The decision on the inscription of Mikulčice to UNESCO will be made by July 2009

Mikulčice (Hodonín District) - Whether the Mikulčice-Kopčany archaeological park on the Moravian-Slovak border will be added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list will be decided by July 2009. The path to registration will be relatively challenging. CTK was informed today by František Synek, head of the Slavic stronghold exhibition in Mikulčice, that the proposal to include the area among world heritage sites was submitted to the UNESCO center this October.
According to the latest information, the submitted documentation will be reviewed by experts until March 2008, who may request its supplementation. Key for Mikulčice will be July of next year. In Quebec, Canada, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will select 35 of the nominated locations as the most interesting heritage sites. The expert committee will thoroughly consider whether the Slavic stronghold deserves registration as a world cultural heritage site. The result will be announced in the summer of 2009.
Registration of the site, whose center is the Great Moravian stronghold Valy, among UNESCO heritage sites is the wish of not only archaeologists, historians, and heritage protection experts, but also representatives of the South Moravian Region and the Trnava Region. If the plan succeeds, Mikulčice will become the third UNESCO heritage site in South Moravia after the Lednice-Valtice area and the Tugendhat Villa in Brno.
The Valy stronghold in Mikulčice was one of the significant centers of the Great Moravian Empire. The monument consists of the stronghold itself with its outer forts and adjacent settlement agglomeration. The main fort rises nearly seven meters above the surrounding terrain. According to some sources, the apostles Cyril and Methodius also operated there. The results of the ongoing research are presented in the permanent exhibition at the archaeological site.
The nearby Church of St. Margaret of Antioch in Kopčany is absolutely unique. It was built in the ninth century and is considered the oldest standing church building in Central Europe. The two locations are separated only by the Morava River, which in the future should be spanned by a modern bridge built for visitors.
Some time ago, Mikulčice was hit by a devastating fire that destroyed the local archaeologists' base. A portion of valuable items found at Valy and extensive documentation burned in the wooden structure. The fire resulted in one casualty - a guard of the premises perished. The disaster was likely caused by a technical malfunction. Damage is estimated at ten million crowns.