Mikulčice: Money for the footbridge connecting the archaeological site

Brno - This week, the South Moravian council approved the first grant for a footbridge over the Morava River in Mikulčice, in the Hodonín region. The funds are designated for design. The bridge for pedestrians and cyclists is expected to connect archaeological sites in Mikulčice and the Slovak Kopčany. Both regions aim to obtain European funding for the construction and project development. They will submit a request by the end of May, said regional councilor Jan Letocha to reporters today.
    The construction of the bridge and the pathways leading to it is estimated to cost 85 million crowns, while the project documentation, geological studies, and land acquisitions will cost an additional approximately ten million. The total amount constitutes nearly half of the funds allocated in European funds for all projects on the Czech-Slovak border until 2013. However, Letocha believes that the regions will succeed with the project. "We will try to take a bite out of this piece," he said.
    The bridge could be opened at the end of 2010. It would connect areas that belonged to significant centers of Great Moravia. The vast fortification of Valy in Mikulčice is considered by some sources to be the site of the missionaries Cyril and Methodius. The church of Saint Margita of Antioch in Kopčany is also unique. If tourists today want to see both archaeological sites, they have to take a detour of nearly seven kilometers through nearby Hodonín. The bridge would measure 130 meters.
    At the same time, conservationists are striving for the archaeological park of Mikulčice-Kopčany to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Last autumn, the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Culture submitted nomination documents in Paris on behalf of both countries. A response has been received stating that they are sufficient. "We expect either during this autumn or in the spring of next year the arrival of an expert group," Letocha said. Next summer, it should be known whether the archaeological park has made it among the sites from which a holder of the UNESCO label will be selected.