The Kladruby Stud is a candidate for UNESCO listing

Kladruby nad Labem (Pardubicko) - The National Stud in Kladruby nad Labem has newly become one of the candidates from the Czech Republic for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list, said Culture Minister Václav Jehlička to ČTK today. The state will therefore offer "support services" to help it obtain European funds for repairs of facilities and the expansion of services.
"For many years, people have tiptoed around the stud, while the prestige of Kladruby horses is rising both globally and domestically," stated Jehlička, who spent the entire day today in Kladruby negotiating with the management of the stud and representatives of the Pardubice Region.
Other candidates for inclusion on the UNESCO list include the Great Moravian stronghold in Mikulčice, the hotel and transmitter on Ještěd, the Luhačovice spa, or the West Bohemian spa triangle, which is part of the West Bohemian spa tourist region, noted Jehlička.
In the near future, an interdepartmental committee will be established, composed of representatives from the Pardubice Region, the ministries of culture, agriculture, regional development, and environmental protection. Its members will help prepare projects that will enable the national cultural monument to draw on European grants in the years 2007 to 2013. "Now state authorities have a chance to show what they are worth," Jehlička added.
The extensive area of the stud includes about 80 buildings in Kladruby and 40 in Slatiňany. The buildings urgently need repairs, and new sewage and water systems need to be built. Lenka Gotthardová, the director of the National Stud, hopes to secure funds for new facilities for horse stabling, a school for riders and the public, as well as dining and accommodation capacities.
"Our workers embarked on the restoration of the alleys and landscape two years ago," Gotthardová said. The overall reconstruction of the park, which covers 1,200 hectares with several thousand trees, will take ten to 20 years, according to her.
The stud, which will celebrate its 428th anniversary this year, is home to approximately 300 white horses in Kladruby and 250 black horses in Slatiňany. The baroque riding exhibitions, which are viewed by thousands of visitors each year, are popular. The horses are also gaining increasing prestige outside the republic.
"At the international exhibition in Essen, Germany, we were stars. Our horses performed in the evening program. It is a great achievement to be part of that. There is high demand for purchasing horses. We cannot meet the demand," added Gotthardová.