European Heritage Days in the Czech Republic
August 2007 - This coming September the largest pan-European cultural event will once again see the doors of many unique places of interest in the Czech Republic flung open wide to the public. Some of these locations are not usually accessible to the public and the European Heritage Days (EHD) represent a unique opportunity to visit. Interesting programmes of events will also come as a pleasant surprise to visitors to well known places. And it’s for all free or just a symbolic admission charge.
You have the chance to discover the beautiful french Embassy (photo: Emile Marguier)
Over 1,000 places of interest, of which 400 are not normally open to the public, await visitors from 8th until 16th September 2007, in 300 places across the Czech Republic. Around 500 cultural events will compliment tours of architectural, industrial, religious and natural heritage sites. This year’s EHD will also feature tourist sights, traditional handicrafts and folk culture. A combination of all these elements can be experienced at the Slovácko Wine Festival and Tourist Open Day in Uherské Hradiště (www.slavnostivinauh.cz). On the 8th and 9th of September an official opening ceremony for this year’s EHD will take place. The biggest Slovácko folk, wine and food event in the Czech Republic will attract craftsmen, musicians, singers and dancers to Hradiště. Music-making in the streets of the town and a traditional handicraft fair will be some of the biggest attractions at the festival.
Everywhere across the land you will have the chance to discover unexpected gems. In the Czech capital Prague this could be, for instance, the brewery at the Strahov Premonstratensian monastery (www.strahovskyklaster.cz), the houses bearing the names ‘At the Two Golden Bears’ and ‘At the Golden Angel’, both in the Old Town, the Art Nouveau-style Lucerna Palace and the ‘Puppet Empire’ (www.riseloutek.cz). T
he Beaufort Alpinum at the botanical gardens in Bečov (www.becov.cz) provide visitors with the chance to see unique gardens dating from the early 20th century. The synagogue in Radnice (www.radnice.rokycansko.cz) near Pilsen was built in the 18th century but has been given a new lease of life as a eco-centre. In the grand houses of Mělník (www.melnik.cz) or luxurious palaces of Ústí nad Labem (www.usti-nl.cz) you can imagine how the original inhabitants lived 100 years ago.
A visit to the chateau in Čečovice near Horšovský Týn in the Šumava region will take you even further back in time. In the 18th century the original Gothic fortress was rebuilt into a granary and restoration work has been ongoing here since 1999. A comprehensive list of places of interest including local cultural events and maps can all be found in a specially prepared on-line catalogue at www.shscms.cz/ehd, the website of the Association of Historical Monuments of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia.
