The Czech Republic can boast a full twelve historic areas inscribed in the UNESCO Register of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, as well as one UNESCO geopark. All of these monuments are nonetheless easily accessible: from Prague, it is a matter of a car trip lasting between 30 minutes to three hours. No other concentration of UNESCO-registered sites can be found anywhere else in the world.
Prague
Prague represents the unique grouping of the historic Prague townships: Old Town (Staré Město), Josefov, New Town (Nové Město), Vyšehrad, Malá Strana and Hradčany, crowned by Prague Castle, along with Charles Bridge and countless captivating churches and palaces.
Český Krumlov
Český Krumlov is a town full of romantic corners, ranging from the unique complex of burghers’s houses to the imposing mass of the castle high above a bend in the river Vltava. Every year, the town plays host to many cultural events (festivals, concerts, theatre performances).
Třebíč
The group of protected sites in the town heritage zone of Třebíč includes the former Jewish quarter of Zámostí, the Jewish cemetery, and the Basilica of St. Procopius, once part of a former Benedictine monastery. Zámostí was the first Jewish heritage site outside Israel individually registered by UNESCO.
Olomouc
Of the monuments of the old university and cathedral town of Olomouc , the UNESCO world heritage list includes the Baroque Trinity Column, the largest grouping of Baroque statuary in a single ensemble in central Europe.
Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora is an example of a medieval Bohemian royal town, whose prosperity and architectural refinement were underscored by the riches of its silver mines. Though the silver has long been exhausted, the beauties of the town remain up to the present day. Among the monuments listed by UNESCO are the High Gothic St. Barbara’s Cathedral and the Cistercian cathedral in Sedlec, a medieval structure inventively rebuilt in the early 18th century by Jan Blažej Santini.
Points of interest
Among the other Czech candidates for UNESCO registration are, for instance, the striking television tower on Mt. Ještěd in Liberec or one of the oldest European workshops for the manufacture of handmade paper in Velké Losiny.
