Luhačovice is a candidate for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List

PARIS - The Czech Republic today submitted the nomination of Luhačovice for inclusion on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris. According to the Czech permanent mission to UNESCO, the evaluation of the nomination may take approximately three years. However, this year the organization will decide on a possible inclusion of the South Bohemian town of Slavonice.
The spa zone of Luhačovice, which is up for nomination, includes an architecturally valuable set of buildings mostly from the first third of the last century. It mainly features works by architect Dušan Jurkovič, where inspiration from folk architecture merges with ideas from the English Arts and Crafts movement. There are also buildings representing Viennese Secession, geometric modernism, constructivism, and functionalism, all set in a meticulously maintained park environment.
The Czech Republic justifies the nomination by highlighting the exceptional value of Luhačovice as an illustration of the phenomenon of therapeutic spa treatment at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and as a reflection of contemporary views on the construction of "cities in greenery".
The documentation was prepared in cooperation with the management of the Lázně Luhačovice company, which is the majority owner of the properties in the nominated area, and with the town of Luhačovice. The nomination will now be examined by UNESCO experts, who will also visit the town.
In July of this year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will discuss the possible inclusion of Slavonice with its Renaissance houses in Vilnius. The outcome cannot be predicted. This nomination was submitted in 2003.
Before Luhačovice, the Czech Republic submitted the nomination of the manual paper mill in Velké Losiny. UNESCO could discuss this in the next year.
The Czech Republic currently has twelve sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Given the size of the country, this is a significant number. During the last UNESCO general conference in Paris, Chairwoman of the Czech Commission for UNESCO Jaroslava Moserová told ČTK that she has already noticed dissatisfaction from some countries, to whom history and art have not been as generous.