CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................... 2
CULTURE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – BASIC TERMS AND APPROACHES.......... 3
HISTORY OF THE CZECH LANDS ..................................................................................... 12
NATURAL HERITAGE & NATURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION................................... 21
ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE........................................................................................ 27
CULTURAL HERITAGE – ARCHITECTURE ..................................................................... 31
GREAT MORAVIA............................................................................................................. 32
ROMANESQUE STYLE..................................................................................................... 33
GOTHIC STYLE.................................................................................................................. 37
RENAISSANCE STYLE ..................................................................................................... 43
TRANSITIONAL PERIOD – MANNERIST STYLE......................................................... 49
BAROQUE STYLE ............................................................................................................. 49
CLASSICISM....................................................................................................................... 54
FINE ARTS.............................................................................................................................. 60
PAINTING ........................................................................................................................... 60
SCULPTURE ....................................................................................................................... 69
MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES.......................................................................................... 77
HISTORY OF CZECH MUSIC............................................................................................... 82
DOCUMENTARY HERITAGE – HISTORY OF LITERATURE......................................... 91
CULTURAL HERITAGE OF CZECH SILESIA ................................................................. 103
TANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE............................................................................. 105
MOVEABLE CULTURAL HERITAGE........................................................................... 124
INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE......................................................................... 127
UNESCO MONUMENTS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC..................................................... 129
INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE......................................................................... 148
Vocabulary ............................................................................................................................. 152
Bibliography........................................................................................................................... 165
Electronic Sources.................................................................................................................. 167
INTRODUCTION
Tourism has been rapidly growing over the last few decades and forecasts indicate an
ever faster rate of growth. One of the pillars of tourism industry has been the desire to see and
learn about the cultural identity of different parts of the world. In domestic tourism, cultural
heritage stimulates national pride in its history. In international tourism, cultural heritage
stimulates respect and understanding of other cultures and, as a consequence, promotes peace
and understanding. The interchange of cultures over thousands of years has resulted in some
of the best historical monuments. Aware of the wealth and diversity of culture, we should
strive for sustainable tourism development. Cultural heritage attractions are by nature unique
and fragile. Therefore, it is fundamental to develop cultural heritage sites while protecting and
preserving them for future generations.
Cultural heritage has long been the object of interest of the international organisation
UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Noting that the
cultural heritage and the natural heritage are increasingly threatened with destruction not only
by the traditional causes of decay but also by changing social and economic conditions which
worsen the situation with even more terrible damage or destruction, considering that
worsening or disappearance of any item of the cultural or natural heritage constitutes a
harmful impoverishment of the heritage of all the nations of the world, considering that parts
of the cultural or natural heritage are of outstanding interest and therefore need to be
preserved as part of the world heritage of mankind as a whole, and considering that it is
obligatory for the international community as a whole to participate in the protection of the
cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal value, the General Conference of
UNESCO adopted the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage on 16 November 1972. Based on this Convention, UNESCO established
the World Heritage Committee for safeguarding the cultural and natural heritage of
outstanding universal value in 1976 and in 1978 the first sites were inscribed on the World
Heritage List. In 1992, UNESCO established the Memory of the World Programme aimed
at preservation of, and access to, documentary heritage of the world. Original motivation
came from a growing awareness of the state of valuable documents. Significant collections
worldwide have suffered plundering, illegal trading, destruction, inadequate housing and
funding, etc. Much has vanished forever, much is endangered. Happily, missing documentary
heritage is sometimes rediscovered. In 2003, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted. Considering natural heritage, the UNESCO Man
and the Biosphere Programme was established in 1968 already.
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CULTURE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – BASIC TERMS AND APPROACHES
The modern term culture is based on a term used by the Ancient Roman rhetorician
Marcus Tullius Cicero in his Tusculanae Disputationes where he used it as an agricultural
metaphor for cultivation/development of the soul – “cultura animi”.
CULTURE is a very complex concept that may be approached from different
perspectives and aspects. The definition of culture has long been a controversy and the term is
used in a variety of ways. One of the first scholars who dealt with the identification of culture
was Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917; 1871), an English anthropologist. According to him,
culture is “a complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and
any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society”. Geert Hofstede, a
Dutch psychologist (born 1928), defines culture as “the cumulative deposit of knowledge,
experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles,
spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by
a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving”.
Webster’s New Encyclopaedic Dictionary defines culture as the characteristic
features of a civilisation including its beliefs, its artistic and material products, and its social
institutions. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines culture as the beliefs, customs, arts, etc.
of a particular society, group, place, or time, and as a particular society that has its own
beliefs, ways of life, art, etc. Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group
of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and
arts. According to New World Encyclopedia culture refers to the social standards and norms
of behaviour, the traditions, values, and religious beliefs and practices that are held in
common by members of the society.
UNESCO has defined culture as the “set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual,
and emotional features of society or a social group that encompasses, in addition to art and
literature, also lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.”
Culture is a part of lifestyle shared by a particular community as well as an important factor
of the life of the community. The similarities in spoken and written language, behaviour,
lifestyle, customs, heritage and ideology connect the individuals to groups of people in a
certain culture. At the same time, culture is not static, fixed or unchanging, it rather involves
a dynamic process as people respond to changing conditions and challenges. Another
common way of understanding culture sees it as consisting of three elements, i.e. values,
norms and artefacts. Values include ideas about what in life seems important. Norms consist
of expectations of how people will behave in different situations. Artefacts, things or material
culture derive from the values and norms of a culture.
The term cultural heritage has not always meant the same thing. Recent decades have
seen the concept of heritage undergoing a significant change. Once referred exclusively to the
monumental remains of cultures, heritage as a concept has gradually come to include new
categories such as the intangible, ethnographic or industrial heritage. Hence CULTURAL
HERITAGE is a broad concept and includes the cultural as well as the natural environment.
It consists of the products and processes that are inherited from past generations, maintained
in the present and passed on for the benefit of future generations. It includes many diverse
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values such as cultural, natural, historical, architectural, archaeological, or geological.
Cultural heritage includes tangible culture (such as buildings, monuments, landscapes, books,
works of art, and artefacts) as well as intangible culture (such as folklore, traditions, language,
knowledge, songs, music, dance, cuisine, crafts or festivals). It records and expresses the long
processes of historic development, forming the core of diverse national, regional, indigenous
and local identities and is an integral part of modern life. Heritage is not a renewable resource,
therefore it should be conserved in the most efficient way.
Cultural heritage has long been the object of interest of the international organisation
UNESCO. The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage defines HERITAGE as our legacy from the past, what we live with today,
and what we pass on to future generations. The Convention also states that our cultural and
natural heritage are irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Heritage can be classified
into two categories – cultural heritage and natural heritage. As of July 2015, there are 1,031
World Heritage Sites, places of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common
heritage of humanity – 802 cultural, 197 natural and 32 mixed properties in 163 states. Each
of these sites is considered important to the international community. Italy is home to the
greatest number of World Heritage sites with 51 inscriptions.
Article 1 of the Convention lists CULTURAL HERITAGE as:
 monuments: architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting,
elements or structures of an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and
combinations of features which are of outstanding universal value from the point of
view of history, art or science,
 groups of buildings: groups of separate or connected buildings which, because of
their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of outstanding
universal value from the point of view of history, art or science,
 sites: works of man or the combined works of nature and man, and areas including
archaeological sites which are of outstanding universal value from the historical,
aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view.
We distinguish two basic groups of cultural heritage:
 tangible cultural heritage that can be further divided into:
 movable cultural heritage (paintings, sculptures, coins, manuscripts),
 immovable cultural heritage (monuments, archaeological sites, national and
historical memorials, churches, bridges, etc.),
 underwater cultural heritage (shipwrecks, underwater ruins and cities),
 intangible cultural heritage (language, music, songs, oral traditions, dance, rituals).
Intangible cultural heritage consists of non-physical aspects of a particular culture.
They are forms of culture that cannot be touched or stored in physical form but only
experienced. These include social values and traditions, customs and practices, aesthetic and
spiritual beliefs, artistic expressions, languages and other aspects of human activity.
Naturally, intangible cultural heritage is more difficult to preserve than physical objects.
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UNESCO defines INTANGIBLE HERITAGE as the practices, representations,
expressions, knowledge, skills that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals
recognize as a part of their cultural heritage. Article 2 of the Convention for the Safeguarding
of the Intangible Cultural Heritage adopted by the UNESCO General Conference in 2003
states that intangible cultural heritage is evident in the following domains:
 Oral traditions and expressions, including language;
 Music and the performing arts;
 Social practices, rituals and festive events;
 Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe;
 Handicrafts and visual arts that demonstrate traditional craftsmanship.
 Gastronomy is not an official UNESCO category yet, and is used as such only for the
purpose of this study.
Natural heritage (including culturally significant landscapes and biodiversity) is
another important part of the heritage of a society covering the countryside and natural
environment (forests, mountains, lakes, rivers, caves, etc.), including flora and fauna
(scientifically known as biodiversity), as well as geological elements (including
mineralogical, geomorphological, paleontological, etc.; scientifically known as geodiversity).
This kinds of heritage sites often serve as an important component in tourist industry
attracting many visitors from abroad as well as locals. It can also include cultural landscapes,
natural features that may have cultural attributes. Natural heritage is often understood as a part
of cultural heritage.
Article 2 of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage lists NATURAL HERITAGE as:
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 natural features consisting of physical and biological formations or groups of such
formations, which are of outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or scientific
point of view,
 geological and physiographical formations and precisely defined areas which
constitute the habitat of threatened species of animals and plants of outstanding
universal value from the point of view of science or conservation,
 natural sites or precisely defined natural areas of outstanding universal value from the
point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty.
Convention for the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage of Europe adopted by
the Council of Europe in 1992 (Valletta, Malta) considers all remains and objects and any
other traces of mankind from past epochs to be ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE. It
serves as a source of the European collective memory as well as an instrument for historical
and scientific study. The preservation and study of archaeological heritage help to retrace the
history of mankind and its relation with the natural environment. Archaeological heritage
shall include structures, constructions, groups of buildings, developed sites, moveable objects,
monuments of other kinds as well as their context, whether situated on land or under water.
Archaeological heritage constitutes the basic record of past human activities. Its protection
and proper management is therefore essential to enable scholars to study and interpret it on
behalf of and for the benefit of present and future generations.
To summarise, it can be stated that cultural heritage is an ensemble of tangible as well
as intangible relics created by our ancestors that give evidence of their history, culture and
everyday life, have been preserved in their original environment that we would like to
preserve and pass on to future generations. Cultural heritage includes tangible evidence of the
past such as monuments (buildings, archaeological findings, sculptures), places (with
monuments of important events), artefacts (works of arts, collections), etc. and intangible
evidence, i.e. language, folklore (oral traditions, customs and rituals, traditional crafts,
culinarian art and gastronomy, etc.).
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TOURISM is travelling from a person’s usual place of residence for period longer
than 24 hours, primarily for leisure and pleasure. Tourism is a social phenomenon, not a
production activity, it brings expenditures of all travellers or visitors for all (and various)
purposes (not only to the hotels and catering establishments), and its result is an experience
that is extremely varied. Basically, tourism includes many forms such as seaside, mountain,
sport, health, shopping, or heritage.
There is no singular, specific definition of either cultural or heritage tourism .Some
call it cultural tourism, some heritage tourism, some cultural and heritage tourism, or shortly
cultural heritage tourism. Consequently, cultural tourism is often used interchangeably with
heritage tourism. CULTURAL HERITAGE TOURISM is travelling to experience the
places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.
It includes historic, cultural and natural resources (Cultural Heritage Tourism, 2005). The
object of this form of tourism is (among other aims) the discovery of monuments and sites. It
usually offers tourists the attraction of cultural traditions, places and values such as religious
practice, folklore traditions and social customs of certain communities or ethnic. It offers a
full range of experience that visitors can undertake to learn what makes a destination
distinctive – its lifestyle, its heritage, its arts, its people. Cultural tourism includes tourism in
urban areas particularly historic or large cities offering cultural facilities such as museums and
theatres as well as in rural areas showcasing the traditions of local communities such as
festivals or rituals, and their values and lifestyles. Cultural tourism differs from recreational
tourism in that it tries to achieve an understanding or appreciation of the nature of visited
places (ICOMOS – International Scientific Committee on Cultural Tourism, 1997). Every
visit in a place leaves visitors not just an added knowledge of the place itself (that can also be
seen in books, television, and the Internet), but a deeper understanding of its people. Cultural
tourism has a long history with its roots in the Grand Tours (from the 16 century onwards).
We distinguish several types of cultural tourism, or tourism products and activities:
 cultural heritage monuments (castles, chateaux, folk architecture, historic buildings,
monuments),
 cultural institutions (museums, art galleries, collections, libraries),
 cultural events (theatres, festivals),
 cultural landscapes (parks, gardens),
 locations connected to historical people and events,
 religious tourism, pilgrimage routes (Vatican, Lourdes, Mecca)
 visiting religious sites, locations and monuments with religious motivation,
 visiting religious sites and locations without religious motivation (desired by the
architectural and cultural importance of the sight),
 pilgrimage routes,
 rural tourism (traditions, lifestyle),
 culinary and wine tourism,
 festival tourism (festivals or fairs)
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 literary tourism – deals with places and events from fictional texts as well as the lives
of their authors, it can include following the route taken by a fictional character,
visiting particular place associated with a novel or a novelist (homes, graves)
 music tourism – visiting music festivals or performances, annual carnivals (events that
include music, dancing and street parties),
 movie tourism – travelling to locations where famous films were shot (New Zealand –
the Lord of the Rings, Sherwood Forest, Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, Wallace
Monument in Stirling, Tunisia – Star Wars, Petra in Jordan – Indiana Jones, Graceland
– Elvis Presley, Liverpool – The Beatles; Jičín, Hoštice, Modrava)
 dark tourism (Bran Castle in Romania, Hiroshima Peace memorial Park in Japan,
Chernobyl in Ukraine, Ground Zero in New York, the Auschwitz concentration camp
in Poland, Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam, Pearl Harbour in Hawaii).
A wide range of CULTURAL THEMATIC ROUTES is offered that vary in themes
and types. These include architectural, industrial, spiritual, artistic, gastronomic, and many
others. Thematic routes are tourism products which row up natural or man-made attractions
accessible by different forms of transport around a chosen topic or theme. The first cultural
routes were introduced by the Council of Europe in 1987. It started first with ten cultural
routes marking the stages in the development of Europe. They cross over and link the local,
the regional and the international level (Atlas of Cultural Routes – European Institute of
Cultural Routes). In 2015, there were 33 Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe with very
different themes that illustrate European memory, history and heritage. Some of the most
important cultural routes include:
 Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes,
 The Hansa (178 member cities in 16 countries),
 The Viking Routes (collection of sites, stories and heritage relating to the shared
Viking legacy of Europe and beyond, 50 sites in 10 countries including examples of
forts, towns, farms, quarries, ships, objects, museums, archaeological remains and
reconstructed longhouses),
 The Via Francigena (ancient road, pilgrim route running from Canterbury to Rome),
 European Mozart Ways (cities, palaces, pleasure gardens, inns and hotels, concert
halls and opera houses, churches and landscapes, in 10 European countries visited by
Mozart; Olomouc),
 The Phoenicians’ Route (network of the great nautical courses which Phoenicians
used since the 12 century B.C. as their main trade and cultural lines of communication
in the Mediterranean Sea),
 The European Route of Jewish Heritage (archaeological sites, old synagogues and
cemeteries, ritual baths, Jewish quarters, monuments, memorials, archives, libraries),
 The Via Regia (oldest and longest road link between the East and the West of Europe),
 The Romanesque Routes of European Heritage,
 The European Route of Cistercian abbeys,
 The European Cemeteries Route,
 Prehistoric Rock Art Trails,
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 European Route of Historical Thermal Towns,
 The European Route of Megalithic Culture,
 The Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route,
 European Route of Industrial Heritage – the first European network dedicated to
industrial heritage was established to demonstrate that industrial heritage can be a
valuable resource. It has been developed at transnational level around former
industries such as textile, mining or steel. By establishing the so called “Anchor
Points” of these areas, people are attracted by 60 important industrial heritage sites
with a well-developed tourism infrastructure.
TOURIST, a backbone in the tourism sector, is a person who travels or visits a place
for pleasure and stays in a place overnight in a kind of accommodation establishment.
Cultural tourists are typically seen as well educated, well-off and broadly travelled, and they
generally represent a highly desirable type of visitor. It is generally agreed that cultural
tourists spend substantially more than standard tourists do. Cultural tourists expect different
experiences from their holidays. During these experiences tourists can interact with three
kinds of cultural attributes – the physical (built heritage), the general (daily life of a host
community) and the specific cultural activities of a host community (rituals and festivals).
ART is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing
artworks intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power. The term art also
covers the products of those activities. Fine art is art developed primarily for aesthetics,
distinguishing it from applied art that also has to serve some practical function. There are
three aspects of human creativity – Art, Crafts and Science. Roughly determined, art relies
upon intuitive sensing, vision and expression, crafts upon sophisticated technique and science
upon knowledge.
Possible division of different types of art:
 visual art – current usage of the term visual arts includes:
 fine art (painting, sculpture)
 applied arts
 decorative arts – pottery, glassware, furniture, hardstone carving, metal work
(goldsmiths), jewellery, ivory carving, woodwork, textile arts, mosaics, etc.
 industrial design – design applied to products that are manufactured through
techniques of mass production; key characteristic – the creative act of product
form takes place in advance of the act of making a product (car, iPod, mixer)
 graphic design – combines words, symbols, images, types and colours to
create a visual representation of ideas and messages (logos, publications,
advertisements, posters, billboards, website graphics, signs and product
packaging)
 fashion design – art of application of design and aesthetics to clothing and
accessories
 interior design – art or process of designing the interior of a room or building
 architecture – the art and science of designing buildings, creation of objects
where the practical considerations of use are essential
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 (handi)crafts
 auditory art – i.e. music (that may be classified as a performing art, a fine art or as an
auditory art)
 performing art – includes theatre and dance.
