The historical center of Prague, which has been on the UNESCO list since 1992, can be included in the list of endangered monuments. Such a list is also maintained by UNESCO and includes monuments that are in acute danger of extinction. According to UNESCO commissioners who visited Prague in the spring, the city and the Czech state do little to protect the values ​​for which the historical part of Prague has been inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Prague coalition points out that it is, however, a positive fact that UNESCO has already removed Prague from the list.

This is stated by the UNESCO World Heritage Center and the headquarters of the International Council on Monuments and Sites ICOMOS in a report prepared by their representatives after the spring monitoring visit to Prague. It was made available by the Czech National Committee ICOMOS. The report was received by the Ministry of Culture and Prague, but they have not yet published it.

UNESCO experts draw attention to existing and planned high-rise buildings, repeatedly notice the construction on the Pankrác Plain, recommend stopping the Kavčí hory Park Residence project, and have a positive perception of the Smíchov City project. They also describe the forthcoming new building law, which does not take into account the binding opinions of conservationists, as a threat to the historical center of Prague. They demand a revision of the Metropolitan Plan.

The mission praised the facilities for improving the condition of some previously neglected, repaired National Museum. However, she drew attention to the elevated new buildings and structures in the monument reserve, which disturb the historic roof landscape of the city. For example, the Drn building on Národní třída claims to be two storeys higher than it should be, which sets dangerous precedents for further undesirable additions to the buildings in the historic center.

The mission involves several areas, one of which, according to her, is the negative impact of high-rise buildings on the Pankrác Plain into the city skyline. He mentions the construction of the V Tower building (under the original name Epoque), reaching a height of 104 meters. “Despite the objections of the World Heritage Committee, which after the mission in 2008 recommended an upper limit of 60 to 70 meters for new buildings in the Pankrác Pentagon,” the report said, asking the Czech Republic to ensure that it did not continue construction projects. Central Group. On the contrary, I have a positive view of the Smíchov City project, which, according to the commissioners, will be appropriately integrated into the existing historical structure of the city.

According to the report, it is now up to Prague and the Czech Republic to begin redress. The World Heritage Committee will evaluate how it will do this at its meeting next year. In the event of confirmation of an identified or potential threat to important values ​​of the historical center of Prague, its possible case on the World Heritage List in Threat will be assessed on it.

Representatives of the city of Prague perceive positively that the UNESCO commissioners who prepared the current evaluation report of the capital no longer want to remove Prague from the list of monuments, as koalas can do in previous years. The councilor for culture Hana Třeštíková (Prague Sobě) and the chairman of the representatives of the United Forces for Prague Jiří Pospíšil (TOP 09) informed about it. The deletion was talked about in connection with the construction of high-rise buildings in the capital more than ten years ago. Among other things, the city’s management last criticized the height of the new buildings last year.

There are over 50 items on this list, from European places there are Vienna, Liverpool and Byzantine temples in Kosovo. Several monuments of dozens of buildings were later removed from the list in danger. The Elbe Valley in Dresden has been completely removed from the World Heritage List.

UNESCO commissioners regretted the inaction of the state administration in protecting historic Prague. “The 2019 Reactive Monitoring Mission has shown regret that the State party has not responded to concerns, recommendations and requests for a number of large-scale development projects proposed within the buffer zone, monuments and wider surroundings expressed in previous mission reports, or to the Committee’s decision calling for a constraint plan. high-rise buildings with the aim of visually disturbing the historic city landscape in Prague, “says UNESCO and ICOMOS commissioners.

“Mission reports always speak diplomatic language. If he already mentions this and specifically criticizes the mistakes, it is a serious violation of the conditions, the Czech Republic has committed itself to compliance with the inscription of Prague on the UNESCO World Heritage List, “said the president of the Czech National Committee ICOMOS on the report Václav Girsa.