Cultural Properties with international status are interpreted as cultural heritage sites with designated global significance. Such treasures feature on various international lists, assembled on the basis of international conventions and agreements. They are chiefly cultural assets listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, cultural assets designated with the label of European Heritage, and cultural assets protected on the basis of the Second Protocol to The Hague Convention on Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 1954 (The Hague, 14th May 1954), The Hague, 26th March 1999.
Cultural Assets on the UNESCO World Heritage List
These are the cultural sites and objects designated as of exceptional world significance inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in agreement with the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (Stockholm 1972).
As of 2010 the Czech Republic has had a total of twelve locations inscribed on this List:
- Historic centre of Prague (1992)
- Historic centre of Česky Krumlov (1992)
- Historic centre of Telč (1992)
- Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk at Zelena Hora at Žďar nad Sazavou (1994),
- Historic centre of Kutna Hora with the Church of St. Barbara and Cathedral of the Virgin Mary in Sedlec (1995),
- Lednice-Valtice complex (1996),
- Village of Holašovice (1998),
- Palace and gardens in Kroměřiž (1998),
- Litomyšl historic country house (1999),
- Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc (2000),
- Tugendhat Villa in Brno (2001),
- Jewish Quarter and Basilica of St. Prokop in Třebič (2003).
European Heritage Label
The 'European Heritage Label' is an initiative of the European Union with the aim of creating its own prestigious list of European cultural heritage. Cultural assets designated with this label are supposed to symbolise European integration, its ideals and history. The designation highlights the significance of these assets and their communal endowment in the European territory.
The Czech Republic has so far nominated these sites to the list:
- Kynžvart historic country house
- Baťa's Zlin
- Former Vitkovice industrial area in Ostrava
- Memorial to Antonin Dvořak in Vysoka u Přibrami
The conclusions of the Council on introducing the designation "European Heritage" within the European Union No. 2008/C 319/04 are accessible here.
Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (the Hague Convention)
This refers to cultural assets of great significance for humanity, for which it is necessary to secure relevant protection in case of armed conflict. They are inscribed on an International List of Cultural Assets under Special Protection by the General Director of UNESCO, under individual serial numbers, on the basis of an official request from individual states. In the time of armed conflict they should be marked with an identification symbol and made accessible to international inspection. The agreed identification symbol is in the shape of a shield, pointed at the bottom end and divided diagonally into four fields of royal blue and white colours (see Convention of 1954, heading V, article 16).
Cooperation of the Czech Republic and UNESCO in the Field of Cultural Heritage
As a follow-on state from Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic is automatically a member of the organisation UNESCO (from its foundation on the 4th November 1945). It currently has a Permanent Mission at UNESCO, and the Czech Commission for UNESCO, which is responsible for international relations between national institutions, experts and this UNESCO. The cooperation of the Czech Republic with the UNESCO organisation in the field of cultural heritage management comes under the competence of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. The greatest part of the cooperation is based on fulfilling the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which the former Czechoslovakia ratified in 1991.
National Heritage Institute, Headquarters in Prague, Section for Heritage of International Status
At the beginning of 2009 an independent Section for Heritage of International Status was formed at the Headquarters of the National Heritage Institute (NPU), with the aim of systematically securing the agenda to do with cultural heritage designated as having global significance.
On the national level the office handles:
coordination for heritage with international status
unifies their care and management and provides methodological assistance to their owners and administrators in order to fulfil requirements stemming from their significant international standing
at the request of the Ministry of Culture and directors of international centres it prepares reviews about the condition of these sites and suggests possible measures for their improvement.
The activities of the office are based above all in fulfilling the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. With the authorisation of the Ministry of Culture as well as the Central Office of the NPU it processes the background information for nominating cultural sites in the Czech Republic to the World Heritage List in the area of cultural heritage, and its regional departments prepare the background information for monitoring reports for cultural sites and monuments already inscribed on the List.
Contact:
PhD. Vaclav Vaňa, vana@up.npu.cz, tel: 257 010 125
Mgr. Jitka Vlčkova, Ph.D., vlckova@up.npu.cz, tel: 257 010 115
Key words:
- UNESCO
- cultural patrimony
- world cultural heritage / world heritage
- european cultural heritage / european heritage
- cultural property
- monuments with international status
- international conventions
- Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage
- The Hague Convention
- symbol of European heritage