VISUAL ARTS are art forms such as painting, sculpture, ceramics, drawing,
printmaking, design, architecture, crafts, photography, video and filmmaking. This means that
they include not only the fine art (painting, sculpture) but also the applied arts (industrial,
graphic, fashion or interior design), decorative arts (jewellery, pottery) and crafts. Some art
forms combine a visual element with performance (film) or the written word (comics).
Historically, the five main FINE ARTS were painting, sculpture, architecture, music
and poetry, created primarily for aesthetic and intellectual purposes and judged for their
beauty and meaningfulness. (In that sense, there are conceptual differences between fine arts
and applied arts. Nevertheless, in practice, the two often overlap.) Originally, art referred to
any skill or mastery and was not differentiated from crafts or sciences. In modern usage after
the 17 century, where aesthetic considerations are dominant, fine arts are separated and
distinguished from acquired skills in general, such as decorative or applied arts. Today, fine
arts commonly include additional forms, such as film, photography, or printmaking.
APPLIED ARTS are the application of design and decoration to everyday objects to
make them aesthetically pleasing. The definition of fine art originally excluded the applied
arts and crafts. In contemporary practice this distinction has become essentially meaningless,
as the intention of the artist is given primacy, regardless of the means through which this is
expressed.
DECORATIVE ARTS are arts or crafts concerned with the design and manufacture
of beautiful objects that are also functional. The distinction between the decorative and the
fine arts has essentially arisen from the post-Renaissance art of the West where it is for the
most part meaningful. This distinction is much less meaningful when considering the art of
other cultures and periods, e.g. it is not very useful for appreciating and understanding early
Medieval art in Europe. In that period, fine arts such as manuscript illumination and
monumental sculpture existed, but the most prestigious works tended to be in goldsmith work,
in metal casting such as bronze, or in other techniques such as ivory carving. Large-scale
wall-paintings were much less regarded and rarely mentioned in contemporary sources. They
were probably seen as a substandard substitute for mosaic, which for this period must be
viewed as a fine art, though in recent centuries mosaics have tended to be seen as decorative.
HANDICRAFT (artisanal handicraft) is any of a wide variety of types of work where
useful and decorative objects are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is
a traditional main sector of craft (requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work),
and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities. Usually the term is applied to
traditional techniques of creating items (whether for personal use or as products) that are both
practical and aesthetic. Such items often have cultural and/or religious significance.
Handcrafting has its roots in the rural crafts (material-goods necessities) of ancient
civilisations that have been practised for centuries. The term rural crafts refers to the
traditional crafts production for everyday practical use in the agricultural countryside. (Once
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widespread and commonplace, the survival of some rural crafts is now in danger.) Many
handcrafters use natural, even entirely indigenous materials.
AUDITORY ART, or music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is
sound and silence. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and vocal techniques.
There are many types of music, including popular music (a number of musical forms and
styles “having wide appeal” and typically distributed to large audiences through the music
industry; it can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training),
traditional music (i.e. folk music spread orally and with unknown composers), art music
(also known as formal music, serious music or classical music – an umbrella term that refers
to musical traditions, implying advanced structural and theoretical considerations and a
written musical tradition), liturgical music (music written for religious ceremonies) and
work songs (closely connected to a form of work, such as sea shanty (sung to accompany
labour on board large merchant sailing vessels), hunting, pastoral, African American, or
cowboy songs). In many cultures, music is an important part of way of life as it plays a key
role in religious rituals, rite of passage ceremonies (e.g. marriage), social activities (e.g.
dancing) and cultural activities.
PERFORMING ARTS are art forms in which artists use their voices and/or the
movements of their bodies to convey artistic expression. They include a variety of disciplines
but all are intended to be performed in front of a live audience. Performing arts include
mainly dance and theatre, but music, opera, musical theatre, mime, puppetry, circus arts,
magic, illusion, recitation and public speaking are also often included. (Performance art is
sometimes considered a specialised form of fine art.)
To conclude, arts represent a way of expression that is usually influenced by culture
and which in turn helps to change culture. As such, arts are a physical manifestation of the
internal creative impulse. Major components of arts include literature (including poetry,
novels, and short stories, and epics), performing arts (music, dance, theatre), media arts
(photography, cinematography), visual arts (drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpturing) but
also culinary arts (such as baking, chocolatiering, winemaking). CULINARY ART is the art
of preparation, cooking and presentation of food (people are commonly called chefs, however
the terms “culinary artist” and “culinarian” are also used.) Culinarians are required to have
knowledge of food science, nutrition and diet and are responsible for preparing meals that are
pleasing to the eye as well as to the palate. Table manners (i.e. “the table arts”) are sometimes
referred to as a culinary art as well.
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HISTORY OF THE CZECH LANDS
From the historical point of view, our country is very old. Archaeologists have found
evidence of prehistoric human settlements on the territory of the country dating back to the
Palaeolithic era. An ice age site has been discovered in Dolní Věstonice.
The Celtic tribe of Boii, also called Bohemians, settled in the Czech basin during the
1 to 2 century B.C. The traditional English name Bohemia derives from Latin Boiohaemum,
which means “home of Boii. The current name of the country comes from the endonym Čech
derived from the Slavic tribe Čechové (Czechs) and, according to the legend, their leader
Čech who brought them to Bohemia to settle around the Říp Mountain. Celtic tribes have left
some of the earliest traces (though almost invisible nowadays) in the country in the form of
so-called oppida (large permanent settlements). The Germanic tribes of Marcomanni and
Quadi settled in the area in the 1 century. Their king Maroboduus (born c. 30 BC, died in
37 A.D.) is the first documented ruler of Bohemia. During the Migration Period, around the
5 century, many Germanic tribes moved westwards and southwards of Central Europe.
Slavonic tribes from the Black Sea-Carpathian region settled on our territory in the 6 century.
The migration of nations was also stimulated by the onslaught of peoples from Siberia and
Eastern Europe, the Huns, Avars, Bulgars and Magyars. During the 7 century, the Frankish
merchant Samo, supporting the Slavs fighting their Avar rulers, was chosen by the united
Slavic tribes their ruler and head of an extensive territory of Bohemia, Moravia and a part of
Slovakia. Hence he became the ruler of the first known state formed by the Western Slavs in
Central Europe. Its centre laid in the Southern Moravian lowlands around the Morava River.
The Slavonic realm expanded from its original southern Moravian centre and so-called
Great Moravian Empire was formed in the 9 century. It included areas settled by Slavic
tribes in Moravia, Bohemia, Slovakia and southern Poland along the Visla River. The political
and cultural centres were the fortified settlements at Mikulčice and Staré Město. The first
known ruler of Great Moravia was Mojmír I. In 863, the Christian mission of Constantine
and Methodius arrived to Moravia. They spread Christianity, began the Slavonic liturgy,
formed the Slavic language (Old Slavic), invented a separate script and translated religious
texts from Greek and Latin. Great Moravia was a state formation of united Slavic tribes
speaking related dialects and has left behind a remarkable cultural heritage. At the turn of the
10 century, the nomadic Magyars invaded central Europe which led to the fall of Great
Moravia around 907. The centre of power was transferred from Moravia to Bohemia under
the rule of Přemyslids.
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The Czech state, known in English as Bohemia was formed in the late 9 century as the
Principality of Bohemia under the dominance of the powerful Great Moravian Empire.
(Europeans termed all the inhabitants of Bohemia “Bohemians”, the Slavic name “Czechs”
appeared at the end of the 9 century.) The first documented Bohemian Prince Bořivoj was a
member of the Přemyslid dynasty that derived its origin from the mythical Přemysl
(Przemyslaus), a ploughman, who married the seer Libuše. Bořivoj moved his place of
residence from Levý Hradec to a fortified settlement named Prague. From that time on,
Prague has been the main political and cultural centre of the Czech Lands. The most
significant member of the dynasty was Prince Wenceslas, an unusually educated man who
was proclaimed a saint (as well as his grandmother Ludmila). Prince Wenceslas, Bořivoj’s
grandson, was murdered by the men in service of his younger brother Boleslaus (the Cruel) at
Boleslav Castle (Stará Boleslav) in 935. Wenceslas became the symbol of the Czech
statehood and its continuity, the ideal and eternal ruler of the Czech Lands as well as their
heavenly patron. Vratislaus II was granted the royal crown in 1085 and became the first
Bohemian king. Ottokar I of Bohemia (Přemysl Otakar I) acquired the Golden Bull of
Sicily in 1212 by which the Principality of Bohemia became a kingdom and the Bohemian
ruler gained the title of King by inheritance. German colonisation of Bohemia and growth of
towns in until that time forestlands started during his reign. The last male member of the
dynasty, Wenceslas III, was murdered in mysterious circumstances in Olomouc (his
assassins have not been identified) in 1306. From the 13 century onwards, the Bohemian king
became one of the seven electors, i.e. he had the right to elect the Holy Roman Emperor.
Many Bohemian kings possessed the title of the Roman Emperor as well.
In 1310 the Czech throne passed on John of Luxembourg (John of Bohemia, John
the Blind), husband of Eliška Přemyslovna who was the sister of the last Přemyslid. John of
Luxembourg was disliked by much of the Czech nobility and was considered to be an “alien
king”. He gave up the administration of Bohemia and spent much of his life travelling and
fighting. Consequently, the territory of the Czech Lands expanded significantly during his
reign. He gained the region of Cheb (Egerland), Upper Lusatia, and large territories in Silesia
(most of the Silesian princes submitted to him). John of Luxembourg died while fighting in
the Battle of Crécy (at the age of 50), after having been blind for a decade. According to the
Cronica Ecclesiae Pragensis Benesii Krabice de Weitmile, he said “With God’s help,
Bohemian king would never flee from a fight!” before he committed himself to combat in the
battle already lost. A crest worn by John of Luxembourg in the battle as well as his chivalric
motto Ich dien (I serve) were adopted by Edward the Black Prince after the battle, and since
then they have been parts of the badge of the Prince of Wales and his coat of arms.
The most famous king of the Luxembourg dynasty (and probably of all the Czech
history) was his son Charles IV (1316-1378). The intelligent and highly educated ruler
gained not only the title of Bohemian King but also of the Holy Roman Emperor. He
considered the Bohemian Kingdom the centre of his power and looked after it carefully.
While his father concentrated on the foreign policy and the dynastic interests of the
Luxembourg dynasty, Charles IV devoted himself to internal Czech affairs. The Lands of the
Crown of Bohemia flourished during his reign and figured among the most powerful in
Europe. In 1348, Charles IV issued constitutional charters sanctioning the rise of the Lands of
14
the Crown of Bohemia, a union of countries encompassing the Kingdom of Bohemia,
Margraviate of Moravia, Principalities of Silesia, and Upper and Lower Lusatia. He made
Prague the cultural capital of Europe as well as of the Holy Roman Empire. He founded
Prague University, the first university in Central Europe, established the New Town of
Prague, and had the Charles Bridge, Saint Vitus Cathedral, or Karlštejn built. Czech language
was promoted the official language along with Latin and German. Charles IV is remembered
as “the father of the Czech nation”. The 14 century, and the reign of Charles IV in particular
is considered the Golden Age of the Czech history.
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IV..jpg
The reign of Wenceslas IV, Charles’s son and successor, extended into the time of
Hussite wars. The first part of the 15 century was marked by the effort of a group of Czech
masters at the University of Prague who wanted to reform the Church. In 1380, the country
suffered a strong epidemic of plague (the population decreased 10-15 per cent) resulting in
economic and social crisis. The society sought for the causes as well as the exit from the
dismal situation and saw the crisis as the consequence of the wrath of God for inobservance of
the God’s law contained in the Bible. The Catholic Church was blamed for forsaking its
primary mission, i.e. paying attention to the salvation of the Christian soul, and instead
enjoying wealth and luxury and intervening into the worldly politics. To improve the
situation, the Church should return to the life according to the Bible principles that would
result in the improvement of the situation of the society. Master Jan Hus, a religious and
social reformer, university rector and popular preacher at the Bethlehem Chapel, stood at the
head of the reformation efforts. He was sentenced to death for heresy against the doctrines of
the Catholic Church and burned at the stake at Constance in 1415. His death brought further
tensions between his followers, called Hussites, and the Catholics. As the result, the Hussites
15
separated from the Catholic Church and the Hussite Revolution gradually seized the whole
Kingdom. The revolution exploded in 1419 after the First Prague Defenestration when
Hussite radicals in the New Town of Prague threw the members of the Town Council out of
the windows of the Town Hall. During the following Hussite wars (1420–1434), the Kingdom
faced economic embargoes and defeated five crusades from all over Europe proclaimed by the
leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and organised mainly by the Emperor and princes of
the Holy Roman Empire. The main Hussite leaders were Jan Žižka of Trocnov and Prokop
Holý. In 1458, George of Poděbrady, the aristocratic leader of the Hussites was elected the
King. He strived to be a good king of the “dual people” and to improve the reputation of the
“heretic” country abroad. After his death, the Polish Prince Wladislaw Jagiello was chosen to
become the King.
Following the Battle of Mohács and the death of King Ludwig in 1526, the Bohemian
Estates elected Austrian Arch-Duke Ferdinand I, a member of the Habsburg dynasty, the
Bohemian King. The whole Crown of Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg
monarchy as one of its three principal parts alongside the Archduchy of Austria and the
Kingdom of Hungary. Bohemia came under the Habsburg control and that was the beginning
of the oppression of the Czech nation, language and national life. Jesuit Order was invited
into the Czech Lands in 1556. Probably the best-known king of the Habsburg dynasty was
Rudolf II, a patron to contemporary artists, writers and scientists (the astronomers Tycho de
Brahe, Johannes Kepler, or Edward Kelly worked in Prague under his reign). Rudolf moved
the Habsburg capital from Vienna to Prague and his period is considered to be the Second
Golden age of Prague. Apart from his interests in astrology and alchemy (that were
considered as mainstream scientific fields in Renaissance Europe), Rudolf loved collecting
paintings, sculptures, decorative objects, and mechanical moving devices (ceremonial swords,
musical instruments, clocks, water works, astrolabes, compasses, telescopes, etc.). He kept a
menagerie of exotic animals, botanical gardens, and the most extensive cabinet of curiosities
in Europe. (Cabinets of curiosities, also known as Kunstkabinett, Kunstkammer,
Wunderkammer, Cabinets of Wonder, or wonder-rooms were encyclopaedic collections of
objects belonging to natural history (sometimes faked), geology, ethnography, archaeology,
religious or historical relicts, works of art, and antiques.) Nevertheless, Rudolf’s political
mistakes led directly to the Second Defenestration of Prague in 1618 that started the Thirty
Years’ War.
The Bohemian Revolt, so-called Estate Uprising, against the Catholic Habsburgs that
followed the Defenestration was lost in the Battle at White Mountain in 1620. The leaders
of the Uprising were arrested, 27 of them executed on 21 June 1621 at the Old Town Square
and their estates were confiscated. The Thirty Years’ War quickly spread thorough Central
Europe and had a devastating effect on the local population. After the War, the systematic
process of re-Catholisation began, the German language was given equal rights with the
Czech language and a policy of gradual Germanisation was adopted. The Habsburgs
prohibited all other religions than Catholicism, people were given the choice either to convert
to Catholicism or to leave the country and further confiscation and transfers of property went
on. Consequently, members of foreign families held nearly half of the property of the nobility
in Bohemia and the following period (until the late 18 century) is regarded as the Dark Age of
16
the Czech history. The population of the Czech Lands declined by a third through war,
disease, famine and the expulsion of Protestant Czechs. (Ottoman Turks and Tatars invaded
Moravia in 1663, taking 12,000 slaves. In 1679-1680 the Czech Lands faced another
devastating plague and an uprising of serfs.)
After the death of Charles VI in 1740, Maria Theresa started her 40-year reign.
Saxony, Prussia, Bavaria and France attacked the Habsburg monarchy almost immediately
and hence the War of the Austrian Succession started. Prussian king Frederick the Great
invaded Silesia and conquered it. Prussia (consequently German Empire, the Weimar
Republic and Nazi Germany) retained control of most of Silesia from 1742 until 1945. Only a
small part of Silesia, Austrian Silesia, retained within the Habsburg monarchy. Maria Theresa
implemented significant financial and educational reforms (all children of both genders
from the age of six to twelve had to attend school), promoted commerce and development of
agriculture, implemented significant reforms to strengthen military and bureaucratic
efficiency, all of which strengthened the international position of Austria. However, she
refused to allow religious toleration. The Great Famine, which lasted from 1770 until 1771,
killed about one tenth of the Czech population (250,000 inhabitants) and radicalised the
countryside that led to peasant uprisings.
Her son Joseph II carried on reforms. He abolished serfdom and issued the Patent of
Tolerance (providing limited guarantee of freedom of worship) in 1781. He reduced the
number of religious orders and clergy that he considered unproductive, one third of
monasteries (over 700) were closed, the number of monks and nuns was reduced (from
65,000 to 27,000), and the number of holy days to be observed was sharply cut. Joseph II
issued over 6,000 regulations, laws and patents altogether. (He introduced complete reform of
legal system (abolished brutal punishments and death penalty, introduced principle of equality
of treatment for all offenders), ended censorship of press and theatre, introduced compulsory
elementary education for all boys and girls, scholarships for talented poor students, allowed
establishment of schools for Jews and other religious minorities, rescheduled school holidays
from September and October to July and August, etc.) Most of the reforms were abolished
shortly before or after Joseph’s death in 1790. They were determined to failure from the start
because they tried to change too much in too short time, and tried to change the traditional
customs and relationships radically. Czechs credited Joseph II with educational reforms,
religious toleration and easing of censorship but they denied his policies of centralization and
Germanization that they blamed for causing a decline in Czech culture. The Habsburg
monarchy ranked among the European great powers around the turn of the 18 century.
