Cultural Heritage, Conservation Areas
The essential information is whether an object or territory is legally protected, and hence listed in the Central Register of Cultural Heritage of the Czech Republic (thereafter "USKP").
The legal basis for the protection of cultural heritage objects is inclusion on the Cultural Heritage Register as per Act No. 22/1958 on Cultural Heritage Assets for the period 3/5/1959 to 31/12/1987, or designation as cultural heritage according to §3 of Act No. 20/1987 Coll., on State Heritage Preservation (as amended from 1/1/1988 onwards).
With respect to conservation areas, the legal basis for their protection is issued by resolution of the Government, a regional council or the Ministry of Culture. For buffer zones it is issued by district or municipal councils.
Inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List is carried out by the World Heritage Committee.
In conservation areas, even buildings that have not been designated as cultural heritage are afforded a certain level of protection, as specified in §14, clause 2 of Act No. 20/1987 Coll.
Information about Cultural Heritage Assets and Conservation Areas on the Internet
The list of historic objects or historic territories held on the Central Register (USKP) is made available within the application MonumNet (external link), which is structured according to the type of heritage fund, the type of conservation area and the category of protection:
- Cultural Heritage Objects (only the list of immovable monuments is publicly accessible - the list of movable heritage is accessible only to select employees of the National Heritage Institute and to relevant authorities)
- UNESCO World Heritage
- National Cultural Heritage
Types of conservation areas:
- Heritage Reservations
- Heritage Zones
- Heritage Buffer Zones
The basic information consists of the name of the object or site, legal basis for protection, index number in the USKP register and information on its location. Additional restricted information such as more detailed identification of the location, ownership, etc. can only be accessed by members of the National Heritage Institute and authorities responsible for heritage preservation, building approvals and town planning.
Data in the MonumNet application can only be edited by the Headquarters of the National Heritage Institute (Department of Registration, Documentation and Information Systems). The data is continuously corrected and updated. Suggestions for corrections can be sent in writing to the Central Office of the National Heritage Institute (Narodni pamatkový ustav, Ustředni pracoviště, Valdštejnske nam. 162/3, Praha 1 - Mala Strana) or by e-mail to edis@up.npu.cz or up@up.npu.cz.
Additional Information about Cultural Heritage Objects and Conservation Areas
Further information can be found at the appropriate regional office of the Institute, in their Department of Registration, Documentation and Information Systems.
Official Confirmation of Heritage Protection and Registration
Official confirmations, which are required for legal proceedings (confirmation for Revenue Office, Cadastral Office, grant application, etc.) are issued by the Central Branch/Headquarters of the Institute (Office of Registration, Documentation and Information Systems), which also administers the Central Register (USKP). The Central Branch /Headquarters also processes requests for correction of information in the land registry, on the basis of which it sends requests to the relevant Cadastral Office (see also 'Information about Heritage Preservation in the Land Registry').
Requests for registration or correction of a record in the land registry should be sent to the Central Branch/Headquartes of the Institute (contact details as above). Requests must be in writing and must precisely identify the object (descriptive/cadastral number, number of property, etc.). It must further contain the reason for the request and an address for correspondence. In the case of immovable heritage, the request can be made by a representative of the owner or the administrator/user of the property. In the case of movable cultural heritage, the request may only be made by the owner (or a representative holding the owner's notarised power of attorney). Communication to the requestor is sent by mail, but following a prior request, it may be scanned and emailed. It can also be picked up in person at the Central Branch/Headquarters, by prior arrangement.
Please note that due to capacity constraints, and depending on the number of requests received for the whole of the Czech Republic, the processing of an application may take considerable time. Therefore, we recommend allowing sufficient time when sending the request.
Information about Heritage Preservation in the Land Registry
For objective historical reasons, the data in the land registry is not decisive in relation to heritage preservation status. A large number of entries are incorrect or missing. The only authoritative source of information regarding heritage protection status is the Central Register (USKP), managed by the Central Branch/Headquarters of the Institute (see also Official Confirmation of Heritage Protection and Registration Required for Legal Proceedings).