Cultural monument (Czech Republic)

Thecultural monuments of theCzech Republic(Czech:kulturní památka) areprotected properties(bothrealandmovable properties) designated by theMinistry of Culture of the Czech Republic.Cultural monuments that constitute the most important part of the Czechcultural heritagemay be declarednational cultural monuments(Czech:národní kulturní památka) by a regulation of theGovernment of the Czech Republic.Government may also proclaim a territory, whose character and environment is determined by a group of immovable cultural monuments or archaeological finds, as a whole, as amonument reservation.Ministry of Culturemay proclaim a territory of a settlement with a smaller number of cultural monuments, historical environment or part of a landscape area that display significant cultural values as amonument zone.

As of 2019 there are 14 Czech cultural monuments on theWorld Heritage List.

Proclaiming Objects as Cultural Monuments

The criteria for declaring an object a cultural monument, as well as the rules of their protection and management are defined in Act 20/1987 Coll., on State Heritage Preservation.^[1]^[2]The criteria include objects that are an "important record of historical development, way of life and environment of society from the most ancient times to the present day, as a display of creative skills and work of humankind from the various fields of human activities, for their revolutionary, historic, artistic, scientific and technical values, [or] that have a direct relation to important personalities and historic events".^[1]

Cancelling of Proclamation of an Object as a Cultural Monument

Unless a national cultural monument is involved, the Ministry of Culture may, on extremely serious grounds, cancel the proclamation of an object as a cultural monument at the request of the owner or of an organization which demonstrates a legal interest in the cancelling of the cultural monument status or at its own initiative.^[2]

Following theVelvet Revolutionthe national cultural monument designation was removed from the commemorative sites of the workers' movement, however some of these buildings are still protected as cultural monuments.

1991

The protection was canceled by the Government Decree No. 112/1991 Coll. for these monuments:

National House inKarlín,Prague
Villa Tereza,Prague
Workers' House inKladno,Central Bohemian Region
Birthplace ofAntonín ZápotockýinZákolany,Central Bohemian Region
Restaurant inLiberec,Liberec Region
Birthplace ofBohumír ŠmeralinTřebíč,Vysočina Region
Birthplace ofKlement GottwaldinDědice,South Moravian Region

In May 1991 the status was also removed from theMonument to Soviet Tank Crewsin Prague.

1992

By the government decree No. 404/1992 Coll. cultural monument status was withdrawn fromTáborhistorical center at the request of the city authorities because the designation prevented the propertyrestitutionin the city. At same time the existing cultural monuments of theOld Town Hall(NKP no. 122) andKotnov Castlewith the Bechyně Gate (NKP no. 123) were promoted to the national cultural monuments.

1995

Protection was repealed by Government Decree No. 262/1995 Coll. for these monuments:

pubU Kaštanu,Prague
People's House,Prague
The Workers' House "Peklo" inPlzeň,Plzeň Region
Memorial to the Hungry March inDuchcov,Ústí nad Labem Region(transferred from the viaduct to the chateau park),^[3]Protection of the Duchcov Viaduct removed
Rumburk RebellionMonument "Untouched" inRumburk,Ústí nad Labem Region
Memorial to the victims of theSvárovská strikeinVelké Hamry,Liberec Region
Birthplace ofJosef HybešinDašice,Pardubice Region
Memorial to the fallenpartisansinLeškovice,Vysočina region
Memorial of the Slavonic Brotherhood inMnich,Vysočina Region
Birthplace ofLudvík SvobodainHroznatín,Vysočina Region
Memorial to the victims of theFrývaldov strikeinLipová lázně,Olomouc region
Monument to theOstrava OperationinHrabyně,Moravian-Silesian Region

Administration

The Ministry of Culture is the central body of the state administration for cultural monuments.^[2]

TheNational Heritage Institute(Czech:NPÚ) is the biggest state-funded organisation under the Culture Ministry of the Czech Republic. Under the current laws it is entrusted with a number of expert tasks related to the state heritage conservation. The institute manages all the state-owned monuments. As of 2019 there are over a hundred castles, chateaux and other monuments under the NPÚ management.^[4]It also maintains theCentral List of Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republicand the Tentative List^[5]of cultural monuments which the Czech republic intends to consider for nomination for theWorld Heritage List.^[6]The institute is also required to provide free advice on the conservation, maintenance and renovation of the monuments, and provide expert supervision during their restoration and renovation.