The end of the 18 century brought the beginning of the process that is termed the
National Revival (or Renaissance). Learned people tried to revive the Czech language and
create Czech national culture, literature and theatre. This period is connected with the names
of František Palacký, Josef Dobrovský, Josef Jungman, Josef Kajetán Tyl, Božena Němcová,
Karel Hynek Mácha, Karel Jaromír Erben, Karel Havlíček Borovský, Václav Matěj
Kramérius and many others. Czech institutions were established to celebrate the Czech
history and culture. A permanent building for the National Museum (established in 1818) was
built by architect Josef Schultz in 1891. The National Theatre built by Josef Zítek was first
opened in 1881 (with the opera Libuše composed by Bedřich Smetana). Two months later, it
17
was destroyed by fire. Architect Josef Schulz took over the reconstruction and the Theatre
was reopened in 1883. Many contemporary artists took part in its decoration such as Josef
Václav Myslbek, Mikoláš Aleš, František Ženíšek, or Vojtěch Hynais.
The Industrial Revolution at the turn of the 18 and 19 centuries transferred the Czech
Lands into the industrial power of the monarchy. Many factories were built such as Vítkovice
ironworks, Škoda factory, Plzeň brewery, Kavalier glass factory, or sugar refineries. Industrial
production was concentrated in Ostrava and Kladno regions (heavy industry and coal mining),
northern Bohemia (glass manufacturing), north-eastern Bohemia (textile industry), or Brno
(machinery). Railway network linked Bohemia and Moravia with Europe.
The beginning of the end of the Habsburg dynasty came with the assassination of
Franz Ferdinand d’Este, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo in 1914, an event
that preceded the First World War. This global war, centred in Europe, started in 1914 and
lasted until 1918. More than 9 million military men and 7 million civilians died as the
consequence of the War. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, paving the way for
major political changes. By the end of the war, the Austro-Hungarian, German, Russian and
Ottoman empires had ceased to exist. Following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after
the First World War, the Czech Lands and Slovakia jointly proclaimed the establishment of
an independent republic. Czechoslovak Republic was proclaimed on 28 October 1918 with
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk as the first president. This new country incorporated Bohemia,
Moravia, part of Silesia and parts of the Kingdom of Hungary (Slovakia and the Carpathian
Ruthenia) with significant German, Hungarian, Polish and Ruthenian minorities. The name
Czechoslovakia was coined to reflect the union of the Czech and Slovak nations within one
country. Czechoslovakia remained the only democracy in Central and Eastern Europe in the
interwar period and ranked among the ten most developed states in the world. The time
between the First and Second World Wars is now called the First Republic. However, the
effects of the Great Depression including high unemployment and massive propaganda from
Nazi Germany resulted in dissatisfaction and strong support among the ethnic Germans for
the break from Czechoslovakia.
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Due to the fear of possible military conflict, Czechoslovakia was left lonely and its
representatives finally had to give in to international pressure and on 30 September 1938
accepted the Munich Agreement signed at the Munich conference by Germany (Adolf
Hitler), Italy (Benito Mussolini), France (Edouard Daladier) and Britain (Neville
Chamberlain). Czechoslovakia was not invited to the conference and felt betrayed by the
United Kingdom and France, so Czechs and Slovaks call the Munich Agreement the Munich
Betrayal because the military alliance Czechoslovakia had with France and Britain proved
useless. Based on the Munich Agreement, Nazi Germany gained the largely German-speaking
Sudetenland. Nevertheless, nothing could turn Adolf Hitler away from his intention to seize
the remainder of Czechoslovakia. Slovakia chose to maintain its national and territorial
integrity proclaiming an independent Slovak State on 14 March 1939 and allying itself with
Hitler. On 15 March 1939, German armies occupied the remaining Czech territory. The
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia as a part of the Great German Reich was established.
Czech universities were closed (17 November 1939), nine student leaders were executed and
about 1,200 college students were sent to concentration camps.
On 1 September 1939, the Second World War broke out with the invasion of
Poland. Czechoslovak pilots gained much credit during the Air Battle of Britain in 1940. The
domestic resistance did not manage to match the pressure from the Gestapo and suffered
heavy losses. After the assassination of the Nazi Protector Heydrich (27 May 1942) Fascist
terror increased even more (executions, annihilation of the village Lidice and settlement
Ležáky). According to Nazi plans, the Czech nation was designated for physical
extermination. On 5 May 1945, the Prague Uprising broke up. On 8 May 1945, Germany
signed total and unconditional surrender. The German occupation of Czechoslovakia ended
on 9 May 1945, with the arrival of the Soviet Red Army to Prague. The estimated number of
victims differs considerably, however most contemporary historians suggest that some 60
million people died, including 20 million military personnel and 40 million civilians. Many of
the civilians died in the consequence of deliberate genocide, massacres, bombing, diseases
and starvation. It is estimated that approximately 12 million people died (were murdered) in
Nazi concentration camps. (The war went on in the Pacific. On 6 and 9 August 1945, the
United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On
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15 August, Japan surrendered with the surrender documents being signed aboard the
American battleship USS Missouri on 2 September 1945 ending the Second World War.)
The after-war Czechoslovak Republic with Eduard Beneš as the president differed
from the First Republic significantly. It lost Carpathian Ruthenia in favour of the Soviet
Union, and German population was transferred from Bohemia and Moravia into defeated
Germany. The property of Germans, collaborators and traitors was confiscated. Mines, key
industry, food processing industry as well as banks and insurance companies were
nationalised. The disillusion with the Western countries (as the result of the Munich
Agreement) together with the gratitude for the liberation of major part of Czechoslovakia by
the Red Army resulted into international relations being oriented towards the Soviet Union.
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia increased rapidly in popularity and gained the
majority in the 1946 elections. On 25 February 1948, the Communist leaders persuaded
president Beneš, who was fearful of civil war and Soviet intervention, to accept the demission
of the democratic parties’ ministers and to appoint a new government in accordance with the
Communist party of Czechoslovakia demands. Hence, the Communist party seized the power
in a legal and constitutional manner. The demission of president Beneš followed and Klement
Gottwald, the leader of the Communist party, was elected the president in June 1948. Hence
Czechoslovakia became a communist-ruled country for the following 41 years. All the events
went on with Soviet backing and meant the end of democracy in Czechoslovakia.
The parliamentary system became a pure formality. Czechoslovakia became a singleparty
communist state under the Soviet influence and control. The country followed the
Soviet model resulting in nationalisation of all enterprises, forced collectivisation of
agriculture, political trials, establishment of working (concentration) camps, confiscation of
property, campaign against churches and declaration of Marxist-Leninist doctrine as the
single official ideology. Thousands of people fled the country to avoid living under the
Communist regime, thousands were fired and thousands were arrested.
In 1968, the increasing dissatisfaction with the regime culminated in the attempts to
reform the communist system. A period of progressive reforms in the area of politics and
economy, known as the Prague Spring of 1968, ended with a Soviet-led invasion of the
“brotherly” armies of the Warsaw Pact countries (with the exception of Romania) on
21 August 1968 and occupation of the country. (The Soviet troops remained in the country
until the collapse of the communist regime during the Velvet Revolution in 1989. The last
Soviet soldiers left the country in 1991.) A period of so-called normalisation followed and
lasted until 1987. It was characterized by initial restoration of the conditions prevailing before
the reform period and subsequent preservation of this state. The principal objectives of
normalization were the restoration of a firm Communist party rule and the reestablishment of
the country status as a committed member of the socialist bloc. During the normalization
process reformers were removed from leadership positions, centralized control over the
economy was re-established, the power of police authorities was strengthened, and
Czechoslovak ties with other socialist nations expanded. The result of the normalisation
process was a political environment that placed primary emphasis on the maintenance of a
stable party leadership and its strict control over the population. The consequences meant
20
huge economic and moral devastation of the country. Czechoslovakia remained a Communist
dictatorship until the collapse of communist regime during the Velvet Revolution of 1989.
The Velvet Revolution resulted in a non-violent transition of power. The period of
radical changes and transition took place from 17 November to 29 December 1989. On
17 November, police brutally suppressed a large student demonstration in Prague. That event
initiated a series of demonstrations from 19 November to late December. The number of
protesters gathered in Prague had grown from 200,000 to an estimated 500,000 by
20 November. The demonstrations against the one-party government joined students and
older dissidents. The entire top leadership of the Communist Party resigned on 24 November.
A two-hour general strike involving all citizens of Czechoslovakia was held on 27 November.
On 29 December 1989, Václav Havel, a former dissident, was elected the President of the
country. In June 1990, Czechoslovakia held its first democratic elections since 1946. The
Czechoslovak Republic moved towards market economy and adopted economic reforms such
as liberalisation of prices, massive privatisation and flat tax.
On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into its constituent states, the
Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The Czech Republic became a member of the
Visegrád Group in 1991, the OECD in 1995, joined NATO in 1999, and European Union in
2004, signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007 and ratified it in 2009 as the last EU member.
21
NATURAL HERITAGE & NATURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION.
Our country can boast thousands of beautiful natural sceneries ranging from majestic
mountains, peaceful hilly areas, clear rivers and water reservoirs, deep forests, romantic
valleys to mysterious underground spaces. The untouched landscape is of a great attraction.
Unfortunately, due to the increasing interest of tourists, the natural scenery is beginning to
change. Hence, a whole range of nature protection activities has been undertaken and laws
have been introduced to ensure the careful use of natural resources, to minimise
environmental impacts, and to protect biodiversity and natural habitats.
UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage defines natural heritage as natural features, geological and physiographical
formations and natural sites which are of outstanding universal value from the point of view
of natural beauty, science and/or conservation. These often create the habitat of threatened
species of animals and plants. A natural site of significant importance to the common heritage
of humanity can be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our country does not have any
area inscribed on the representative UNESCO List as a natural site. The Lednice-Valtice
cultural landscape is inscribed as a site of cultural character.
Recognising the importance of nature protection, the UNESCO Man and the
Biosphere Programme was launched in 1971. The main idea of the Programme is to create
and improve a balanced relationship between man and nature as well as the sustainable
development of the area resulting from the responsible and sustainable use of natural
resources. The World Network of Biosphere Reserves has been created within the
Programme. The term Biosphere Reserve is used to denote an ecosystem with plants and
animals of unusual scientific and natural value and interest, and at the same time it is an area
(proposed by its residents, ratified by a national committee, and designated by the UNESCO
Man and the Biosphere Programme) that presents innovative approaches to living and
working in harmony with nature. The study of human use is an important part of the
Programme. Nature is not isolated from man but it is conserved by using it. The main aims of
the Programme are:
 to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of the relationship between people
and their environment,
 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education,
 to promote innovative approaches to economic development that are socially and
culturally appropriate, and environmentally sustainable,
 to increase the ability of people to manage natural resources efficiently for the wellbeing
of both human population and the environment,
 to protect ecosystems,
 to use natural resources in a sustainable way.
Ideally, the outcome would be a balanced relationship between man and nature as well
as sustainable development of the area resulting from responsible and sustainable use of
natural resources. Achievement of the sustainable balance between conserving biological
diversity, promoting economic development, and maintaining associated cultural values
would mean the fulfilment of one of the primary objectives of the Programme. As for 2015,
22
the World Network includes 651 Biosphere Reserves in 120 countries all over the world,
including 15 transboundary sites.
The Czech Republic can boast six unique areas, including one transboundary, that are
parts of the World Network of BIOSPHERE RESERVES run under the protection of the
UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme.
Křivoklátsko – Křivoklát Region was declared Biosphere Reserve in 1977 and
Protected Landscape Area on the national level in 1978. Covering the area of 628 km2
, it is
predominantly forested highland region. 62 per cent of the total area consist of a wide variety
of broad-leafed and mixed coniferous forest ecosystems, grasslands, pastures, valley
meadows, and agricultural land. The major feature of the landscape is the Berounka River
valley that creates a network of deeply cut canyons, narrow floodplains, terraces, steep slopes
and cliffs. The Reserve provides a great variety of habitats for plant and animal life, it
contains high species diversity (1,800 plant species and 84 native species of trees and shrubs).
The fact that the area served as hunting grounds for royalty helped to limit the extent of
deforestation and human interference. The area contains 24 nature reserves and monuments.
Třeboňsko – Třeboň Basin/Region was declared Biosphere Reserve in 1977 and
Protected Landscape Area in 1979. Covering the area of 700 km2
, it is predominantly flat or
slightly rolling region. A specific feature of the area is an extensive system of fishponds,
shallow artificial lakes. This semi-natural landscape contains 460 artificial fishponds and
lakes, most of them built in the 15 and 16 century. The fishponds are interconnected by a
system of canals and ditches, the Lužnice River is the main river axis of the Reserve. Forests
cover about 50 per cent of the territory. The Reserve is particularly valuable for its important
ecosystems created by various types of wetlands such as fishpond shore zones with reed and
sedges belts, marshes, alder and willow covers, wet meadows, floodplain forests, and various
types of swampland. It is also an important bird area, especially for water birds nesting and
migration. The area contains 33 nature reserves and monuments and two Ramsar sites.
Dolní Morava – Lower Morava covers the area of 354 km2
. Originally it was
declared as Pálava Biosphere Reserve in 1986. In 2003, it was extended and renamed. The
core of the Reserve was declared Protected Landscape Area in 1976. The dominant landscape
features are the Pavlov hills consisting of limestone cliffs and steep slopes covered with
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steppes, forests and grasslands. The Reserve also contains some remnants of floodplain
meadows and forests, and a considerable part has been transformed into an arable land and
vineyards. The area contains 24 nature reserves and monuments and two Ramsar sites.
Šumava – Šumava Mountains were declared Biosphere Reserve in 1977, Protected
Landscape Area in 1979 and National Park in 1991. Covering the area of 1,671 km2
, the
Reserve includes a substantial part of the mountain range that overlaps the border between the
Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Primeval mountain forests, plains, glacial lakes, peat
bogs, rivers and canyons are the main landscape values. Predominantly beech and mountain
spruce forests cover approximately 65 per cent of the Reserve area. In the spring area of the
Blanice River, the most important site for the River Pearl Mussel in our country can be found.
The area contains 89 nature reserves and monuments and a Ramsar site.
Krkonoše/Karkonosze – Giant Mountains, a part of the Sudeten Mountains, were
declared Biosphere Reserve in 1992 and National Park in 1963 already. The Biosphere
Reserve is a mixed mountain and highland system shared by the Czech Republic and Poland.
It is particularly valuable for its numerous mountain meadows with a dense network of
chalets, and a significant infrastructure both for winter and summer sports. The Czech side of
the Reserve covers the area of 548 km2
(the total area of the Reserve is 604 km2
). The area is
famous for its high biodiversity in four vegetation belts, from sub-montane, montane,
subalpine to alpine. The Mountains represent a kind of unique and valuable ecological island
of arctic and alpine ecosystems similar to those in the Alps and north Scandinavia. There are
numerous flower rich mountain meadows, mountain spruce forest, mixed beech-spruce forest,
Alpine tundra, subarctic peat bogs, land covers created by dwarf pine (Pinus mugo) stands,
and glacial kettles.
Bílé Karpaty – White Carpathians were declared Protected Landscape Area in 1980
and Biosphere Reserve in 1996. Covering the area of 715 km2
, it is an area of hills and
uplands representing a cultural landscape with a rich biodiversity and traditional land use
systems. The Biosphere Reserve is particularly valuable for orchid and other rare species rich
grasslands that attract a large number of insects, near-natural temperate broad-leaved forests,
old meadow orchards and solitary fruit trees of different old and local fruit cultivars. The area
contains 52 nature reserves and is rich in traditions and living folklore.
Four NATIONAL PARKS have been declared on the territory of our country. These
parks were established to protect rare and unique plant and animal species. As a general rule,
the system of protection is scaled into three zones/belts, the strictest is set for the first zone,
i.e. prohibition of camping, making fire outside designated areas, road building, entering
outside marked paths, etc.
Established in 1963, the Giant Mountains are our oldest national park. It is an isle of
tundra in the centre of Europe, a unique mosaic of mountain ecosystems. The slopes are
covered with mountain forests and meadows while the upper parts by mountain pines (Pinus
mugo), alpine grasslands and peat associations. Covering the area of 690 km2
, the Šumava
Mountains are our largest national park declared in 1991. It is a fascinating area of peat bogs,
spruce and beech virgin forests, mountain meadows and glacier lakes. The park is also home
to some endangered animals such as lynx, elk or wood grouse. With only 63 km2
, the Valley
24
of the River Dyje is our smallest national park established in 1991. It contains stone fields
and wetlands and is home to 77 types of protected plants such as the velvet plant (verbascum)
or Greater Pasqua flower, and protected animals such as European otter or black stork.
Proclaimed in 2000, Bohemian Switzerland is the youngest national park in the Czech
Republic. Within the park, the sandstone formations on the River Elbe and their biotope are
protected. The largest population of peregrine falcon in central Europe lives on the territory of
the park.
There are also 26 PROTECTED LANDSCAPE AREAS in the country, large areas
of harmonic landscape with a typical relief and a considerable share of natural forest and
grassy ecosystems. Our oldest Protected Landscape Area, Bohemian Paradise, was declared
in 1955 and extended with the Malá Skála and Prachov Rocks areas. In 2005, it became a
member of the Global Geoparks Network. The area is rich in rock towns, caves and precious
stones/gemstones. The youngest Protected Landscape Area, Brdy, was declared on the
territory of a former military district on 1 January 2016. It is protected due to valuable forest
covers, meadows, wetlands, moorlands and tens of brooks. Up to 2016, the youngest one was
the Bohemian Forest declared in 2005. Most of its area was vacated after the forced
expulsion of the predominantly German inhabitants after the Second World War. Being a part
of the Western border zone, it remained nearly uninhabited. Due to this development, it is a
mosaic of deep forests, meadows and pastures little affected by human activities. There are
valuable beech and mixed fir-beech, bog spruce and bog Mountain Pine forests. Beskydy
Mountains is our largest Protected Landscape Area (1,160 km2
) declared in 1973 to protect
mainly well-preserved primeval forests, species rich meadows and pastures, pseudo-karst
elements but also hamlets scattered throughout the area. There is also a stable population of
lynxes, bears and wolves. More than 70 per cent of the area is covered with forests. Our
smallest Protected Landscape Area Blaník (40 km2
) was declared in 1981 to protect the wellpreserved
natural as well as cultural heritage.
