UNESCO sites in the Czech Republic

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UNESCO sites in the Czech Republic	2006-08-02 23:30:03
autor: travelvideo.tv
The Czech collection of UNESCO sites includes historical town centres, Christian and Jewish holy sites, chateaux surrounded by wonderful gardens, a village in the folk Baroque style and one example of modern architecture. The Jewish Zámostí quarter in T_ebí_ has special status in particular, as it is the only solely Jewish site outside of Israel to come under UNESCO’s protection. Many of these places are associated with various important historical events. The garden around the villa Tugendhat witnessed a very significant event in 1992, as it was here that the agreement dividing Czechoslovakia into two separate countries was signed. The chateau in Krom__í_ hosted the first sessions of the Austro-Hungarian parliament in November 1848. Every year visitors have the opportunity to see UNESCO sites in another way than just on the ordinary guided tours. Cesky Krumlov holds its historical Five-petalled Rose Festival, in Trebic there is the Jewish Samajim Festival and Holasovice hosts Rural Celebrations featuring traditional arts and crafts from around the Czech Republic. Prague – a blend of architectural styles from down the centuries Where better place to begin a tour of the 12 Czech UNESCO-listed sites than in the capital Prague (became a UNESCO-listed site in 1992). The whole of Prague’s historical city centre was recognised by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site. This status is not down to its size (863 hectares) but above all the variety of its historical buildings. Here we find Romanesque rotundas, Gothic churches, Renaissance townhouses, Baroque and rococo palaces, art nouveau buildings and cubist and functionalist structures. This summary of architectural styles from the last 11 centuries is worth taking a longer period to visit. Those who can’t stay long should stroll the length of the so-called Royal Way. This runs via the best-known places of historical interest in the city centre. Beginning at the art nouveau Municipal House it continues across the Old Town Square, then to Charles Bridge and up to Prague Castle. Visitors can combine a sightseeing tour with one of the city’s numerous cultural events with tens of theatres, museums, galleries and international festivals to choose from (Prague Spring, Dance Prague etc). (www.Prague.cz; www.prague-info.cz, www.hrad.cz) Kutna Hora’s historical sights – testament to the erstwhile wealth of the town Kutna Hora (1995) is less than an hour away from Prague by car. Thanks to a rich vein of silver ore discovered under the town in medieval times, it became the second most important settlement in the Czech lands after Prague. Today the mines lie deserted, but evidence of a once thriving royal town can be found in the well-preserved historical centre which includes the late Gothic Cathedral St Barbora. The cathedral is dedicated to St Barbora, the patron saint of miners, and the interiors were decorated with several remarkable frescoes each with a mining theme. Visitors to the town cannot fail to notice the Italian Court, the former treasury and the temporary residence of several Czech kings. The list of Kutna Hora’s UNESCO-listed sites ends with the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary in nearby Sedlec, redesigned in the 18th century by Jan Blazej Santini. (http://guide.kh.cz). The chateau in Cesky Krumlov – the second largest in the Czech lands Cesky Krumlov (1992) is often described as the finest town in South Bohemia. The huge chateau dominates the historical centre, itself packed with more than 300 Gothic and Renaissance townhouses. Over the centuries, generations of owners have altered the buildings according to the style of the times. At the chateau, the highlights are the Masquerade Hall dating from the rococo period and the unique Baroque theatre. One of the largest chateau gardens in central Europe are an ideal place to take a stroll. The gardens with their rococo fountain come alive mostly in summer when the outdoor revolving theatre hosts performances and music concerts. (www.ckrumlov.info) Holasovice’s rural folk Baroque architecture We stay in South Bohemia for our next port of call, the village of Holasovice (1998). Holasovice is situated near Ceske Budejovice and was founded in the early 13th century. The remarkable feature of the village is that despite later alterations, the village has kept its medieval system of living quarters and outbuildings linked by walls gates and arched entrance ways. The current appearance of the village is the work of builders who refashioned the village’s facades in the so-called folk Baroque style in the late 19th century. The entire village green, made up of 22 smallholdings behind brightly painted Baroque facades, is a unique example of this architectural style. (www.czechtourism.com) The Renaissance chateau in Litomysl The East Bohemian town of Litomysl (1999) is known to fans of Czech classical music as the birthplace of Bedrich Smetana and the venue for the Smetana’s Litomysl Opera Festival, which takes place on the courtyard of Litomy_l Chateau, a UNESCO-listed site. This exquisite Renaissance chateau with more recent Baroque alterations was quite obviously inspired by Italian architecture of the time which the builders adjusted to suit the Czech setting. The time when it was built is clear to anyone who takes a look at the building. The facades are covered in several thousand pieces of sgraffito work with no two panels the same. Experts agree that the chateau and the surrounding outbuildings are an almost perfect example of a central European Renaissance chateau. (www.litomysl.cz) The Highlands Region’s UNESCO triangle The Highlands Region’s UNESCO-listed sites form a triangle, the three points of which are the towns of Telc, Trebic and Zdar nad Sazavou. Telc has been included in UNESCO’s list thanks to its historical centre and chateau (1992). The appearance of the town was hugely influenced by a wealthy noble, Zacharias z Hradce, in the 16th century. He was such a great admirer of the Italian Renaissance style that he invited Italian