About UNESCO Towns
The Czech Republic is not a large country, but it has a rich and eventful history. People have been living here for centuries, cultivating their land, working and creating things which still command our respect today. The people who have inhabited the Czech lands were Czechs, Germans and Jews, Italian stonemasons and stucco workers, French tradesman and deserters of Napoleons army, Irish doctors and East Europeans fleeing the Bolsheviks. They left behind them hundreds of chateaus, castles and monasteries, and entire towns that are now regarded as complete works of art.
The fact that the Czech Republic has 13 sites on the UNESCO list is a source of satisfaction. The UNESCO distinction inspires us to cultivate and preserve our towns as centres of culture, and to treat them with respect.
UNESCO Heritage Sites
- 1992 - Historic centre of Prague
- 1992 - Historic centre of Český Krumlov
- 1992 - Historic centre of Telč
- 1994 - Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk in Žďár nad Sázavou
- 1995 - Kutná Hora - Historical Town Centre with the Church of St. Barbara and the Cathedral of our Lady at Sedlec
- 1996 - Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape
- 1998 - Holašovice Historical Village Reservation
- 1998 - Gardens and Castle at Kroměříž
- 1999 - Litomyšl chateau
- 2000 - Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc
- 2001 - Tugendhat Villa in Brno
- 2003 - The Jewish Quarter and St. Procopius' Basilica in Třebíč
- 2005 - Czech Paradise area in UNESCO’s Geoparks list
Český Krumlov
The picturesque town of Český Krumlov is situated on the banks of the meandering upper course of the Vltava River in South Bohemia. The original 13th century Gothic town flourished particularly under the Lords of Rožmberk (1302–1602), when most of the Renaissance centre, including the dominating castle, was built. The end of the 17th century brought cultural enrichment when the Eggenberg family had the Baroque theatre built, and the chateau garden beautifully landscaped.
Český Krumlov can offer not only its three hundred historical buildings, but also a wide selection of cultural events, such as the International Music Festival, the Renaissance Music Festival and different activities organized at the castle, the museum, and at the Egon Schiele Centre. The Festival of the Five-Leave Rose which, during the middle of summer, throws the town several centuries back is yet another spectacular event. The festival is in fact a spectacle, in which hundreds of people - many of them dressed in historic costumes, transform the town into one large stage. This town is worth visiting at any time of the year.
TELČ
Telč is UNESCO reservation with intact Renaissance inner town; it has beautiful Renaissance chateau with English park and unique Baroque houses. Telč, with population of 7000, is natural centre of the southern part of the Bohemian-Moravian highlands. Royal water fort founded in the 13th century at crossroads of major trade routes. It was later owned by several aristocratic families. In the 16th century, the chateau and the inner town were rebuilt, and their Renaissance appearance is preserved, almost intact, up to present.
Art, and especially music, plays major role in present life of Telc. Chamber and classical music lovers can select from long list of concerts and music festivals. The most important festivals are Krajina hudby (Land of Music), Franco-Czech Music Academy, The Horácko International Festival of Folklore in spring, and the Prázdniny v Telči (Holiday in Telč) that lasts 16 days.
Useful links – practical Unesco information