The Ministry has also established a monument inspectorate as its specialized supervisory body in the area of state monument care. The main mission of the monumentinspectorateis to exercise central supervision over compliance with this Act 20/1987 and with regulations issued for its implementation.^[1]

Eachmunicipalitymanages cultural monuments within its territory. Municipalities with extended powers then carry out delegated state administration in the area of monument preservation, especially state building supervision during the monumentrestoration;they oversee the compliance with the law.

Central List

Central List of Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republiccontains both the immovable and movable objects. One index number identifies both a single item (for example a building, a painting) or a set of buildings or items (for example castle grounds, chateau furniture). Thus, the number of cultural monuments on the list (currently almost 89,000 entries) does not reflect the actual count of the protected objects - in reality there are more than two millions individual pieces, many of them recorded under the same index number.

There are almost 40 thousand immovable objects like historical buildings, archaeological sites, industrial monuments, folk architecture.

The movable objects include works of art, valuable handicrafts, historical library collections and original furnishings of castles and chateaux and sacral buildings. There are hundreds of thousands of such items, almost 49 thousand items are protected as cultural monuments. Unlike the immovable monuments data on movable monuments are not publicly accessible due to theft and personal data protection.

Monument reservations

Areas with sets of immovable cultural monuments preserved in the original historical environment or sites with archaeological finds can be declared as conservation areas. These are mainly the historical town or village centers. The Government of the Czech Republic defines them by government decree. In the Czech Republic there areurban,villageandarcheologicalmonument reservations.

Theurbanmonument reservationis a selected part of the historic city center with preserved buildings (or their ensembles) and urbaninfrastructure(fountains, sculptures, etc.) without significant intrusive constructional interventions from the modern era. The designation protects not only the individual buildings, but also the historical floor plan, the urban structure, panorama, etc. In 2013 there were a total of 40 cities which were declared as an urban monument reservation.^{[citation needed]}The largest among them is the Prague monument reservation, followed by theBrnoand theOlomoucreservations. The monument reservations are proclaimed by the government.
The villagemonument reservationis an area with preserved buildings of folk character, e.g. villages, workers' colonies or suburban districts with folk architecture. The most valued feature of such areas is the preserved (or only minimally disturbed) urban structure.^[7]There have been 61 village conservation areas established in the Czech Republic and their character differs by region.
Thearchaeologicalmonument reservationpreserves the archaeological sites. As of 2019 there are eight such sites in the Czech republic, all but one of which are hill-forts.

Monument zones

A monument zone can be a city, part of a city, or a part of a landscape unit that has significant cultural value. The Czech Republic has urban, village, andlandscapemonument zones. All are proclaimed by the Ministry of Culture.^{[citation needed]}

Urban monument zone

Anurbanmonument zoneis a part of a city or town that is historically significant. It is declared by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. Most urban monument zones are ofmedievalorigin, but some urban formations are from other historical eras. Among the historical zones are examples of theRenaissanceupper towns (Horní Blatná,Jiřetín pod Jedlovou),BaroqueandClassicisttowns (Nový Bor,Jablonec nad Nisou),spatowns (Karlovy Vary,Mariánské Lázně,Luhačovice) or urban areas connected with industrial production (VítkoviceandPřívozin Ostrava) or rental apartments construction (Prague districts Karlín,Vinohrady,Vršovice,Žižkov,Nusle,Bubeneč,SmíchovandDejvice). Modern urban and residential districts dated from the 20th century (Plzeň LochotínandPlzeň Bezovka,Prague'sOřechovkaandBaba), or workers' colonies (Brumov) are among the urban monument zone. Even the era of the so-called socialist realism is included (Porubaneighborhood inOstrava).^[8]

Village monument zone

Avillage monument zonehas a lower concentration of cultural monuments than a village monument reservation but exhibits significant cultural value as a historical environment or part of the landscape. A total of 211 village monument zones are declared in the Czech Republic as of 2011.^{[citation needed]}