architects to Telc to transform his Gothic residence into a grand Renaissance chateau. The architects created something truly great, and even today the chateau can boast well-preserved historical interiors sporting grand decoration, period furniture and precious art collections. The Renaissance rebuild was repeated with the townhouses down on the square. Arcading and facades were added according to a single plan. However, only some houses have kept their Renaissance look with most of the others having been altered during the Baroque period. (www.telc-etc.cz) A very unusual holy site on UNESCO’s list of world cultural heritage sites is the Church of St John of Nepomuk in Zdar nad Sazavou (1994). It was designed by the famous architect Jan Blazej Santini in the Gothic-Baroque style in the early 18th century in honour of the Czech martyr Saint John of Nepomuk. Santini chose the symbolic five-pointed star which appears in the layout of the church, and inside where we find 5 chapels and 5 altars. The church used to be part of a Cistercian monastery, now a chateau housing Book and Piano Museums. (www.zamekzdar.cz) The Basilica of St Procopius, the Jewish cemetery and the Jewish Zamosta Quarter (2003) in Trebic are evidence of the long-term coexistence of Jewish and Christian cultures in the area. We begin our walk around T_ebí_ at the Romano-Gothic Basilica of St Procopius. The exquisite Romanesque entrance and rose window are two of the most precious parts of the building, founded in the early 13th century. Near the basilica we find the Jewish quarter. Zamosti was never rebuilt or demolished meaning that more than 100 original Jewish buildings have survived here intact. There are two synagogues, a rabbinate, a Jewish school and one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in the Czech Republic. The original inhabitants have long since left, but the mysterious atmosphere of its crooked lanes, secret alleyways and arched gateways remains. (www.trebic.cz/unesco, www.kviztrebic.cz) The Baroque sites of Central Moravia The focal point of Central Moravia is the city of Olomouc (2000), the seat of an archbishop. Out of all the sites contained in the second largest historical centre in the Czech Republic, UNESCO has singled out the Trinity column to be added to its list of world cultural heritage sites. This Baroque column is typical of columns around the country commemorating the plague. Unlike other columns this one is special for its originality, its rich sculptural decoration and just its sheer size – 35 metres tall. It constitutes the largest group of Baroque statues on one piece of sculpture in central Europe. (www.olomouc-tourism.cz). The bishops and archbishops of Olomouc built their summer residence in nearby Kromeriz (1998). This involved rebuilding an early Baroque chateau from the early 17th century. The grand Baroque palace was filled with priceless furniture and paintings from the 15th – 18th centuries by artists such as Titian, Lucas Cranach and others. The Archbishop’s Palace is surrounded by the Podzámecká Garden, transformed in the 19th century into an English-style park. The Kvetna Garden, originally established outside the town walls, is also a UNESCO-listed site. It boasts geometrically laid-out flower beds, a maze, and a colonnade decorated with statues of Greek and Roman gods and mythical figures. (www.azz.cz) Villa Tugendhat – a rare example of UNESCO-listed modern architecture The first piece of modern architecture in the Czech Republic to come under UNESCO’s wing is the functionalist villa Tugendhat (2001) in Brno, the capital of Moravia. This superb work by the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe still commands respect today with its bold architecture and use of technology. On the floor where the main living quarters are situated the interior and exterior blend into one another. Two windows reaching from the ceiling to the floor can be opened electronically giving access to the garden. This symbol of Brno’s interwar modern architecture is generally regarded as a milestone in 20th-century architecture. (http://www.tugendhat-villa.cz/) Two noble chateaux set in wonderful landscape The Lednice-Valtice area (1996) can be found in the wine producing region of South Moravia, near the border with Austria. This huge piece of landscaping was completed from the 17th to the 20th century on the Liechtenstein family estate. The focal points of the estate are the Baroque chateau in Valtice and the neo-Gothic chateau in Lednice. Architects in the service of the Liechtenstein family began to alter the surrounding landscape adding lakes, forests and beautiful parks containing rare species of tree. For the entertainment of the noble owners they added a number of follies with names such as Apollo’s Temple, Border Chateau and the Temple of the Three Graces. Measuring 200 km2 the Lednice-Valtice area is one of the largest pieces of artificial landscaping in Europe. (www.radnice-valtice.cz, www.czechtourism.com) Active holidays in the Czech Paradise area The Czech Paradise area was added to UNESCO’s list of Geoparks in 2005, taking its rightful place next to important European and Chinese parks. The most famous of the country’s so-called ‘rock towns’, it is an ideal place for an active family holiday. The area’s natural and historical sites are joined together by tens of kilometres of well-marked walking and cycling trails. On a hike through the Czech Paradise area visitors can enjoy a variety of activities in the course of a single day: walking among the sandstone rock formations, viewing the area from the top of a cliff, visiting a castle or chateau (the idyllic Sychrov or the ruins of Trosky Castle), swimming in a lake or just relaxing on a meadow. Those into extreme sports can test their nerve while rock climbing and paragliding. (www.cesky-raj.info, www.bohemian-paradise.info) News Search Advanced search Join Our Mailing List Enter your email address below News Archives August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 News Archives View by Date View by Category What is RSS? Click here for an RSS feed of the top stories from TravelVideo.TV

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