The other Protected Landscape Areas are White Carpathians, Blansko Forest,
Broumov Region, Central Bohemian Uplands, Bohemian Karst, Jeseníky Mountains, Jizera
Mountains, Kokořín Region – Mácha Region, Křivoklát Region, Elbe sandstone Formations,
http://geografie.kvalitne.cz/ochrana/velkoplosna2.jpg
25
Litovelské Pomoraví, Lusatian Mountains, Moravian Karst, Eagle Mountains, Pálava, Poodří,
Slavkov Forest, Šumava Mountains, Třeboň Region, Žďár Uplands, and Iron Mountains.
More than one hundred NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES are scattered on the
territory of the country. These are small-scale areas with valuable nature of national or
international importance. The oldest Reserve, Žofín Virgin Forest, was declared in 1838
already. The next ones were declared in 1933 such as Adršpach-Teplice Rocks, Boubín
Virgin Forest, Black and Devil Lakes, Javorina, Mionší, or Razula. The largest one is Praděd,
a complex of natural forest associations and pastures (about 20 km2
). Other National Nature
Reserves include Bohdaneč pond, Milešovka, Radhošť, Rejvíz, or Soos.
More than a hundred NATIONAL NATURE MONUMENTS can be found on our
territory. These are smaller natural structures such as geological formation, mineral deposits,
endangered species habitats, etc. of national or international scientific, ecological or aesthetic
importance. Some of them are American Garden (arboretum), Grandmother’s Valley,
Barrandov Rocks, Bozkov Dolomity Caves, Chropyň Pond, Na Pomezí Cave, Kalendář věků,
Kamenná slunce, Landek, Panská Rock, Pravčice Gate, Rešov waterfalls, Skalky skřítků,
Stránská Rock, Svatoš Rocks, Venus Bowls (Venušiny misky), or Zbrašov Aragonite Caves.
The country can also boast an almost countless Nature Reserves (small-scale areas of
regional importance) and Nature Monuments (similar to National Nature Monument but of
regional importance). Numerous sites are protected within Natura 2000, a network of nature
protection areas on the territory of the European Union. It is created by two types of areas, i.e.
Special Protection Areas (Bird areas) and Sites of Community Importance (Locality of
European importance). As for September 2015, forty-one Bird Areas and 1,075 Localities of
European Importance have been established on our territory.
https://1gr.cz/fotky/idnes/11/032/cl6/TOM2a1d93_snezkals220700.jpg
26
http://www.ham-ham.cz/images/ram/sobes.jpg
http://www.br-sumava.cz/data/File/priroda/15816500-plesnejezero.jpg
http://www.portalymest.cz/obrazky/ceske-svycarsko-10.jpg
27
ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE
It is widely recognised that knowledge and understanding of the origins and
development of human societies is of fundamental importance to humanity in identifying its
cultural and social roots. The archaeological heritage creates the basic record of past human
activities and constitutes an outstanding instrument for a better knowledge and understanding
of the past and for emphasising the cultural diversity that has emerged in the course of history
within any given territory (irrespective of the present-day political context).
Convention for the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage of Europe adopted
by the Council of Europe in 1992 (Valletta, Malta) defines archaeological heritage as all
remains and objects and any other traces of mankind from past epochs. Its study helps to
retrace the history of mankind and its relation with the natural environment. The Convention
emphasises not only the importance of its protection but also its significance for scientific
investigation based on the fact that archaeological heritage serves as a source of the European
collective memory. The archaeological heritage includes structures, constructions, walls,
groups of buildings, sites, monuments, burials, moveable objects such as sculptures or
artefacts, monuments of other kinds as well as their context and creates the basic record of
past human activities. Its protection and proper management is essential to enable scholars to
study and interpret it on behalf of and for the benefit of present and future generations.
Our country used to be settled from prehistoric times. Consequently, it is rich in
archaeological heritage and can boast many significant localities with traces documenting the
life of their inhabitants. Most of them are open to the public although some of them suffered
severe damage in the past such as the Cave Kůlna (damaged by an underground German
armament factory in 1940s), Kotouč near Štramberk (damaged by stone quarry in 19 century),
or oppidum Závist (had to be covered with soil due to the great “interest of prospectors”).
Národní památkový ústav lists 1,671 important archaeological localities on the territory of the
country.
http://www.npu.cz
28
Dolní Věstonice, declared National Cultural Monument, is one of our most famous
and prominent archaeological sites situated on the northern slopes and foothills of the Pavlov
Hills. Following the first accidental finds (ceramic figure of a mammoth,
1923), archaeological research led by Karel Absolon was carried in the
period between 1924 and 1938 and consequently in the course of the 20
century. The research has revealed prehistoric human settlement of
mammoth hunters dating back to the Palaeolithic era consisting of traces of
several oval or round huts as well as a collection of ceramic figures. The
most valuable of them is the figure of a nude female, so called Venus of
Dolní Věstonice (1925), the oldest known ceramic article in the world
dating back to 29-25,000 BP. Apart the Venus, other more than 2,000
figures have been found including figures of bear, lion, mammoth, horse,
fox, rhino, or owl. Within the site, a unique triple-grave has been revealed
containing skeletons of a woman and two men (1986). A fortified settlement and a vast burial
ground of Old Slavs from the Great Moravian period was revealed in the vicinity of Dolní
Věstonice. (http://g.cz/sites/default/files/g/2015/02/profimedia-0122772358-1.jpg)
Předmostí u Přerova is one of the largest and most significant localities in central
Europe. The area was settled in primeval times already. A world-renowned prehistoric fossil
site from the Stone Age was discovered on the hill called Hradisko. First findings of bones of
large Pleistocene mammals date back to the 16 century. Intensive excavations in the area were
conducted between 1880 and 1930s, and then in several periods during the second half of the
20 century. Traces of settlement with associated burial ground with some 20 burials have
been discovered. The non-human fossils are mostly mammoth but also reindeer, horse, wolf,
bear and dog. The site is dated to between 27,000 and 25,000 BP.
Stránská skála, declared National Nature Monument, is a 1,500 metre long and
400 metre wide hill built from Jurassic limestone. It is an important paleontological site
dating to approximately 600,000 BP rich in caves and fossil animals (bones of birds, bears,
rhinos, bisons, horses, and animal fossils such as ostracods, bivalves, fishes). The site is
unique in that it has been a particularly abundant source of prehistoric artefacts especially
stone tools (29,000 to 22,000 BP). The oldest fireplace (250,000 BP) was also discovered on
the site.
Pekárna, a cave in Moravian Karst, boasts findings from approximately 13,000 BP
including several fireplaces, horse or reindeer bones, numerous stone tools and weapons, and
bone tools. The site is also a source of prehistoric artefacts such as female figures and
engravings on horse ribs featuring bison fight and grazing horses.
http://home.tiscali.cz/lucka/rytiny.jpg
Kůlna, a cave in Moravian Karst, is the largest cave settlement in our country
(92 metres long) and among the most important localities in central Europe. Thousands of
29
stone tools, bones of a mammoth and reindeer as well as tools made of them were discovered
in the Cave. In addition, skeletal remains of a Neanderthal man over 40,000 years old were
also revealed.
Kotouč u Štramberka used to be an important archaeological site, today completely
destroyed by limestone quarry. A hillfort from the late Bronze Age was situated on its top. It
was fortified by double earthwork and ditches. The findings include bronze vessels, axes,
dagger, wristband, etc. A famous jaw bone of a Neanderthal child (40,000 BP) was found in
the nearby Šipka Cave as well as tools, fireplace, and bones of a mammoth.
Březno u Loun archaeological site is an important poly-cultural locality documenting
the development of human settlement and culture from the Neolithic period (10,200-2,000
B.C.) until the early Middle Ages (5-11 century). Excavations have been carried on the site
since 1950s. Several cultures are documented here, i.e. the Linear Pottery culture (Neolithic
settlement; 10,200-2,000 B.C.), Funnelbeaker and Globular Amphora cultures
(Eneolithic/Chalcolithic settlement; 4,200-2,200 B.C.), Unetice culture (Bronze Age
settlement, hillfort, grave field; 2,300 – 1,600 B.C.), Knovíz culture (Bronze Age settlement;
part of Urnfield culture), Hallstatt settlement (700 – 450 B.C.), Germanic settlement (Roman
period) and early Slavonic settlement. An open-air museum has been established on the place
of the prehistoric settlement presenting a collection of reconstructed prehistoric and early
medieval age dwellings.
Býčí skála in Moravian Karst is an important archaeological site where an Upper
Palaeolithic settlement from around 40,000-10,000 BP was discovered in 1860s. The site
gained European fame due to the statuette of a bronze bull found in
1872. In 1870s, a large Hallstatt culture site was excavated. The site
contained animal and material offerings, crops, textiles, ceramic and
sheet-metal vessels, jewellery, glass and amber beads. The cave
contains a Neolithic picture, currently the oldest cave painting known
in the Czech Republic. It depicts a geometrical shape painted in
charcoal on the cave wall (5,200 years old).
http://bigbloger.lidovky.cz/blog/12889/337726/DSC09877.JPG
Oppidum Stradonice (near Beroun) was one of the most important Celtic oppida on
the territory of our country. (Oppidum is a large city-sized fortified Iron Age (La Tène)
settlement emerging during the 2 and 1 centuries B.C.) Celts settled here in the mid-2 century
B.C. and built their settlement on a hill called Hradiště situated on a trade route along the
Berounka River. A clay form for casting gold coins was found in its basement as well as
about 200 gold coins called “rainbow cups”. Iron and bronze were melted here and enamel
was used for decoration of metal products. Stradonice also used to be a trade centre as ancient
coins, writing implements and Roman vessels, rings and wine amphoras were found.
Závist used to be the largest oppidum in Bohemia (up to 120 hectares) situated on a hill
Hradiště on a bank of the river Vltava opposite Zbraslav. Celts settled here in the 2 century
B.C. and the oppidum used to be the seat of Celtic elite. Remains of a loom, a smithy, kitchen
ceramics and even imported glass and bronze vessels were found here. It was seized and
30
settled by Germanic tribes in the 1 century, a small Slavonic grave fields from the 7 century
was also discovered. Excavations have been carried in the area since 1960s.
The cadastre of today already extinct village Mušov (flooded to build the Nové Mlýny
reservoir in 1980s) is a site of a number of archaeological localities from different periods.
The most important among them is the one from Roman period. In the 2 century A.D., there
used to be a Roman military settlement on the hill called Hradisko (situated above the former
village). The research on the site started in 1927. Remnants of two masonry buildings,
preatorium (general’s tent) and balneum (bath), including hypocaustum (underfloor heating)
were discovered then. In 1988, a richly equipped tomb of a Germanic chieftain was found
near to the hill (silver, bronze and glass vessels, silver and gold decorations, weapons, Roman
and Germanic ceramics) as well as a Slavic burial and numerous archaeological discoveries
from various periods of prehistory. (Thanks to the efforts of conservationists, it was decided
to preserve the late Romanesque Church of Saint Leonard from the 12 century, now standing
on a small island in the middle of the Věstonice Reservoir. The abandoned island is an
important bird nesting spot and a protected area listed in the ecological network Natura 2000.)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IMG_0112a_Stradonice_m.jpg
31
CULTURAL HERITAGE – ARCHITECTURE
Although historically considered one of the five main fine arts (painting, sculpture,
architecture, music and poetry) created primarily for aesthetic and intellectual purposes and
judged for its beauty and meaningfulness, architecture is nowadays considered to be one of
the applied arts. It is the art and science of designing buildings and creation of objects where
the practical considerations of use are essential.
Romanesque style originated in Italy at the end of the 9 century. It was applied on our
territory until the first half of the 13 century. First stone structures such as churches,
monasteries, castles, town houses and fortifications were built during the Romanesque period.
Main architectural elements were semi-arch and barrel vault. Numerous ecclesiastic structures
originated, i.e. rotundas (small round churches) and basilicas (large churches).
Gothic style originated in France in the 12 century. It first appeared in the Czech
Lands in the first half of the 13 century and was usual until the early 16 century. Its main
architectural elements include broken (cross, rib) vault and pillars/columns. Cathedrals (tall
ecclesiastic structures), castles and bridges were built. The phases of the development of
Gothic architecture in the Czech Lands are often named after the then ruling dynasty:
 Early Gothic – Přemyslid Gothic (13 to early 14 century, Ottokar II of Bohemia)
 High Gothic – Luxembourg Gothic (14 to early 15 century, Charles IV, Wenceslas IV)
 Late Gothic – Jagiellonian Gothic (15 to 1526, Vladislaus and Ludwig)
The most significant Gothic architects who worked in the Czech Lands were Peter Parler
and Benedikt Rejt/Ried.
Renaissance style originated in Italy (Florence) in the early 15 century as the
demonstration of revival and development of certain elements of classical antiquity, i.e.
ancient Greek and Roman ideological and material culture. It drew on the wealth and power
of the Italian courts and was a blend of secular and religious forces. Bricks became the main
building material and main architectural elements include facades decorated with sgraffito
(figural or ornamental, inspired by the Bible or ancient mythology), decorated house gables,
arcaded courtyards, barrel vault and columns and pilasters. Chateaux, comfortable homes for
nobility were built. As the result of Hussite Wars, Renaissance entered our territory only in
the late 15 century. The Renaissance architecture coexisted with the Gothic style in Bohemia
and Moravia until the late 16 century (e.g. the residential part of a palace was built in the
modern Renaissance style but its chapel was designed with Gothic elements).
Baroque style originated in Italy in the late 16 century to express the triumph of the
Catholic Church and the absolutist state. Baroque architecture was a visible statement of the
wealth and power of the Church. Baroque style had found its secular expression in the form of
grand palaces by the middle of the 17 century. Main architectural elements were rich shapes,
domes, colonnades, monumental staircases, expensive materials, statues, rich interiors,
splendid painted decoration and contrast of light and dark. It was characterised by its
extensiveness and extraordinariness. Baroque architecture arrived into the Czech Lands in the
17 century and it also changed the character of the Czech countryside (churches and chapels
in the Czech countryside are mostly Baroque). The leading architects of the Bohemian High
32
Baroque style were Christoph and Killian Ignaz Dientzenhofers, and Johann Blasius
Santini-Aichel.
GREAT MORAVIA
Structures from the oldest periods have not survived. We only have the archaeological
findings that give us the basis for deductions of how our ancestors lived. The earliest
architectural monuments on our territory date from the pre-Romanesque period. The remnants
were discovered on the territory of Great Moravia, e.g. rotunda and church in Mikulčice. The
churches were made of stone, both innerly and outerly plastered and roofed with burned tiles.
The centres of Great Moravia were well-defended fortified settlements built by the
local Slavs both on elevated positions and lower areas like wet grounds and river islands.
Most Great Moravian castles were rather large hill forts fortified by wooden palisades, stone
walls and in some cases, moats. The typical Great Moravian ramparts combined an outer
drystone wall with an internal timber structure filled with earth. The fortifications usually
formed several adjoining enclosures, with the elite buildings concentrated in the centre and
crafts in the outer enclosures. Most buildings were made of timber, but ecclesiastical
(religious) and residential parts were made of stone. In many cases, prehistoric fortifications
were also integrated.
The Great Moravian settlements can be divided into four main categories. The most
important were localities with central functions like Mikulčice, Staré Město – Uherské
Hradiště, and Nitra, where several castles and settlements formed a huge fortified (pre-)urban
agglomeration. The system of fortified settlements further included fortified regional
administrative centres, forts with primary guarding and defence function and forts that
were not inhabited permanently but were used in the case of danger. The largest forts were
usually protected by a chain of smaller forts. Smaller forts were also built to protect trade
routes and to provide shelter for peasants in case of a military attack. The existence of
nobleman courts like in Ducové (Slovakia) and in other places is also documented.
Although location of the Great Moravian capital has not been identified, Mikulčice
with its palace and 12 churches is the most widely accepted candidate. Its central fortified
area or Acropolis was set on an island in the Morava River and surrounded by a stone rampart
that enclosed an area of 6 hectares (extensive extramural settlement of 200 ha stood
unfortified). An important settlement was a large agglomeration in Pohansko near Břeclav.
Sacral architecture
First researchers assumed only existence of simple wooden churches. These were
suitable for initial missionary activities because of easy availability of materials, quick
construction and no need for consecration. This opinion was refined in 1949 after the
excavations of stone churches in Staré Město. Until 2014, more than 25 sacral buildings have
been safely identified in the core territory of Great Moravia (Moravia and Western Slovakia).
The remains of the first uncovered churches were only “negatives” (ditches filled with
secondary material), but later research also uncovered remains of buildings with original
foundations.
33
The Great Moravian sacral architecture is represented by a rich variety of types from
three-nave basilica, simple rotunda without apses, rotunda with two apses, tetraconchic
rotunda, i.e. with four apses (all in Mikulčice) and a whole group of one-nave churches and
rotundas with one apse. Mikulčice with 12 churches clearly dominates among all the other
localities with the first stone churches built around 800. The three-nave basilica from
Mikulčice with the inside dimensions 35 m by 9 m and a separate baptistery is the largest
sacral building found. The current dating of several churches precedes the Byzantine mission.
The churches were decorated mostly by fresco paintings. The open air museum in Modrá
(near Uherské Hradiště) is devoted to Great Moravian architecture.
