Kroměříž is first mentioned in 1110. It has a large square, whose focal point is a baroque-style column raised in the middle in order to mark the end of the plague epidemic in 1680. Next to it there is a fountain, part of the town’s water supply, dating from 1665 yet modified several times. The City Hall building and a long row of Renaissance style houses and Art Nouveau façades border the square; yet the bishop’s palace, with its large, splendid gardens, included on the UNESCO heritage list, is clearly the most impressive of all.