arches on the upper outline of building

N 49° 35.662’   E 17° 14.925’ are coordinates of another art nouveau house in Riegr street. Notice a cornice with glass filling, which is held by iron girders. And this element we will seek at the folowing stage.

---

3rd and 4th Stages - Ostružnická ulice
I have two tasks for you here:

C = how many houses in this street have the glass cornice ?

And on the house at the coordinates N 49° 35.705’   E 17° 15.207’ notice a typical use of colorful ceramic tiles.

What does the girl on the relief hold in her hands ?
camera D=6
paraffin/kerosene lamp D=7
loaf of bread D=8

---

5th Stage N 49° 35.753’   E 17° 15.377’
A building of the Museum of modern arts with typical arched windows. Two reliefs by sides of the main entrance remind former functions of this building - a hospital and a prison.

E = how many clearly visible persons are there in both of these reliefs ? (E is without remainder divisible by 3)

---

6th Stage N 49° 35.649’   E 17° 15.288’
This stage leads us to the most important art nouveau landmark in Olomouc. It is a villa of bankers family of Primavesi. It was built in 1905-1906. There were some paintings by a famous art nouveau painter Gustav Klimt there thanks to his close contacts with Primavesi family (he made some portraits of Primavesi family members).
There are a lot of stained-glass windows. Till today there are some gems of art nouveau art handicraft in the interior: dining table and chairs, jamb of walls, chandelier, fireplace, fountain, stairs.

Which color dominates in the mosaic on the jamb of main entrance ?
green F=4
blue F=5
red F=6

---

Final stage
To get to the final you have to go through the walls. The final coordinates are:

N 49° 35,(D)(F)(A-E-F-C)’    E 17° 15,(B)(C+1)(E-8)’

The sum of numerals behind decimal point equals 19. 



Hint: beneath a window by a tree under a stone

Found it? Log the cache at: www.geocaching.com :-)