Mikulčice: http://www.cmstory.cz/uploads/media/5542309edd4f9_poi_005.jpeg
Uherské Hradiště: https://1gr.cz/fotky/idnes/12/113/cl6/RAS47616f_150015_3419933.jpg
ROMANESQUE STYLE
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that started
developing after 1000 and culminated in the first half of the 13 century. (It developed in the
13 century into the Gothic style, marked by pointed arches.) It is marked by its massiveness
and relatively little diversity. Windows and door openings are small with semi-circular arches.
The most characteristic feature is the so called arch frieze beneath the main cornice.
34
Characteristic features of Romanesque structures include thick walls, round arches, sturdy
pillars, barrel vaults, large towers and decorative arcading. Each building has clearly defined
forms, frequently of very regular, symmetrical plan. The overall appearance is the one of
simplicity.
Many castles were built during this period, but they are greatly outnumbered by
churches. These range from tiny chapels to large churches. The most significant are great
abbey churches, many of which are still standing more or less complete and frequently in use.
(The following Gothic period partly or entirely rebuilt, extended or altered most Romanesque
churches.) Survivals of unfortified Romanesque secular houses and palaces and domestic
quarters of monasteries are far rarer. Many castles exist, the foundations of which date from
the Romanesque period. Most have been substantially altered, and many are in ruins.
Romanesque architecture in the Czech Lands creates the first phase of the
development of architecture on our territory with preserved buildings (from the previous, the
Great Moravian, period only archaeological findings have been preserved). The first stone
buildings, particularly churches and monasteries originated, and toward the end of the period
also first castles and urban buildings (fortifications, houses). Around mid-13 century, Gothic
slowly started to gain ground.
The oldest stone building on our territory used to be the Church of Saint Clement in
Levý Hradec built by Prince Bořivoj in 880s. Only is foundations have survived up to present.
The first actually preserved stone building is the Rotunda of Saints Peter and Paul in Budeč
built on the order of Prince Spytihněv I in about 895.
The Basilica of Saint George, founded by Vratislaus I in 920, is the oldest surviving
church building within the Prague castle. It was enlarged with the first Bohemian Monastery,
the Benedictine Abbey of Saint George in 973. A Gothic style chapel dedicated to Ludmila of
Bohemia holds the tomb of the Saint.
The Rotunda of Saint Vitus was established around 930 by Prince Wenceslas as his
private church and to house the holy relic (the arm) of Saint Vitus. Saint Wenceslas was
buried in the south apse, and the relics of Saint Adalbert were committed to the church in
1038. The tomb of Saint Wenceslas was incorporated into the new Romanesque three-nave
https://img.signaly.cz/photos/007000/7635/a988fb933c1
45773.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3
/33/Single_vault_001.png
35
Rotunda of Saint Catherine: http://www.nppodyji.cz/uploads/gallery/original/229.jpg
basilica built in 1060-1096, and Saint Wenceslas Chapel was built above the original Saint
Wenceslas grave. The Basilica is the predecessor of the contemporary Cathedral of Saints
Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert.
The first mention considering the Rotunda of Saints Peter and Paul in Starý
Plzenec dates back to 976. The Rotunda of Saint Catherine in Znojmo, built shortly before
1100, is the only remains of the Přemyslid castle. Its interior is covered with 11-century
frescoes depicting biblical scenes and illustrating the life of Přemyslids. The Rotunda of
Saint George on the top of the Říp Mountain was first mentioned in 1126 when the original
church dedicated to Saint Adalbert was reconstructed and extended. It follows that the church
was founded around 1039 when the relicts of Saint Adalbert were brought to Prague.
MONASTIC ORDERS
The representatives of the first monastic order, the Benedictines, came to the Czech
Lands at the end of the 10 century. They built new monasteries, usually with an impressive
monastery church in a form of three-nave basilica and frequently on sites of abandoned Slavic
Starý Plzenec:
http://wiki.rvp.cz/@api/deki/files/13395/=rotunda2.jpg
Říp: http://www.archizone.cz/wp-
content/uploads/2015/08/rotunda-sv-jiri-1024x768.jpg
36
fortified settlements. The first monastery established on the Czech territory was the Břevnov
Monastery founded in 993 of which the Romanesque crypt has survived. In 1115, the
Kladruby Monastery was founded with the three-nave Basilica of Virgin Mary (it has been
preserved in a Baroque adaptation by Santini).
New monastic as well as military orders were called to the Czech Lands in the
12 century. These included mainly Premonstratensians, Cistercians, or Order of Malta
(Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, or
Sovereign Military Order of Malta).
The Strahov Premonstratensian Monastery was established in 1140 and the
Doksany Premonstratensian Convent in the same year. Next to the Bridge of Judith, the
Commandry of the Order of Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem was established in
1150s-60s. The complex had the form of a fortified castle surrounded with ramparts and
included a three-nave basilica, hospital, convent, parish school, bathhouse, or brewery. The
Cistercian Monastery in Sedlec was established in 1142 and in Plasy in 1144.
The Premonstratensian Monastery in Louka (Znojmo) was established by Conrad II,
the Duke of Bohemia in 1190. It was plundered by the Hussites in 1425. Basilica of Saint
Procopius (Třebíč) was built on the place of the original Chapel of Virgin Mary in the period
between 1240 and 1280 as a part of the Benedictine monastery. (It was put on the UNESCO
list in 2003.)
Castle Přimda is a ruin of the oldest known stone castle on our territory. It was built
by Vladislaus I in 1121. The oldest written document about its existence is in the Chronica
Boëmorum written by Cosmas of Prague. The Zdík Palace, also known as the Přemyslid
Palace, was built by the Bishop of Olomouc Jindřich Zdík in 1130s. The torso of the
Romanesque palace is a part of the Castle complex situated on the Wenceslas Hillock.
Wenceslas III, the last male member of the Přemyslid dynasty, was killed there in 1306. The
Cheb Castle is a Romanesque Pfalz built for the Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa around 1180.
Its Romanesque-Gothic Chapel of Saints Erhard and Ursula is an architectural rarity. Each
floor of the two-storey object represents a different style. The lower floor is Romanesque, the
upper one is early Gothic.
Zdík Palace:
http://www.muo.cz/gfx/contentimg/0040_0428.jpg
http://www.olmuart.cz/gfx/contentimg/0653_4066.jpg
Přimda:
http://www.envic.cz/upload/9235-120458.jpg
37
http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soubor:Gotic
3d2.jpg
GOTHIC STYLE
Gothic architecture is an architectural style of the high and late medieval Europe that
originated in the 12-century France and lasted into the 16 century. (It was succeeded by
Renaissance style.) A typical Gothic building is built from stone and its main characteristic
feature is verticality, slenderness pointing upwards suggesting an aspiration to the God and
Heaven. The style is marked by pointed arch, ribbed vault, clustered columns, flying buttress,
and towers and spires. Also Gothic openings such as doorways, windows, arcades and
galleries have pointed arches. Vertical mouldings around doors, figurative sculpture, and
plastic details with figural, animal, and plant themes are also typical. Tall narrow windows
with pointed arches should resemble the hands clasped in prayer. They are often infilled with
stained glass usually depicting narratives from the Bible, or life of Christ, or representing
saints or patrons. Some windows are round and are called rose windows. They are usually
very large and situated above the portal. The roofline, gable ends, buttresses and other parts of
the building are often terminated by small pinnacles. Gargoyles, typically in the form of
grotesque, are another frequent decoration designed with the aim to convey water from a roof
and away from the side of a building. The Gothic style developed primarily in ecclesiastical
architecture, i.e. numerous great cathedrals, abbeys and churches, but its principles and
characteristic forms were also applied in many castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls,
universities, city walls and bridges.
The greatest number of surviving Gothic buildings are churches ranging from tiny
chapels to large cathedrals. Although many have been extended and altered in different styles,
a large number remains either substantially intact or sympathetically restored, demonstrating
the form, character and decoration of Gothic architecture.
The Gothic style penetrated the Czech Lands in the first half of the 13 century. Many
monasteries, convents, cities, towns and villages were founded. It was the time of
colonization of the still uninhabited areas of the Kingdom.
EARLY GOTHIC – PŘEMYSLID GOTHIC
(13 to early 14 century, Ottokar II of Bohemia)
The oldest Gothic building in Prague is the Convent of Saint Agnes founded in 1231
by the Bohemian Princess Agnes of Bohemia (later canonised). It was the first convent of the
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Soi
ssons_cathedral_120.JPG
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Poor Clares outside Italy. The Church of Saint Francis, the first church of this convent, was
completed in 1234 and it is said to be the oldest vaulted mendicant (begging) order church
north of the Alps.
The Church of the Premonstratensian Abbey in Teplá consecrated in 1232 is one of
the oldest Gothic churches in Bohemia. Another important Early Gothic building is the
Cistercian Monastery in Osek with its unique Chapter Hall. The first Gothic building in
Moravia was the Cistercian Convent Porta Coeli in Předklášteří u Tišnova founded by
Constance of Hungary, Queen of Bohemia in 1233. There are the oldest traceries of rose
windows in the Czech Lands and a very fancy portal built in the style of French cathedrals.
The Cistercian monasteries Zlatá Koruna (founded in 1263) and Vyšší Brod (founded in
1259) were completed in the High Gothic style. A very precious Early Gothic Chapter hall
from 1285 has been preserved in Vyšší Brod.
The Basilica of Saint Procopius in Třebíč (former Benedictine Abbey church) is
considered to be the most bizarre work of the European architecture of the second third of the
13 century. Its architecture is a unique mixture of Romanesque and Gothic style. It was not
built in the transitional Romanesque-Gothic style but the builders used elements of both styles
in their mature forms and hence created a building which is purely Romanesque and purely
Gothic at the same time. Therefore it is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In the second half of the 13 century, the Stone Bridge in Písek spanning the Otava
River was built. It is the oldest bridge in our country and one of two oldest bridges in Central
Europe. It is about 110 metres long and 6.25 metres wide. It is built on six pillars, has seven
arches, and is decorated with Baroque statues and a cross.
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Zvíkov Castle has a central court surrounded by arcades in two levels inspired by the
cloister – a typical element of the monastic architecture. The Chapel of Saint Wenceslas,
completed in 1270, is a masterpiece of early-Gothic architecture with mural decorations
depicting the patron saints of Bohemia, the Virgin Mary the Protector, the Suffering Christ
and the Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus.
The royal Bezděz Castle with its beautiful chapel was built between 1260-1280 and it
used to be one of the most important Gothic castles in the Czech Lands until its destruction in
the Thirty Year’s War. It is the only preserved example of an unaltered castle of the
13 century.
Other important early-Gothic castles include Křivoklát Castle in Bohemia, and
Špilberk, Veveří, Buchlov or Hulvaldy in Moravia.
Old New Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of the Old Town was built around 1270 by
the stonemasons from the royal workshop who also built the Convent of Saint Agnes. This
twin-nave synagogue is one of the oldest preserved in Europe and the oldest still active in
Europe.
HIGH GOTHIC – LUXEMBOURG GOTHIC
(14 to early 15 century, Charles IV, Wenceslas IV)
The High Gothic period in the Czech Lands started during the reign of the King
Wenceslas II in the 1290s. In that time the Gothic style in the Czech Lands changed. The new
buildings started to emphasize the verticality and light very strongly.
The Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist was
built in the Cistercian Abbey in Sedlec around 1300. Although it was rebuilt in the 18 century
in the Baroque Gothic style, its presbytery, main nave and transept did not lose their original
appearance. It is considered to be one of the first High Gothic buildings in our country
(UNESCO). A very similar church was built in the Cistercian Monastery in Zbraslav. In its
time it was the biggest church in Bohemia, 104 meters long. The Zbraslav Cathedral was
destroyed during the Hussite Wars.
The heyday of the High Gothic art in the Czech Lands came with Charles IV. He
became the Holy Roman Emperor and hence Prague became the imperial residence. His reign
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was one of the very few periods when Czech art was at comparable level with the European
development and even became the leading force in the development of European art.
Charles IV founded many new buildings such as the most important High Gothic
building in the country – Saint Vitus Cathedral (founded by him, his father King John and
the Prague Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice) in 1344. The first architect was a Frenchman
Matthias of Arras. After his death Peter Parler (who came from Germany) became the
architect of the Cathedral and changed the older plans. He built a net vault (rib vault) in the
main nave, one of the first net vaults in continental Europe. One of the most precious spaces
of the cathedral is the Chapel of Saint Wenceslas which resembles the Chapel of the Holy
Cross at the Karlštejn Castle in central Bohemia. Charles IV also ordered to rebuild the Old
Royal Palace at the Prague Castle.
Charles Bridge is the second oldest stone bridge in the country. The Bridge as well as
its Old Town Bridge Tower are also the works of Petr Parler. The Tower is one of the largest
and most beautiful Gothic gates in Europe.
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The most important Czech High Gothic castle is the Karlštejn Castle built in the
period between 1348 and 1357 and decorated until 1367. The most valuable part of the Castle
is its unique Chapel of the Holy Cross. It has walls decorated with precious stones and
129 panel paintings of saints created by Master Theodoric of Prague (also Dittrich or
Dětřich). Its golden ceiling resembles the sky with stars, sun and moon. The most precious
holy relics and jewels of the Kingdom of Bohemia and Holy Roman Empire were kept there.
During the reign of Wenceslaus IV, the Gothic style changed a bit into the so-called
International Gothic that was characterized by replacing monumentality with elegance
(therefore it is also known as the Beautiful style). Typical structures of the International
Gothic architecture were hall churches. They usually had thin tall columns supporting the
vault, nave and side aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single huge
roof. In contrast to a traditional basilica that lets in light through a clerestory, a high section of
wall that contains windows in the upper part of the nave, a hall church is lit through
windowed side walls typically spanning the full height of the interior. Typical examples are
the south-Bohemian two-nave churches of Saint Giles in Třeboň, Saint Vitus in Soběslav,
and the three-nave Saint Vitus in Český Krumlov built after 1407 as a hall church with a net
vault in the main nave. The king himself ordered to rebuild the Italian Court in Kutná Hora
and to build the Točník Castle as his private residence. Točník was built above the already
existing Žebrák Castle after the large fire that destroyed it.
LATE GOTHIC – JAGIELLONIAN GOTHIC
(15 century to 1526, Vladislaus and Ludwig)
The heyday of the High Gothic architecture in the Crown of Bohemia was stopped by
the outbreak of the Hussite Wars in 1419. Many churches, monasteries and castles were burnt
down and many new buildings were left unfinished (such as the Cathedral of Saint Vitus at
the Prague Castle). The amazing fortification system of the Hussite town Tábor is probably
the only precious architectural work of that time. There was not enough money to build any
precious buildings during the Wars and many years after them. The only important
monuments of that time in Prague are the Church of Our Lady before Týn that was used as
the main Hussite church in Bohemia and whose building continued after the Wars (began by
Parler workshop in the 14 century, completed in 1510s under Matěj Rejsek), and the higher
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tower of the gate of the Charles Bridge in the Lesser Town that was built at the expense of
King George after 1464.
The situation of the Czech art caused by the Wars and political instability was
improved after 1471 when a Catholic Polish prince Vladislaus Jagiellon (grandson of
Bohemian Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg, granddaughter of Charles IV) became the new
king of Bohemia and especially after 1485 when religious freedom was approved (for
Catholics and Hussites) and hence the religious Wars finally ended. While the Renaissance
style flourished in Italy, the Czech art returned in its style to the legacy of the old Gothic
masters (it was also the case of Austria, Bavaria, Saxony or England). Although they still used
the Gothic style, they slowly started to mix it with Renaissance elements. (The Jagiellonian
Gothic may also be regarded as the early phase of the Renaissance style in Bohemia.)
The most important architect of the Czech late Gothic style was Benedikt Rejt who
rebuilt the Prague Castle. His masterpiece is the Vladislav Hall in the Old Royal Palace at the
Prague Castle completed in 1502. It was the largest secular vaulted space (62m x 16m x 13m)
at least in Central Europe. The complex stone vaulting system built without inner supporting
columns spanned 16 metres. The third and highest floor of the palace, the Hall, was built
above the Gothic second floor (Charles IV), and the lowest first floor is a Romanesque palace.
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Benedikt Rejt also completed the Church of Saint Barbara in Kutná Hora using a
vault very similar to the vault of the Vladislav Hall. This church has a typical late Gothic tent
roof. The Church was completed by another important late Gothic architect Matěj Rejsek who
was of Czech origin. Rejsek also built the Gunpowder Gate in Prague in 1475–84 that was
inspired by the Old Town Bridge Tower.
The term Gothic originated as a pejorative description meaning “barbarous German
style”. The term was attributed to the preceding period by Italian humanists (Giorgio Vasari)
who considered its architectural features primitive and barbarous and described it as “the art
of Goths”. The Goths conquered and destroyed Rome and hence they were associated with
barbarism. (The style was called ogival (ogive = pointed arch) in France.)
RENAISSANCE STYLE
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15 and
early 17 centuries demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of
ancient Greek and Roman architecture. Developed first in Florence, it quickly spread to other
Italian cities. The style was carried to other parts of Europe at different dates and with varying
degrees of impact. The European Renaissance marked the transition between the late Middle
Ages and Early Modern times.
Renaissance style places emphasis on symmetry, geometry and regularity of parts that
mirror in neat arrangements of columns, pilasters and lintels. The plans of Renaissance
buildings have a square, symmetrical layout. The main features include the attic, joint
windows in a common frame, arcades, semi-circular arches, domes, niches and aedicules as
well as paintings or sgrafitti. Vaults do not have ribs, they are semi-circular and on a square
plan. There is a regular repetition of openings on each floor, and the centrally placed door is
marked by a feature such as a balcony. The dome is used frequently, both as a very large
structural feature that is visible from the exterior, and also as a means of roofing smaller
spaces where they are only visible internally. Internal walls are smoothly plastered and
surfaced with lime wash. For more formal spaces, internal surfaces are decorated with
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frescoes. External walls are generally constructed of brick, rendered or faced with stone laid
in straight courses. The corners of buildings are often emphasised by quoins (blocks at the
corner of a wall). Buildings are often topped by a cornice. The effort to make the environment
more agreeable and comfortable is significant, noble mansions and palaces were built,
religious monuments were relatively rare.
