Days of European Heritage will open over 1000 monuments

Prague - Over a thousand heritage site managers and organizers of accompanying events have registered for the European Heritage Days in the Czech Republic. This year, it will take place from September 9 to 17. The national opening will be held in Jičín, representatives of the organizing Association of Historical Settlements of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia said to journalists today.
According to representatives of the association, a total of 1,055 heritage sites will be open to the public this year, somewhat fewer than last year. According to the association's vice-chairman and mayor of Prague 1, Vladimír Vihan, this is related to a change in the rules. Heritage sites must be accessible for free. If there is an admission fee, their managers must expand the areas for visits or organize an accompanying program, Vihan stated.
During the European Heritage Days, not only officially declared cultural heritage sites are traditionally opened to the public, but also dozens of private and public buildings that are usually not accessible to the public at all or only occasionally and partially.
For example, on September 17, people will be able to visit the former Church of St. Anne on Liliová Street in Prague 1, which is being renovated by the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97. The monument, now called Prague Crossroads, connects Gothic architecture with modern elements.
In Jičín, ten heritage sites will be open, including the birthplace of the Austrian writer Karl Kraus. According to representatives of the local council, the event is prepared as a guide to the military life of Jičín, which was a garrison town. Organizers have prepared 3,000 military booklets. Visitors to the heritage sites will receive a stamp in each booklet and will be able to work their way up to the rank of general. Generals will then compete for the title of marshal.
This year's listing of the European Heritage Days in the Czech Republic includes more than 750 immovable cultural monuments and nearly three hundred sites of local significance or objects worthy of special protection. Interested parties can find an overview of the monuments on the website www.ehd.cz.
According to the organizers, the European Heritage Days are a project that contributes to the informal and ongoing awareness of the roots of national identities and the protection of the cultural legacy of ancestors. They have been held throughout Europe since 1991.