Landscape monument zone

Alandscape monument zoneis an area protected primarily for the cultural value of the landscape. This means that they such areas do not necessarily have to be of exceptionalnaturalorecologicalquality, although in most cases the protection of cultural and natural heritage is intertwined and complementary. The pool of the landscape monuments is very diverse – they can be architecturally composed landscapes with roads and alleys and related buildings (Novohradsko,Chudenicko,Lednice-Valticearea), or important pilgrimage sites (Římovsko,Libějovicko-Lomecko), areas with the remains of mining activities (Jáchymov,Krupka) or memorial lands, reminiscent of major battles (battlefieldnearHradec Králové), nearSlavkovorChlumec).^[8]

Funding

The owner of a cultural monument needs to care for its conservation, to keep it in good condition and to protect it at his/her own expense.^[2]The owner is entitled to free professional advice when providing care for the monument.

Since repairing a monument usually requires a specific approach like the use of traditional materials and technologies which may prove costly, the owner has an option to apply for various grants offered by some institutions in the Czech republic, namely by the Ministry of Culture, or for funding available through theEuropean Structural Funds.Financial support is also offered directly by some regional authorities, however the programs differ from region to region.^[9]

Funding Programs

The Ministry of Culture may provide a contribution to the restoration of a cultural monument from the state budget if there is an extraordinary social interest in preserving the cultural monument (for example, if the monument is one of its kind, or if the monument is in a state of disrepair not caused by its owner or if the monument is included in one of the specialized contribution programs offered by the Ministry of Culture). The grant recipients can be individuals, municipalities and legal entities established by them, churches, nonprofit organizations, legal entities, regions.^[10]Every year the Ministry publishes an evaluation report for six of the programs listed below. The report shows the total CZK amount allocated to the 14 regions of the Czech republic broken up by the recipient type and the monument type.^[11]

Architectural Heritage Conservation Program

The program provides contributions to the restoration of the most valuable pieces of the architectural heritage (for example, castles, chateaux, monasteries, historical gardens, churches). In 2018 the Church received the bulk of the contributions.

Emergency program

The program provides contributions to ensure the most urgent repairs of the immovable cultural monuments. In 2018 the Church received the bulk of the contributions.

Program of regeneration of urban conservation areas and zones

This program provides contributions to the restoration of cultural monuments located in the most valuable parts of historic cities declared asconservation areasor zones. In 2018 municipalities received the bulk of the contributions.

Program of care for village conservation areas and zones and for landscape conservation zones

This program provides contributions to the restoration of cultural monuments located in rural monument reserves and in rural and landscape conservation zones (for example thefolk architecturemonuments). In 2018 individuals received the bulk of the contributions.

Program of restoration of movable cultural monuments

This program provides contributions to the restoration of movable cultural monuments, in particular important works offine artorhandicraftsplaced in buildings open to the public for cultural, educational or religious purposes (e.g. paintings and sculptures in churches). In 2018 the Church received the bulk of the contributions.

Support for the restoration of cultural monuments through municipalities with extended powers

It was founded in 2008 to allow funding where other programs of the Ministry of Culture do not apply. The funds in the Program are intended for the preservation and restoration of immovable cultural monuments that are located outside the historical reserves and zones, are not national cultural monuments and are not owned by the Czech Republic. In 2018 the Church received the bulk of the contributions.

UNESCO Monuments Support Program

The UNESCO Support Program was created in 2008. Its main objective is to meet the Czech Republic's obligations arising from the adoption of theConvention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.The purpose of the program is to support the upkeep of the Czech monuments registered on the World Heritage List.

Cultural activities in monument conservation Program

It allows financial support of publicly beneficial projects submitted by associations, whose activities help to protect the immovable and movable heritage fund in the Czech Republic and who contribute to the popularization of its care.

Classification

There are many different ways how to classify the monuments. Two of the most common are the classification by type according toJaroslav Herout^[12]and the one listed in the Czech Tourism Atlas.^[13]

Classification by J.Herout

Archaeological monuments
Castles, fortresses and chateaux
Churches and cloisters
City fortifications and forts
City architecture, buildings
Statues, sculptural groups, fountains, and small stone work
Historical and cultural historical monuments and military monuments
Folk architecture
Technical architecture
Historical gardens and parks