The Renaissance style flourished in the Czech Lands from the late 15 century to the
first half of the 17 century, i.e. in the early-Modern period. It was accepted slower and its
development was delayed in comparison with Italy. It was partly caused by the situation in the
Czech Crown after the Hussite Wars. The Bohemian/Hussite Reformation was suspicious of
the influences coming from the papal Italy and rather respected the traditional values
expressed with the older Gothic style. The Gothic style kept its position especially in the
church architecture as it was considered timeless and therefore able to express the eternity of
the God. The Renaissance style first appeared in the Bohemian Kingdom in the 1490s and the
first examples of Renaissance architecture can be found in the domains of the Catholic
aristocracy or the Catholic king. Renaissance architecture coexisted with the Gothic style in
Bohemia and Moravia until the late 16 century (e. g. the residential part of a palace was built
in the modern Renaissance style but its chapel was designed with Gothic elements). The
facades of Czech Renaissance buildings were often decorated with sgraffiti (figural or
ornamental). The decorations usually drew inspiration from the Bible or ancient mythology.
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The earliest known elements of Renaissance architecture in the Czech Lands are the
portals of two Moravian castles in Moravská Třebová and Tovačov. Vladislav Hall, the
newly built great ceremonial hall at Prague castle, has been illuminated by a row of big
rectangular windows that are the earliest Renaissance architectural elements in Prague. One of
them bears the date 1493. The architect of Vladislav Hall was Benedikt Rejt who also built
the Louis’ Wing of the Royal Palace (1503–1509), considered the oldest Renaissance
residential building in Bohemia.
The direct influence of the Italian Renaissance architecture came first after the
accession of Ferdinand I of Habsburg to the Bohemian throne. Ferdinand built the Royal
Summer Palace (also known as Belvedere) in the newly established Royal Garden of Prague
Castle in 1538–1563. The Summer Palace with relief decorations and arcades in the basement
that support the large balcony is considered the purest sample of the Italian Renaissance
architecture north of the Alps. Star Villa is another summer palace for the royal family that
was built on the White Mountain near Prague in the shape of a six-pointed star in 1555–1558.
The transformation of medieval Prague into a Renaissance city was accelerated by the
great fire of the Lesser Town, Hradčany and Prague Castle in 1541. After the fire, many
originally civic houses were rebuilt into aristocratic residences, e. g. the Schwarzenberg
Palace, Martinic Palace and Palace of the lords of Hradec, all of them with rich
embellished sgraffito facades.
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In the 16 century the humanist-educated nobility moved from uncomfortable Gothic
castles to newly built spacious Renaissance chateaux with elegant arcade courtyards and
geometrically arranged gardens with fountains and statues. Emphasis was placed on comfort,
and buildings for entertainment purposes also appeared (such as ball-game halls or summer
houses). The most significant Czech Renaissance chateaux are Litomyšl, Telč, Český
Krumlov, Kratochvíle, Jindřichův Hradec, Nelahozeves, Opočno, Velké Losiny, and
many others.
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Numerous towns are famous for their Renaissance urban architecture such as Český
Krumlov, Telč, Pardubice, Jindřichův Hradec, Slavonice, Chrudim and Prachatice. Also
many town halls were built in the Renaissance style such as Litoměřice, Nymburk,
Prostějov, Stříbro, Plzeň, Hradčany and the Lesser Town.
Pardubice:
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ia/commons/thumb/8/85/Pardubice_
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Slavonice:
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nice_pro34855.jpg
Litoměřice:
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Plzeň:
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riginal/8456008.jpg
Prachatice:
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Nymburk:
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Hradčany:
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kacesta.cz/data/media/foto/l
arge/img_9704.jpg
Český Krumlov:
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Stříbro:
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During the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor and Bohemian King Rudolph II, the city
of Prague became one of the most important European centres of the late Renaissance art (socalled
Mannerism). The Italian architect Giovanni Maria Philippi rebuilt and extended the
New Royal Palace. Only some parts of it have been preserved such as Matthias Gate (that is
due to its overall impression and monumentality also considered to be one of the first Baroque
structures in the country) or Spanish Hall. Very important late Renaissance building is the
Italian Chapel of the Assumption of Virgin Mary adjoining the Jesuit College
Clementinum.
Sacral architecture
As the result of the Bohemian Reformation, the position of the church institutions was
very weak. During the Hussite Wars (1419–1434) many monasteries were destroyed or lost
their goods. Their property was secularised and the church institutions in Bohemia did not
have enough resources (until the 17 century) to finance the construction of new religious
buildings. Therefore, the Renaissance ecclesiastical architecture is rarer than the Gothic or
Baroque. The monastic architecture is rather exceptional, the newly built churches were
mostly sponsored by noble families, municipalities or by the royal court.
The Czech Renaissance churches were usually strongly inspired by the Gothic sacral
architecture, they often combine the Renaissance architecture with some Gothic elements
such as rib vaults or stone traceries in the windows. The Catholic Holy
Trinity Church in Opočno built in 1567 has three naves and a Gothic
groin vault supported by 10 Renaissance Corinthian columns. The
Catholic Church of Saint Rochus in Hradčany was built in the period
between 1602 and 1612 on an unusual composite ground plan. It has
the shape of rectangle with bevelled corners (hence evoking an oval
impression) with three apses. The nave has a barrel vault.
(https://www.petrjanecek.cz/obrazky/denik/2012/opocno/04.JPG; Opočno, Church of
the Holy Trinity)
During the 16 century, three new synagogues were built in Prague. The oldest parts of
the Pinkas Synagogue contain late Gothic elements (rib vaulting, tracery). The Maisel
Synagogue lost its Renaissance appearance but the High Synagogue has been very well
preserved. Behind its very plain facade with three windows, there is a very valuable
Renaissance interior.
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The Italian Chapel of the Assumption of Virgin Mary adjoining the former Jesuit
College Clementinum built in 1590–1600 for Italians residing in Prague is very important for
the development of sacral architecture in Bohemia because it is one of the first religious
buildings without any Gothic elements. It has an elliptical ground plan, therefore it is even
sometimes considered one of the earliest Baroque architectural forms in Bohemia.
TRANSITIONAL PERIOD – MANNERIST STYLE
(turn of 16 and 17 century, Rudolph II, Matthias)
Prague was one of the main centres of Mannerist art (late Renaissance style,
foreseeing early Baroque) under Rudolph II (1576–1611). At the end of his reign and during
the reign of his brother Matthias (1611–1619) there were some late Renaissance or Mannerist
buildings with Early Baroque elements built in Prague. It is hard to distinguish between the
Mannerist style and the Early Baroque style because there is no clear break. Therefore some
scholars consider these buildings to be Early Baroque while others consider them Mannerist.
One of the most significant transitional buildings is the Italian Chapel of the
Assumption of Virgin Mary adjoining the former Jesuit College Clementinum. Although it
is a Late Renaissance or Mannerist chapel, it is very important for the Czech Baroque
architecture because of its elliptical ground plan which is much more typical for Baroque than
for the rational Renaissance style.
BAROQUE STYLE
Baroque architecture is the architectural style of the period between the end of the
16 and the first half of the 18 century. It developed to express the wealth and power of the
Catholic Church and the absolutist state and it manifested itself in the context of the new
religious order, the Jesuits, in particular. By the middle of the 17 century, Baroque had found
its secular expression in the form of grand palaces, first in France and then throughout
Europe. Baroque style was characterized by new explorations of form, light and shadow, and
dramatic intensity. The early Baroque prefers straight lines and rectangularity on facades and
ground plans of buildings. The top Baroque has more curves, mutually penetrating cylinders
and other bodies, domes, colonnades, monumental staircases and statues. The overall
impression is emphasised by expensive materials, gold and artificial marble, rich interiors,
splendid painted decoration and contrast of light and dark. It was characterised by its
extensiveness and extraordinariness. Baroque architecture arrived into the Czech Lands in the
17 century and it changed the character of the Czech countryside as churches and chapels in
the Czech countryside are mostly Baroque.
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EARLY BAROQUE
(1620s to 1680s)
The clear Baroque style came to the Crown of Bohemia during the Thirty Years’ War
(1618–1648) when it finally replaced the Renaissance style. The Baroque style, coming from
Catholic Italy, was strongly supported by the rich Catholic aristocracy and the Catholic
Church (that became the only legal church in the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1627 and in the
Margraviate of Moravia in 1628). The architects of early Baroque in the Czech Lands were
foreigners, mostly Italians. Matthias Gate of the Prague Castle built before 1614 by
Giovanni Maria Filippi is traditionally designated the first Baroque structure in Prague.
Wallenstein Palace was the first Baroque palace in Prague, built for a Czech
nobleman, general of the Imperial Army in the Thirty Years’ War Albrecht von Wallenstein.
It was designed and built by Italian architects Giovanni Pieroni and Andrea Spezza.
The Church of Our Lady Victorious in the Lesser Town is considered to be the first
Baroque church in Prague. It was built in the late Renaissance style in 1611-13. In the 1620s,
the church became Catholic and was rebuilt in the early Baroque style. The new Baroque
facade was completed in 1644.
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Carlo Lugano was a significant architect of the early Baroque style in Prague. He
came from Italy and worked for the Jesuits. He rebuilt Clementinum and the Church of the
Holy Saviour (Old Town, Kostel u Salvátora), and built the Church of Saint Ignatius
(Charles Square), or the Humprecht Chateau with an interesting elliptical ground floor
(Bohemian Paradise, Sobotka). Another Italian architect who settled in the Czech Lands was
Francesco Carrati who designed the Černín Palace in Prague. An Italian-Swiss architect
Filiberto Lucchese and then an Italian architect Giovanni Pietro Tencalla renovated the
residence of the Archbishops of Olomouc in Kroměříž. Jean Baptiste Mathey, an important
French architect, built the Church of Saint Francis Seraph (Old Town) and Troja Palace
for the Count of Sternberg. His works foreshadow the High Baroque style in the Czech Lands.
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HIGH BAROQUE
(around 1690 to the mid-18 century)
The heyday of the Baroque style in the Czech Lands can be seen in the early
18 century when the country was one of the leading artistic centres. Czech Baroque
architecture is considered to be a unique part of the European cultural heritage. Leading
architects of the High Baroque style were Christoph Dientzenhofer (who came to Bohemia
from Bavaria and lived in Prague) and his son Killian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. They are known
for their style called “radical Baroque” that was inspired by examples from northern Italy and
that seeks to express movement. It is characterized by the curvature of walls and intersection
of oval spaces. Together, the father and son Dientzenhofers built the Church of Saint Nicolas
(Lesser Town) in 1702-1715 and 1737-1751 that is considered to be one of the most
important Baroque churches in Europe.
Other important high Baroque architects in the Crown of Bohemia were Giovanni
Battista Alliprandi (born in Italy) who worked mainly for aristocracy and built the Kuks and
Opočno chateaux, Lobkowitz Palace (Lesser Town), or Hrzán Palace (Old Town), František
Maxmilián Kaňka (Karlova Koruna Chateau) and Johann Blasius Santini-Aichel.
One of the most precious high Baroque secular buildings in Prague is the ClamGallas
Palace built by famous Austrian architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach in
1714-1718. He also designed the Baroque rebuilding of Vranov nad Dyjí Chateau. Precious
high Baroque terraced palace gardens were built below the Prague Castle in the Lesser Town
such as Small and Great Palffy Gardens, Kolowrat and Small Fürstenberg Gardens.
The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc is the greatest Baroque sculptural group in our
country. It was built by Wenzel Render in 1714-1754. Its main purpose was a spectacular
celebration of the Catholic Church and faith, partly caused by feeling of gratitude for ending a
plague that struck Moravia (1713-1715). The column was also understood to be an expression
of local patriotism since all artists and master craftsmen working on the monument were
Olomouc citizens. The column is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
BAROQUE GOTHIC
(around 1690 to the mid-18 century)
The Baroque Gothic style is a unique feature of the Czech High Baroque art which
connects the Bohemian radical baroque style with Gothic elements. The creator and main
http://www.prague.eu/file/edee/obje
ct/166/3146.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Chlumec_-
_Karlova_koruna.jpg
53
representative of this style was the Bohemian architect Johann Blasius Santini-Aichel. The
Pilgrimage Church of saint John of Nepomuk is probably the most significant structure
built in this style in 1720s. It is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Other important
Santini’s works include the Monastery Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary and
Saint John the Baptist in Sedlec (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Convent of the
Cistercian Monastery in Plasy, Monastery Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, Saint
Wolfgang and Saint Benedict in Kladruby, Monastery Church of the Nativity of Virgin Mary
in Želiv, Pilgrimage Church of Virgin Mary in Křtiny, Church of Saint Wenceslas in Zvole,
Church of Saint Peter and Paul in Rajhrad, or the Karlova Koruna Chateau in Chlumec nad
Cidlinou, Zbraslav Chateau, and many others.
LATE BAROQUE AND ROCOCO
(1740 – 1780)
The Late Baroque style was usual in the Crown of Bohemia during the reign of the
Queen Maria Theresa (1740-1780) and paved the way for Rococo style that is very similar to
Baroque but differs from it by its ornamental decoration. During her rule the Neo-Classical
style came to the Czech Lands and after her death replaced the Baroque style. The examples
of the late Baroque architecture (with Rococo elements) in Prague are the Archbishop’s
Palace or the Goltz-Kinsky Palace on the Old Town Square. One of a few Rococo structures
in the Czech Lands is the Nové Hrady Chateau sometimes called Little Schönbrunn or
Bohemian Versailles.
http://www.vyletnik.cz/images/vylet/uzivatele/vlasta79/nove_hrady
-693.jpg
http://www.baroko2015.cz/uws_images/7-
tyden/10w34412a70sq2e7s454796j9o3a9ce5.jpg
http://www.schnablova.net/Ceske
pamatky/Baroko/Fotky/SedlecNPM5.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Pr
ague_Palace_Kinsky_PC.jpg
54
CLASSICISM
(1780s to the end of the19 century)
Classicism originated as a kind of response to the extensiveness and extraordinariness
of Baroque and was inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. It places emphasis on symmetry,
proportion, geometry and the regularity of parts. It is characterised by flat facades, triangle
gables, columns and modest decorations. It originated in France in the 1750s (during the reign
of Louis XIV). This phase is sometimes called Baroque Classicism as it mixed Baroque and
Classicist elements (from the historical point, it is belongs to the Baroque culture). The
following Rococo turns away from Classicism to a certain extent. The new arrival of
Classicism came with the enlightened absolutism of the 18 century (Josephinism, 1765–1790)
when it became the style of royal courts, and the French Revolution (1789 until 1799) when it
spread to rich burghers. The next wave of Classicism came with the Napoleonic Empire
(1800s-1820s) and it is termed Empire style. In the second half of the 19 century, the
Classicist architecture became the style of common urban development. The term NeoClassicism
is used in the Czech Lands to denote this period. (It is very similar to Renaissance
but it did not pay attention to the hopes and desires of an individual but rather stressed the
necessity of his submission to the public order of the society.)
The examples of Neo-Classicist architecture include the Černín Palace or Estates
Theatre in Prague. Whole towns or quarters were also built in this style such as Terezín or
Smíchov, Vinohrady, Karlín, Žižkov, or the centre of the town of Brno.
http://www.czecot.cz/results/zobrobr.php?w=st&id=48120
7&orig=1
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/T
erezin_CZ_Engineers_Barracks_696.jpg/1200px-
Terezin_CZ_Engineers_Barracks_696.jpg
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zamky.cz/mapa_stredoceskeho_kraje/zamky/kacina/kacina3velka.jpg
https://www.zbraslavice.eu/cl_img/6.jpg
55
During the 19 century, the revival architectural styles were very popular in the Czech
Lands. Many churches were restored to their presumed medieval appearance and many new
buildings were constructed in the Neo-Romanesque, Neo-Gothic, Neo-Renaissance or NeoBaroque
styles.
Neo-Romanesque architecture was applied mainly in building churches, chapels and
synagogues. Examples include the Synagogues in Krnov, Břeclav or Český Krumlov. Main
Neo-Gothic monuments include the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (Vyšehrad), the Church
of Saint Nicolas (Ludgeřovice), Schwarzenberg Vault in Domanín, Bouzov Castle, Hluboká
nad Vltavou Castle or Lednice Castle (both Tudor Gothic). Most important Neo-Renaissance
buildings are Rudolfinum, National Theatre and National Museum. Neo-Baroque
architecture may be seen in Antonín Dvořák Theatre in Ostrava, the Church of Virgin Mary in
Ostrava (Mariánské Hory), or Kramář Villa and Straka Academy in Prague.
http://www.dobratrasa.eu/upload/gallery/krnov-s5.jpg http://www.info.hlucin.com/foto/texty/full/142-1.JPG
http://www.prague.eu/file/edee/object/79/1-ester-havlova.jpg http://i.wp.pl/a/f/jpeg/35874/bouzov_Cz
echTourism.jpeg
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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Praha
%2C_Kot%C4%9Brova_vila.JPG
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2
2/Kotěrova_vila-Chrudim.jpg/1200px-Kotěrova_vila-
Chrudim.jpg
20 CENTURY ARCHITECTURE
ART NOUVEAU
At the turn of the 19 and 20 centuries a new style appeared in the Czech Lands – Art
Nouveau. The best-known representatives of Czech Art Nouveau architecture were Osvald
Polívka, who designed the Municipal House in Prague and Josef Fanta, the architect of the
Prague Main Railway Station. Its main features include paintings, stuccoes, mosaics,
marble facings, metal elements and coloured glass.
