During the European Heritage Days, over 900 monuments will be opened in the Czech Republic

Slavonice (Jindřichohradecko) - The Renaissance town of Slavonice today hosted the national opening of the European Heritage Days. In the Czech Republic, more than 900 monuments will open to the public until September 11, and around 250 accompanying events will take place. During the morning ceremony in the Slavonice square of Míru, two titles of Bearer of the Tradition of Folk Crafts were awarded. They were received by weaver Jiří Fidler from Hlinsko and Jiří Rücker from Peček, who carves relief molds for gingerbread.

Mayor of Slavonice Hynek Blažek stated that Slavonice is a model example of this year's national theme of the European Heritage Days, which is Monuments and Communities. In a town with 2,500 inhabitants, there are 19 non-profit organizations. "We do not want to present only monuments but also the coexistence of people," he said at the beginning of the ceremony.

On this occasion, 16 historical sites are open in Slavonice, including churches and chapels that are usually not accessible. A rich program with craft markets and concerts is taking place in the center. Right in the morning, the local people invited all passersby for breakfast. Homemade pastries, strudels, and spreads awaited them on tables in the lower part of the square. According to the mayor, such a continuous breakfast has been organized by the associations for the first time.

The European Heritage Days are a European event with a long-standing tradition. This year, they are being held for the twenty-third time in the Czech Republic, with the national coordinator being the Association of Historical Sites of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. The scope of the event has not changed significantly in recent years. "There are always around 1000 monuments open in that special regime," said the chairman of the association, Libor Honzárek, to ČTK. The monuments are accessible for free or at reduced admission prices. Last year, organizers recorded a total of 600,000 entries in the Czech Republic during these days.

According to statistics from the association, people can this year also view nearly 400 usually inaccessible sites with interesting histories.

Since 2001, 64 personalities have received the title of Bearer of the Tradition of Folk Crafts. Today, Josef Fidler, who specializes in hand-weaving fabrics typical for Hlinsko and its surroundings, joined them. As he told ČTK, he succeeded in reviving the traditional method of making chenille according to a patent from 1890. As far as he knows, no one else does it anymore, not even in France, from where chenille once arrived in Hlinecko. "So the chenille really only lives here in our cottage in Hlinsko," he concluded.