Classification by Czech Tourism Atlas

Architectural monuments (museum building, theater, villa, city hall, town square, fountain)
Church monuments (chapel, church, cathedral, cloister, synagogue, burial site, cemetery)
Hill-fort (and settlement)
Castles and chateaux (and ruins)
Technical monuments (bridge, buttress, railroad, fort, military cemetery)
Folk architecture
Military architecture

References

^^a ^b ^cPortál veřejné správy: Zákon 20/1987 Sb., o státní památkové péči^{[permanent dead link]}(in Czech)
^^a ^b ^c ^d"Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic: English translation of Act 20/1987 Coll"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2021-12-08.Retrieved2013-03-24.
^GLATZ, Anton, a kol. (1985).ABC kulturních památek Československa.Praha Panorama. p. 120.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Seznam hradů, zámků aj. ve správě NPÚ".www.npu.cz(in Czech).Retrieved2019-09-20.
^"UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Tentative Lists".UNESCO World Heritage Centre.Retrieved2019-09-20.
^"UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage List".UNESCO World Heritage Centre.Retrieved2019-09-20.
^Luniaczek, Petr, 1942- (2009).Putování za jihočeskou lidovou architekturou: 36 výletů(Dotisk [1. vyd.] ed.). České Budějovice: Petr Luniaczek.ISBN 9788025441879.OCLC 607518454.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^^a ^b"Památkově chráněná území".www.npu.cz(in Czech). Archived fromthe originalon 2019-10-15.Retrieved2019-09-21.
^"Finance".www.npu.cz.Retrieved2019-09-20.
^Dotace, (c) 2013-2020."Program restaurování movitých kulturních památek | Dotace EU".www.dotacni.info(in Czech).Retrieved2019-09-20.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^"Dotační programy Ministerstva kultury a jejich vyhodnocení - mkcr.cz".www.mkcr.cz.Retrieved2019-09-20.
^Herout, Jaroslav (1986).Jak poznávat kulturní památky.Praha Mladá fronta.
^Atlas cestovního ruchu České republiky.Vystoupil, Jiří., Masarykova univerzita. Ekonomicko-správní fakulta., Česko. Ministerstvo pro místní rozvoj. Praha: Ministerstvo pro místní rozvoj ČR. 2006.ISBN 8023972561.OCLC 85718765.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: others (link)

External links

National Heritage Institute
MonumNet- online registry of cultural monuments (in Czech)
Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic:Cultural heritage

[law-1] Portál veřejné správy: Zákon 20/1987 Sb., o státní památkové péči^{[permanent dead link]}(in Czech)

[translation-2] "Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic: English translation of Act 20/1987 Coll"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2021-12-08.Retrieved2013-03-24.

[3] GLATZ, Anton, a kol. (1985).ABC kulturních památek Československa.Praha Panorama. p. 120.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[4] "Seznam hradů, zámků aj. ve správě NPÚ".www.npu.cz(in Czech).Retrieved2019-09-20.

[5] "UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Tentative Lists".UNESCO World Heritage Centre.Retrieved2019-09-20.

[6] "UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage List".UNESCO World Heritage Centre.Retrieved2019-09-20.

[7] Luniaczek, Petr, 1942- (2009).Putování za jihočeskou lidovou architekturou: 36 výletů(Dotisk [1. vyd.] ed.). České Budějovice: Petr Luniaczek.ISBN 9788025441879.OCLC 607518454.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[:0-8] "Památkově chráněná území".www.npu.cz(in Czech). Archived fromthe originalon 2019-10-15.Retrieved2019-09-21.

[9] "Finance".www.npu.cz.Retrieved2019-09-20.

[10] Dotace, (c) 2013-2020."Program restaurování movitých kulturních památek | Dotace EU".www.dotacni.info(in Czech).Retrieved2019-09-20.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[11] "Dotační programy Ministerstva kultury a jejich vyhodnocení - mkcr.cz".www.mkcr.cz.Retrieved2019-09-20.

[12] Herout, Jaroslav (1986).Jak poznávat kulturní památky.Praha Mladá fronta.

[13] Atlas cestovního ruchu České republiky.Vystoupil, Jiří., Masarykova univerzita. Ekonomicko-správní fakulta., Česko. Ministerstvo pro místní rozvoj. Praha: Ministerstvo pro místní rozvoj ČR. 2006.ISBN 8023972561.OCLC 85718765.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: others (link)

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