MODERNISM (MODERNA)
This style strived to be a new concept corresponding to the tastes and requirements of
contemporary life. The beginnings of this style date back to the period 1905-1906 and it lasted
until 1914 when it was stopped by the First World War. It emphasised single geometrical
shapes and flat roofs. Its main architects in Bohemia were Jan Kotěra and Josef Gočár. One
of the best examples is the Kotěra’s villa in Prague (Vinohrady).
https://media.novinky.cz/631/366314-top_foto1-
1qisx.jpg?1364882404
http://www.campanus.cz/kejzlarova/wpcontent/uploads/sites/4/2014/07/Obecní
Dům2.jpg
https://stavbaweb.dumabyt.cz/files/files/2013_02/fant_kavar
na.jpg
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http://www.prague.eu/file/edee/2015/11/17b.jpg http://www.stavebnictvi3000.cz/obr/2011/07_kaspar_5.jpg
http://www.prahaneznama.cz/wp-content/fotogalerie/2015-
prispevky/mysak-03.jpg
http://img.ceskatelevize.cz/program/porady/1024681598/foto
09/298323230620073_gal_02.jpg?1347878862
CUBISM
Cubism derives its name from the Latin term cubus (cube). It was based on the
presumption that the cube is the fundamental shape of all bodies. In Czech architecture,
Cubism dominated mainly in the second decade of the 20 century. The buildings were
decorated with plastic fronts. An important cubistic monument is the Black Madonna House
(Josef Gočár) in Celetná Street in Prague.
DECORATIVISM – ARCH STYLE (1920s)
Being the second stage of cubism, it accentuates the decor and ornaments. The facades
are decorated by various geometrical shapes, mainly arches. The best example is the
Legiobanka in Prague (Josef Gočár).
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND FUNCTIONALISM (1920s and 30s)
Constructivism makes the construction visible in the final realisation of the object.
Functionalism emphasises the function of the object, its practical utilisation in accordance
with the purpose it was built for. Both the styles mostly penetrate or overlap each other using
new materials such as reinforced concrete and glass. The outer parts of buildings are either
plastered or lined with ceramics, they may also be made of burnt bricks. The best example is
the building of the General Pension Institute in Prague (Josef Havlíček, Karel Honzík).
58
Acropolis is an “upper town”, a central heavily fortified part of an antique/early medieval
town, a fortified hill with sacral structures and a palace.
An aedicula is a small shrine. Originally aediculas were household altars holding small
statues. Later they were small flat chapels with a picture or statue inside that resemble the
front facade of ancient temples. Aediculas became a fashionable way to frame a painted or
bas-relief portrait, window or door (with side columns or pilasters) in Renaissance.
An apse (sometimes written apsis; plural apsides) is a semi-circular termination of the main
building at the east end where the altar is situated.
An attic is a story or low wall above the cornice (horizontal decorative moulding that crowns
a building of a classical facade.
Baptistery (from Greek – bathing place) is an early-Christian stone structure (independent, or
main interior space) surrounding the baptismal font (those to be baptised were immersed three
times). It was usually built on an octagonal space.
Chapter hall is a building or room (part of a cathedral or monastery) in which larger
meetings of the community are held.
A cloister (from Latin claustrum – enclosure) is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade
running along the walls of buildings and forming a courtyard.
A crypt is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church and it typically contains coffins,
sarcophagi, or religious relicts.
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the
lateral forces pushing a wall outwards (arising from stone vaulted ceilings or roofs) by
redirecting them to the ground. The defining characteristic of a flying buttress is that the
buttress is not in contact with the wall. The system has two key components – a massive
vertical masonry block (the buttress) on the outside of the building and a segmental or
quadrant arch bridging the gap between that buttress and the wall (the flyer).
A lintel is a structural horizontal block that spans the space or opening between two vertical
supports. It can be a load-bearing building component, a decorative architectural element, or a
combined ornamented structural item. It is often found over portals, doors, windows, and
fireplaces.
Military orders are monastic societies of monks-knights originally established as Catholic
religious societies during the medieval Crusades (11-12 century) for the protection of
Christians in Europe (against the Islamic conquest) and the Holy Land. Most members were
laymen but they took vows such as poverty, chastity, and obedience.
A niche is an ornamental recess in a wall often determined for a statue.
A pfalz is a type of early medieval castle in the Holy Roman Empire. The Emperor did not
rule from one place but moved with his court around the Empire. The Empire castles/palaces,
i.e. pfalzes provided him the necessary conveniences.
59
A pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column
with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall
surface with a capital (head, topmost part of a column) at the top, plinth (base) at the bottom,
and various other elements.
A portal is an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, especially a grand
entrance to an important structure.
A tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window.
A transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cross-shaped church/cathedral.
60
http://kralovskedilo.ktf.cuni.cz/assets/data/c837046460b59690547359ee4290eb29c4a173202e923fe43e7550fb
a4455795-medium-7fb0c6032d6142f42e01edd7087a1710.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Kodex
_vyšehradský1_cropped.jpg
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x_vyšehradský2_croppe.jpg
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4/Codex_Gigas_facsimile.jpg/1280px-
Codex_Gigas_facsimile.jpg
FINE ARTS
PAINTING
Examples of fine arts since the Romanesque period (10 to 13 centuries) can be found
on the territory of our country. All the Romanesque churches were decorated with frescoes.
The oldest and at the same time the most significant are the mural paintings in the Rotunda
of Saint Catherine in Znojmo. Its walls are covered with 11-century frescoes depicting
biblical scenes and illustrating the life of Přemyslids such as Calling Přemysl on the throne
(Povolání Přemysla na trůn).
Book illumination was very popular during the Romanesque period. The most
magnificent piece of art, incomparable within Europe, is Codex Vyssegradensis (Vyšehradský
kodex), an illuminated manuscript from 1085 with extremely rich iconography. In addition to
many initials, it also contains the earliest known representation of the Tree of Jesse (Jišaj,
Isaj; the father of David who became the king of the Israelites), four pages depicting the
ancestors of Christ, the Four Evangelists and scenes from the Old and the New Testament.
Our largest illuminated book, Codex Gigas, also known as the Devil’s Bible (because of a
large illustration of the devil inside) originated in the Benedictine monastery in Podlažice in
the first half of the 13 century. It was taken as war booty by the Swedish during the Thirty
Years’ War (1648), and now it is preserved at the Royal Library in Stockholm. The Book is
92 by 50 by 22 cm large and weights 75 kilogrammes.
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pedia/commons/1/11/Trebon-
Adorace.jpg
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ch_von_Prag_002.jpg/800px-
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kipedia/commons/d/da/Vel2.jpg
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-PasionalKunhuty.jpg
Painting of the Gothic period (12 to 15 century) as well as major part of medieval art
(frescoes, panel paintings, book illumination) is religious in its nature. Many fine panel
paintings have been preserved from the 14 century. One of the most outstanding works is the
cycle of nine altarpieces depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ created for the
Cistercian Monastery by so-called Master of Vyšší Brod (Mistr vyšebrodského oltáře) and his
students in the mid-14 century. A number of other paintings have been assigned to the Master
including the Madonna of Zbraslav, Madonna of Vyšehrad and Madonna of Veveří (National
Cultural Monument, 2016). The mastery of Gothic art is probably best demonstrated in the
Chapel of the Holy Cross at Karlštejn Castle with walls and ceiling inlaid with gem stones
and decorated with the unique cycle of 129 medieval panel paintings of Jesus Christ, saints
and biblical prophets created by Master Theodoric in the mid-14 century. Another significant
example of marvellous Gothic art is the altar created for the Augustinian convent in Třeboň
by Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece (Mistr třeboňského oltáře) in the late 14 century. The
triptich depicts Christ on the Mount of Olives, The Tomb of Christ, and the Resurrection.
Velislai biblia picta (Velislavova bible) is an outstanding Gothic illuminated
manuscripts created in the first half of the 14 century. It contains 747 pen and ink drawings
from the Old Testament, or from the legend about the lives of Saint Wenceslas and Saint
Ludmila (National Cultural Monument, 2005). Pasionál abatyše Kunhuty (The Passional of
Abbess Kunigunde) is another significant illuminated manuscript from the beginning of the 14
century (National Cultural Monument, 2005). Wenceslas Bible (Bible Václava IV) is an
exceptional multi-volume illuminated manuscript that originated in 1390s. The Bible contains
646 miniature illustrations, many of them of “secular” character depicting the King himself.
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g/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/
Meister_der_Wenzel-
Werkstatt_002.jpg
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123/6123915_47d6562f2eb614be56f3
77ae81db371d/images/PTDC0028.jpg
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ia.org/wikipedia/comm
ons/5/5c/Lednak1.jpg
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katedral.cz/images/galerie_k
arta/velka/v2832_p1310949j
pg.jpg
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mistr_lit_olt_02.jpg
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z/resources/works/mistr_
litomerickeho_oltare_01
a.jpg
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atováclavská kaple.jpg
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Renaissance art (late-15 to first half of 17 century) is represented by Master of the
Litoměřice Altarpiece whose name comes from an altarpiece painted for Litoměřice at the
beginning of the 16 century. He also completed the decorations for the Chapel of Saint
Wenceslas in Saint Vitus Cathedral in Prague. He painted 36 scenes depicting various parts of
Saint Wenceslas legend. He also painted a triptych for the Strahov Monastery and the
altarpiece for the Church of Our Lady before Týn.
Jenský kodex is a richly decorated manuscript that originated at the turn of the 15 and
16 centuries (its name comes from Jena in Germany where it was kept for centuries). It
contains texts in Czech and Latin. The Codex consists of several manuscripts and one
incunabulum on 111 paper and nine parchment sheets with 122 illuminations. Especially
famous are illustrations depicting scenes from Hussite history such as burning John Hus at the
stake, or the blind Jan Žižka leading the army.
http://husitstvi.cz/wp-content/uploads/g23.jpg;
https://wikipedia/commons/Jensky_kodex_Zizka.jpg
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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Litoměřice,_dům_U_černéh
o_orla,_Mírové_nám._čp.12.JPG
http://www.prague.eu/file/edee/object/1736/810258
1239-3ea9b66527-b.jpg
Illuminated Žlutický kancionál created in the second half of the 16 century (in 1558)
contains Czech utraquist (Calixtine) text for the Holy Mass and other songs with notes with
remarkable paintings. The Hymnal contains 471 parchments (originally
494; 63 by 40 by 16 cm) and weighs 28 kg. It contains 16 miniatures in
initials, arabesques on the sides of some of the parchments, scenes from
the Old and the New Testament, full-page coats of arms of Žlutice and
some noble families, important personalities of the Czech history such as
Saint Wenceslas or John Hus, kneeling donators with their coats of arms
as well as scenes from everyday life of burghers. The Hymnal was created
for the municipality of Žlutice (National Cultural Monument, 2016).
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Žlutický_kancionál_Památník_národního_písemnictví_v_Praze.jpg
An important part of Renaissance painting is sgraffito decoration on facades as well as
fresco decoration of the interiors. Facades of palaces and burgher houses as well as interior
walls were decorated, frequently by unknown artists, with floral motives, scenes from the
Bible (especially those from the Old Testament), allegories (personification of Virtues and
Vices, acts of mercy and sins as well as secular themes such as the seasons of the year,
months and the elements). Wall paintings included scenes reminding important events of the
Czech history or events connected with a particular dynasty and its representatives. The
donator is often depicted as a part of the featured scene. (Castles Častolovice, Litomyšl,
Český Krumlov, Telč, Nelahozeves or Doudleby, Prague (Schwarzenberg Palace), Slavonice,
Prachatice, Litoměřice (Dům u Černého orla), and many others.)
The most prominent painter of the early Baroque period was Karel Škréta
(17 century), a creator of religious topics and portraits. He painted altarpieces in the Church
of Our Lady before Týn and in the Church of Saint Procopius (Žižkov), or the Passion cycle
in the Church of Saint Nicolas (Lesser Town).
The most significant High Baroque painter Petr Brandl (17/18 centuries) created
mainly the altarpieces – the Birth and the Assumption of Virgin Mary in Doksany, the
Assumption of Virgin Mary in Sedlec, Baptism of Jesus in Manětín, or seven altarpieces in
the Břevnov Monastery (Church of Saint Margaret).
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Škréta:
http://www.address.cz/data/www.sanq
uis.cz/files/4713.jpg
Brandl:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wiki
pedia/commons/f/fa/Petr_Brandl
_-_Simeon_with_Infant_Jesus_-
_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Reiner:
http://pms.ofm.cz/pics/chram/slides/0
3_zvestovani2.jpg
Václav Vavřinec Reiner (Wenzel Lorenz; 17/18 centuries) painted not only the altars
but especially the wall frescoes such as the Gigantomachy (Zápas gigantů) on the staircase
vault in the Czernin Palace, or the frescos in the Church of Saint John in Hradčany. He also
painted portraits, e.g. of the counts of Wallenstein.
19 AND 20 CENTURY PAINTING
Probably the most prominent personality of the classicist period was Antonín Mánes
(1784-1843). His work underwent a vivid development from composed classical landscape
with ancient temples to rugged scenery, romantic ruins and stormy clouds to very realistic
landscapes, with natural daylight (Krajina s Kokořínem a Křivoklátem v bouři (NG), Hrad
Okoř, Skalnatý kraj, Krajina s oráčem, etc.)
Josef Navrátil (1798-1865) was a superb landscape painter, but most of his work
focussed on still lifes and figurative paintings and sketches. (In his paintings there is a mixing
of various styles.) His wall paintings decorate different objects in Prague including Prague
Castle, Vávrův Mlýn in Prague (seat of the Postal Museum), or Sala terrena in Liběchov
(cycle Vlasta a Dívčí válka). He also decorated 20 rooms in the imperial castle in Zákupy
with historical and genre paintings, ornaments, and allegorical works.
Mánes:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Anto
nin_Manes_1784-1843_-
_Krajina_s_Kokorinem_a_Krivoklatem_v_bouri_-
_Krajina_v_bouri.jpg
Navrátil:
http://www.patriksimon.cz/files/obrazk
y/autori/autori-940-NAVRaTIL-Josef-
Henrietta-Grosserova-v-roli-Normy-
Dve-herecky.jpg
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Josef Mánes (1820-1871), a son of Antonín, painted landscapes, portraits, genre
scenes, and ethnographic and botanical paintings. He created numerous national costume
studies (Líbánky na Hané, Hanák Josef Šoustal, Hanačka Marina, etc.), and designed the
costume and many flags for the Sokol association. His most famous work is the Calendar
plate on the Astronomical Clock, the cycle of the twelve months. He is considered one of the
greatest Czech painters.
Antonín Chittussi (1847-1891) was an important landscape painter (realism,
impressionism) but he also painted history and genre scenes and portraits (Z Českomoravské
vysočiny, Krajina se zříceninou hradu Ronov, Údolí Doubravky za soumraku; NG).
Important artists of the 19 century are denoted as the Generation of National
Theatre. These were painters and sculptors who participated in the decoration or created
during the period of its building and were representatives of realism and Neo-Renaissance
style in Bohemia. The group included architects Josef Zítek (National Theatre) and Josef
Schultz (National Theatre, National Museum), sculptor Josef Václav Myslbek, and painters
Mikoláš Aleš, František Ženíšek, Vojtěch Hynais and many others.
Mikoláš Aleš (1852-1913) is regarded to be one of the greatest Czech artists. He is
estimated to have had over 5,000 published pictures; he painted for everything from
magazines to playing cards to textbooks (ABC book). He is famous for the cycle Vlast – 14
lunettes in the foyer of the National Theatre. Other significant paintings include Jan Žižka,
Setkání Jiřího z Poděbrad s Matyášem Korvínem, Svatý Václav, Pobití Sasíků pod Hrubou
Skálou (one of the largest paintings in the world; 10 by 8.5 m), or the sgrafitto on the Rott
House.
Vojtěch Hynais (1854-1925) designed the curtain of the National Theatre, painted the
allegories of four seasons for its Royal Lounge and of the Czech Lands for the staircase,
decorated a number of buildings in Prague and Vienna, and was a founding member of the
Vienna Art Nouveau. His probably most famous painting is Paridův soud (The Judgment of
Paris).
Mánes:
https://upload.wikimedia.org
/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b
/bd/ManesSvadlenka.png/80
0px-ManesSvadlenka.png
Chittussi:
https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/originals/24/68/d2/2468d2cb82347fb5354c
4d180ca677f1.jpg
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František Ženíšek (1849-1916) painted the first curtain for the National Theatre
(destroyed by fire), decorated the ceiling of its auditorium with allegories of the Muses, and
the ceiling in its foyer. He also painted the lunettes for the National Museum as well as over
80 portraits. His most famous painting is Oldřich a Božena.
Julius Mařák (1832-1899) was the only landscape painter who participated in the
decoration of the National Theatre where he painted the famous places of Bohemian history
(Říp, Blaník, Vyšehrad). His landscape paintings decorate also the staircase of the National
Museum.
Václav Brožík (1851-1901) is the author of three paintings in the Royal Lounge, i.e.
Tři doby země české (Přemyslovci, Lucemburkové, Habsburkové). His most famous paintings
include Mistr Jan Hus před koncilem kostnickým, Svatební poselstvo krále Ladislava na
francouzském dvoře Karla VII., or Zvolení Jiříka z Poděbrad za krále českého.
Max Švabinský (1873-1962) was an excellent painter, draughtsman, and graphic
artist. He is considered to be one of the most notable artists in the history of Czech painting.
He painted the murals for the Municipal House in Prague and design for three stained glass
windows of the Cathedral of Saint Vitus (Průvod českých králů). At the same time, he is the
author of portraits of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Josef Mánes, several postage stamps and
banknotes (100 Kč, 1931; 1000 Kč, 1934; 50 K, 1940).
