The government approved the declaration of 18 cultural monuments as national cultural monuments

Bučovice - The government approved the declaration of 14 historic town halls, the monument to King George of Poděbrady in Poděbrady, the castle and chateau in Poběžovice, and two historic trams as national cultural monuments at today’s meeting held in Bučovice in the Vyškov region. The Ministry of Culture stated this in a press release. A national cultural monument is defined as a cultural monument that is the most significant part of the cultural wealth of the nation.

According to the ministry, the 14 affected town halls have extraordinary architectural, urban, and art-historical value. These include the Lesser Town Hall in Prague, the old town halls in Brno and Prachatice, the new town halls in Ostrava, Jablonec nad Nisou, and Prostějov, as well as the town halls in Liberec, Plzeň, Kadaň, Litoměřice, Hostinné, Havlíčkův Brod, Znojmo, and Kyjov.

"The historic town hall buildings of our cities are a completely specific and unique part of the cultural heritage of the Czech Republic. These significant urban structures represent an extraordinarily valuable treasury of historical architectural styles and a showcase of quality traditional crafts," said Minister of Culture Martin Baxa (ODS). According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS), it is good that historic town halls from various periods are also included in the list. "The Czech Republic has amazing historical and modern architecture," he said.

For the other two immovable monuments, the monument to King George of Poděbrady in Poděbrady and the castle and chateau in Poběžovice, the ministry highlighted their connection to the idea of creating a peace organization for a united Europe. The castle and chateau in Poběžovice are associated with the Coudenhove-Kalergi family, particularly with the versatile personality of Richard Mikuláš, Count Coudenhove-Kalergi, who was the founder of the Pan-European movement, the ideological predecessor of the European Union.

The list also includes the Prague Mayor's Tram from 1900 and in the Plzeň region, the Křižík Tram from 1899. According to the ministry, these are the two most valuable historic tram vehicles in the Czech Republic, with extraordinary significance for the history of technology and industry in the Czech lands.

Currently, according to the National Heritage Institute, nearly 500 national cultural monuments are registered in the Central Register of Cultural Monuments. Some of the oldest include the archaeological site of Dolní Věstonice, while medieval monuments include Charles Bridge, the Abbey of St. Agnes, Pernštejn Castle, and a collection of Gothic sculptures from the Beautiful Style period. Among modern monuments are, for example, the Tugendhat Villa in Brno or the wastewater treatment plant in Bubenči. The list also includes monuments from the late 20th century, such as the hotel and television transmitter on Ještěd near Liberec.