MHMP: Prague celebrates 30 years of inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List
01.12.2022 18:47 | Press Release
This year marks 30 years since the Historic Center of Prague joined the prestigious company of monuments inscribed on the World Heritage List. This important milestone was commemorated by the Department of Historic Preservation of the City Hall. m Prague professional conference with international participation.
The conference was organized by the department on November 24 in cooperation with the Institute of Planning and Development, Hl. m of Prague in the Center of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP). As Adam Scheinherr, deputy for transport and heritage conservation, pointed out, the capital’s relations with UNESCO have improved significantly in recent years.
“We entered the town hall in a situation where Prague was in danger of being removed from the world heritage list. Our coalition managed to turn that around in four years of work. In contrast to our predecessors, we started communicating with UNESCO, we invited their experts to Prague, we held talks with the Director of UNESCO in Paris. When there is a problem, we prefer to communicate about it instead of burying our heads in the sand, which has happened in the past. UNESCO appreciates this approach. Instead of warning letters, praise is now coming to Prague – and we have reason to believe that this year’s round anniversary will not be the last,” says Adam Scheinherr, deputy mayor of Prague. m of Prague for the area of transport and historic preservation.
At the opening ceremony of the expert conference, the head of the Section of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Heritage at the Society for Cultural and Emergency Events, UNESCO, and the head of the secretariat of the Hague Convention of 1954 and its two protocols (1954 and 1999) on the protection of cultural heritage in armed conflict, Mrs. Anna Sidorenko, representative of the capital city of the flag of the Blue Shield. She handed over this flag as a symbolic gesture to celebrate the round anniversary and thank you for Prague’s response to current events in the world. The Blue Shield flag is a designation that serves for preventive protection, mitigation of risks and assistance in saving cultural heritage threatened by natural disaster, human failure or armed conflict.
survey
Will the war in Ukraine end in 2023?
voted: 8998 people
At the conference, the organizers mentioned three main topics, the development of the protected city, the current problems of cultural heritage care and the possibilities of international cooperation. However, the common element of most of the contributions was the necessity of communication – international and interdisciplinary. Good examples were presented by the Deputy Minister of Culture for the Management of the Section of Cultural Heritage and Donor Organizations, Ing. Vlastislav Ouroda, Ph.D., when he pointed out the significant improvement in relations between the World Heritage Center and the municipality of the capital. m of Prague, which was also appreciated by Ing. arc. Jaromír Hainc, PhD. as part of the presentation of the great progress achieved in harmonizing the upcoming Metropolitan Plan with the interests of historic preservation and the upcoming Territorial Study of the Prague Monument Reserve.
In another contribution, Prof. Michael Kloose principles of a specialized study dealing with the impact of planned projects on heritage values in the built-up area – the so-called Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA). The application of the study has been discussed more and more frequently in the Czech environment in recent years, currently for example in connection with the upcoming project of the Vltava Philharmonic.
The second anniversary, which was commemorated in the framework of the conference, related to an important document approved in 1972, namely the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The creation of this document, on the basis of which the World Heritage List was created, as well as its current position in the world, was reported by Ing. arc. Vera Kučová. Numerous experiences were also shared by Ing. Lucie Sochorková, who recalled the difficult, yet successful coordination of the joint nomination of eleven spa towns from seven European states. The famous spa towns of Europe have become part of the world heritage in 2021.
With a less optimistic contribution, PhDr. Ivan Rynda, who protects the international environment by protecting the landscape and the environment, and not only within the framework of the Man and the Biosphere program. The already mentioned Anna Sidorenko proposed to those present with the Heritage for Peace program, within the framework of which UNESCO tries to minimize the loss of all types of cultural heritage in war-threatened or directly affected countries.
By the intention of the Department of Historic Preservation of the City Hall m of Prague was intended for the exchange of experience between domestic and foreign experts. Even taking into account the stimulating discussions I follow up on the thematic blocks, this purpose was completely fulfilled.
You can also support the editorial office of PL by purchasing a subscription. We do not display advertising to subscribers.
Are you a politician? Post whatever you want without editing. Sign up HERE.
Are you a reader and want to communicate with your representatives? Sign up HERE.
author: Press Release