Aleš:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wik
ipedia/commons/f/f0/Mikolas_al
es_zizka.jpg
Hynais:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Vojt%C4%9Bch_Hy
nais_-_The_Judgement_of_Paris%2C_1892.jpg
Ženíšek:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Ž
eníšek.Oldřich.a.Božena.jpg
Mařák:
https://1gr.cz/fotky/idnes/14/012/org/VHA5079b2_
18.JPG
67
Alfons Mucha (1860-1939), a painter and decorative artist known for his distinct
style, is almost a synonym for Art Nouveau style. He became famous for his works in the area
of applied art since he produced many posters, advertisements, postcards, calendars, menus,
book illustrations, decorative and portrait paintings as well as designs for jewellery, carpets,
wallpapers and theatre sets. He became famous almost overnight due to the advertising theatre
poster featuring the Paris actress Sarah Bernhardt. He decorated the Academy of Fine Arts,
created the murals in the Mayor Office at the Municipal House, and designed the windows at
the Cathedral of Saint Vitus depicting the scenes from the life of Saints Constantin and
Methodius. After the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia, he designed new postage
stamps, banknotes, and other government documents for the new state. His masterpiece is the
Slav Epic, a series of twenty huge paintings depicting and celebrating the history of Slavic
people. After the occupation of the country in 1939, Mucha was among the first persons
arrested by Gestapo. During his interrogation he became ill with pneumonia and died due to
lung infection in July.
Brožík:
http://www.campanus.cz/zizkova/wp-
content/uploads/sites/31/2014/09/Jan-Hus-Brožík.jpg
Švabinský:
http://www.rodon.cz/admin/upload/ModuleObraz/644.j
pg
Mucha:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f0/23/55/f02355d9e8ad2ff72a5ea2342b8e5351.jpg
68
Other famous painters of the modern art were Jan Zrzavý (painter, graphic artist, and
illustrator; stage settings for the National Theatre; Údolí smutku, Kleopatra), Václav Špála
(painter, graphic designer and illustrator; painted mainly landscapes and still lifes), Emil Filla
(cubism painter and graphic designer; first day of WWII arrested, Dachau, Buchenwald;
Salome, Bathers; cycle Boje a zápasy (Fights and Struggles); later mainly landscapes), or
Josef Čapek (painter, illustrator and writer; first day of WWII arrested, Dachau, Buchenwald,
Sachsenhausen, Bergen-Belsen; reaction on Munich – cycles Oheň and Touha; Povídání o
pejskovi a kočičce – wrote and illustrated).
Zrzavý:
http://www.artbohemia.cz/20887-large_default/
doli-smutku-1908.jpg
Špála:
http://www.artplus.cz/web/uploads/image/09-
Spala.jpg
Fila:
https://www.topzine.cz/wp-
content/uploads/2012/01/E
mil-Filla-Zápas-šelmy-s-
býkem.jpg
Čapek:
http://dekoracedoplnky.cz/items/3761127/photo/detail/3888848.jpg
http://www.simonak.eu/images/obrazky_ostatni_strany/g_u/4_15.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f8/95/60/f895606a266dc010f5318818
c41147a3.jpg
http://www.galerie-dolmen.cz/data/images//aukce-grafiky-unor-2016/22739_1_tn
3.jpg
69
SCULPTURE
The art of sculpture belongs to ancient arts and its origins date back to the prehistoric
times. We are still fascinated by figures used for magic purposes such as success in hunting,
protection of fertility of women, etc. Topics of sculpture art change hand in hand with the
changes of society, starting with primary figures of women, animals, or fighters used for
magical rituals, to statues of gods, kings, and Madonnas, images of saints, plastic art, busts of
prominent personalities, equestrian statues, depiction of muses inspiring artists, etc.
At the beginning, there was a woman, or actually a statuette of a woman, 11.1
centimetres high and 4.3 centimetres wide (at its widest point) of oval shapes made from a
mixture of ash and clay. The so-called Venus of Věstonice was found broken into two pieces
in Dolní Věstonice in 1925. Dating back to 29-25,000 B.C., the ceramic figure of a nude
female is the oldest known ceramic article in the world.
The art of sculpture in the Romanesque period (10 to 13 century) is closely linked to
architecture and fulfils the decorative function predominantly with religious themes but also
floral and animal topics (lions, bears, dragoons, infernal monsters). Stone is the main material
used (wooden sculptures have not been preserved) and creators are anonymous. Geometrical
and floral decors are frequently used on portals and columns. Figurative plastic art,
predominantly stiffed figures without facial expression, is adjusted to architecture such as
between pillars or on column capitals. Remains of polychrome prove that Romanesque statues
were often coloured.
Preserved examples of relief Romanesque sculpture include the windows of the Zdík
Palace in Olomouc, an ornamental moulding of the portal in the Church of Saint Procopius
(Záboří nad Labem), reliefs of Saints Wenceslas, Adalbert and Jacob, Jesus and two angels in
the Church of Saint Jacob (Jakub u Kutné Hory), relief of a man on his knees and another one
on the throne on the Lesser Town Bridge Tower (the smaller one), or the triptych in the
Basilica of Saint George (Prague Castle) with reliefs of Ottokar I, Saint Agnes, and Virgin
Mary on the throne.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/com
mons/8/84/Hrusice_CZ_St_Wenceslas_chur
ch_Romanesque_portal.148.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Church_of_Saint_James_the_
Greater_(Jakub)#/media/File:Jakub-kostel-sv.Jakuba2009i.jpg
70
The art of sculpture in the Gothic period (12 to 15 century) was at its beginning still
closely linked to architecture. Later, samples of sculptures independent of architectural
ornament originated, i.e. Madonnas (with baby Jesus), Jesus on the cross, Pietas, and
sculptures of saints. Originally stiffed sculptures gradually evolved into spatial, tall, slim and
slightly S-shaped figures with faces expressing human feelings (happiness or suffering). Stone
is replaced with coloured, usually linden wood (polychrome). Portals were decorated with
statues of apostles with their attributes on both sides (6 and 6), gradually statues appeared on
altarpieces and walls. Later more complex scenes with many figures originated.
Preserved examples of early Gothic art of sculpture include portal decoration in the
Cistercian Monastery in Předklášteří u Tišnova, the Church of Saint Francis in the Convent of
Saint Agnes, or the portal of the Church of Saint Bartholomew in Kolín. High Gothic left us
several valuable polychromed Madonnas such as Madonna of Plzeň, Madonna of Krumlov, or
Madonna of Strakonice, and Pietas such as Pieta of Cheb or Pieta in the Church of Saint
Thomas in Brno. Peter Parler (and his workshop) is the author of the polychromed statue of
Saint Wenceslas in Saint Vitus Cathedral, busts in the Saint Vitus triforium (a shallow arched
gallery within the thickness of an inner wall, above the nave of a church; Charles IV and his
wives, John of Luxembourg, Eliška Přemyslovna, Peter Parler, Matthias of Arras, Arnošt of
Pardubice, and the saints Wenceslas, Ludmila, Adalbert, Procopius, Vitus, Constantin and
Methodius, and many others), or the tombstones of Bohemian kings, the facade of the Old
Town Tower Bridge, or the bronze equestrian statue of Saint George at the Prague Castle. The
most significant monuments of the Late Gothic period include the decoration of the royal
Chapel at Křivoklát Castle or the works of Benedikt Ried/Rejt, i.e. the royal oratorium (prayer
room) in Saint Vitus Cathedral and the decoration of Vladislav Hall, and the works of Matěj
Rejsek, i.e. the decoration of the Gunpowder Tower.
Renaissance art of sculpture (15 to 17 century) in the Czech Lands developed
mainly in the area of stonemasonry (decoration elements of architecture, fountains,
tombstones, busts, independent sculptures), carving (altarpieces and coffered ceilings), metal
casting (baptismal fonts, bells, fountains) and stucco decorations of interiors.
http://previous.npu.cz/do
wnload/1338817540/Mad
ona+z+Bečova+u+Most
u%2C+60.+léta+14.+sto
letí+322x600.jpg
http://docplayer.cz/d
ocs-
images/42/11471114/
images/page_13.jpg
http://img.radio.cz/XKAdh
QBj8_smwJWDkJMuITbE
Nco=/fit-
in/1200x1200/pictures/vyst
avy/velikonocni_liturgie_st
rahov12/02.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/com
mons/thumb/5/57/PietaLutin.jpg/1024px-
PietaLutin.jpg
71
The first monuments of Renaissance plastic art appeared on facades and in interiors of
late-Gothic buildings. The most famous examples are the moulding of the Vladislav Hall
windows with inscription and the year 1493 (Benedikt Ried), or relief portraits of the castle
owners in Moravská Třebová (1495) and the Castle portal with inscription (Ladislaus de
Boskovic et Nigromonte Dominus castri humus me fecit sub anno Domini 1492). Other
examples of magnificent Renaissance portals include the portal of the castle in Pardubice
(1529) or the south portal of the Basilica of Saint George at the Prague Castle with Saint
George fighting the dragon depicted at tympanum (semi-circular or triangular decorative wall
surface over an entrance) created by the workshop of Benedikt Rejt.
Decoration of the arcades at Belvedere (Royal Garden of Prague Castle) is an example
of High Renaissance (1538-1540). Paolo della Stella created a relief cycle with motives
from Greek mythology that is the most important and extensive Renaissance cycle in central
Europe. Singing fountain in front of Belvedere (1562-1568), richly decorated with figural
motives, was made of bronze by Tomáš Jaroš, the most significant representative of
Renaissance metal casting and bellfounding who also created the great bell of Saint Vitus
Cathedral (1550s).
Stucco decoration of the Summer Palace Hvězda at the White Mountain (1556-1563)
with 334 picture fields on the vault of the ground floor hall present scenes from ancient
mythology and history of Rome. Another example of great stucco decoration has been
preserved in Bučovice Castle (around 1585). Mannerist decoration of the Empire Room
represents one of the most important works of central-European stucco art. 90 columns
around the courtyard are decorated with 540 relief carvings picturing battle scenes, coats of
arms, fantasy animals and creatures, masks and musical instruments (work of Elia Canavale
and Antonio Silva, two Italians living in Bohemia). The mannerist fountain in the courtyard is
the work of Pietro Materna. The fountain with themes of sea sirens, dragons and a sculpture
of Bacchant is one of the most beautiful fountains in Central Europe.
The Royal mausoleum in Saint Vitus Cathedral (1566-1589) was made from marble
by Alexander Colin. Apart from the traditional lying tomb figures of Ferdinand I, his wife
Anne of Bohemia and Hungary (Anna Jagellonská) and their son Maximilian II, there is also a
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Praha%2C_Hr
ad%2C_Bazilika_sv._Jiří%2C_tympanon.jpg
http://www.zamekmoravskatrebova.cz/wp-
content/uploads/2016/08/relief-01.png
http://www.zamekmoravskatrebova.cz/wp-
content/uploads/2016/08/relief-02.png
72
http://static.panoramio.com/ph
otos/large/109112507.jpg
standing figure of Christ the Saviour. Considering the tombstones, the epitaph of Jan Popel of
Lobkowitz in Saint Vitus Cathedral (1569) may be mentioned.
The origin of independent plastic art is connected with the activities of sculptors at the
royal court of Rudolf II. The most significant of them was a Dutch sculptor Adrian de Vries
(1545/60-1626) who created bronze busts of Rudolf II and decorated the Wallenstein gardens
with a collection of bronze statues and sculptural groups of ancient gods and goddesses and
horses (all these statues were taken as war booty by the Swedish in 1648). His work is
evidence of high mannerism (late Renaissance style, foreseeing early Baroque).
Baroque art of sculpture (17 to 18 century) continued in the tradition of Mannerist
style that still existed in the beginning of the 17 century, mainly in the works of Adriaen de
Vries. It was closely bound to architecture as the works predominantly served as decorations
of bridges, castle courtyards, gardens and churches. The main themes were the statues of
saints, religious scenes and allegories. Many precious plague and Marian columns were
erected. These were religious monuments depicting Virgin Mary on the top, often built in
thanksgiving for the ending of a plague or for some other help and also to celebrate the church
and the faith (Holy Trinity columns). Other saints were also portrayed.
http://www.papilio.cz/img/a30/a30_906
_v.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe
dia/commons/thumb/9/9d/614px-
Adrian_de_Vries_Venus_Adonis.jpg
http://www.prague.eu/object/1868/0
4.jpg
http://www.braunstein.cz/pi
ctures/original/morovy_slo
up_Jindrichuv_Hradec.jpg
http://ostravskesochy.cz/origi
nal/971.png
https://foto.turistika.cz/foto/136
136/83843/full_69d236_dsc004
16.jpg
73
The most significant early-Baroque sculptor was Jan Jiří Bendl who is the author of
carved statues decorating the altarpiece in the Church of Our Lady before Týn, the decoration
of the Marian column at the Old Town Square (the oldest Marian column on the territory of
the Czech Lands), and the Jesuit Church of the Holy Saviour (the statues of twelve Apostles
carved from linden wood and statues made from stone on the front facade).
High Baroque art of sculpture is connected with the names of Jan Brokoff, Ferdinand
Maxmilian Brokoff and Matthias Bernhard Braun.
Jan Brokoff is the author of the first statue on the Charles Bridge, the bronze statue of
Saint John of Nepomuk (1683) that later became a kind of model of the Saint’s statues not
only in our country but also in Europe. He is also the author of the statuary group of Saint
Elisabeth, Saint Margaret and Saint Barbara on the Charles Bridge (together with his sons),
and the decoration of the Tuscany Palace (or Thun-Hohenstein Palace, Hradčany) where he
created the allegories of seven liberal arts (septem artes liberals; grammar, logic, rhetoric,
arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy) on the attic and two coats of arms on the front
facade. His other works include the wooden statues of saints in the Church of Saint Barbara in
Manětín, and statues in Klášterec nad Ohří, Červený Hrádek and Libochovice Castles.
Although most of the statues of the Brokoff family workshop were signed by Jan
Brokoff, it is indisputable that most works (not only for the Charles Bridge) were created by
his sons Michael Johann Joseph Brokoff and mainly by Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff
(1688-1731). The latter is the author of several statues on the Charles Bridge such as Saint
Francis Xavier, Saint Francis Borgia,
Saint Cajetan, Saint Adalbert (together
with his brother), Saint Vitus, and
sculptural groups of Saint Vincent Ferrer
and Saint Procopius, or Saint John of
Matha, Saint Felix of Valois and Saint
Ivan. His other significant works include
the decoration of the Morzin Palace
(heraldic statues of Moors carrying the
balcony above the main entrance, allegories of Day and Night and of four continents),
http://kiosky.praguewelcome.cz/img/ede
e/u/visit/karluv-most/8.jpg
http://www.kralovskacesta.cz/data/media/
foto/medium/img_6457.jpg
http://www.kralovskacesta.cz/dta/
media/foto/medium/img_8971.jpg
74
sculptural group of Saint John the Baptist with angels on the Maltézské Square (Lesser
Town), the Marian Column on the Hradčany Square, and many other works on the whole
territory of Bohemia as well as abroad, e.g. Wrocław Cathedral, or Michaelerkirche and
Karlskirche in Vienna. (http://www.kralovskacesta.cz/data/media/foto/medium/img_8982.jpg; http://www.digital-
guide.cz/media/thumbs/digital_guide/pamatky_by_divine/Mala_Strana/Morzinsky_palac/002_Morzinsky_Palac.jpg)
Matthias Bernard Braun, another significant Baroque sculptor, is the author of
several statues on Charles Bridge such as Saint Lutgardis, Saint Ludmila with small Saint
Wenceslas, or Saint Ivo. He decorated numerous Prague palaces such as the Clam-Gallas
Palace, Kolowrat Palace, or Vrtbovský Palace (courtyard and garden). His works decorate the
castle gardens in Veltrusy (twelve months and four seasons), Lysá nad Labem, or Valeč, or
the castle gate in Konopiště. Braun is probably most famous for his work in Kuks where he
decorated the Hospital with the cycle of allegories of Virtues and Vices, and the tomb of the
Spork family. The grounds of the nearby New Forest is a unique sculpture-landscape complex
called Bethlehem. Braun cut his sculptures in sandstone directly in the terrain (hermits
Onufrius and Garin).
Ignaz Franz Platzer is a significant sculptor of late Baroque and its transition to
Classicism. He decorated the Church of Saint Nicolas in the Lesser Town, the Monastery
church in Teplá, the Spork Palace (Piccolomini Palace) in the Lesser Town, the attic of the
Archbishop Palace in Hradčany, or the (Golz-)Kinský palace in the Old Town Square. His
sculptures of Titans decorate the main entrance of the Prague Castle.
http://www.muzeumkarlovamost
u.cz/data/files/articles/116-sv-
ludmila-116/sv-ludmila-jpg.jpg
http://popamatkach.cz/wp-
content/uploads/2012/09/sochy.jpg
http://www.revitalizacekuks.cz/data/
editor/114pl_46.jpg?gcm_date=142
6532206
https://thejourneyofsriandleo.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/8
00px-prague_castle_8347996081.jpg
http://nd06.jxs.cz/862/480/c140f6c089_95354012_o2.jpg
75
The greatest sculptor of the 19 century was Josef Václav Myslbek (1848-1922) whose
principal work is the statue of Saint Wenceslas in the Wenceslas Square. It took him over 30
years to complete but the statue has become one of Prague’s most noticeable landmarks and a
symbol of the Czech statehood. Being a member of the National Theatre Generation, he
participated in the decoration of the Theatre – the statues of Drama and Opera above the side
entrance or the statue of Music in the foyer. His four pairs of statues Libuše a Přemysl, Lumír
a Píseň, Záboj a Slavoj (heroic brothers from the manuscript of Králův Dvůr), and Ctirad a
Šárka (characters from the Maidens’ War, a traditional Bohemian tale) can be seen at
Vyšehrad. Myslbek also created the statues of Jan Žižka for the towns of Tábor and Čáslav.
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/939
23884.jpg
https://www.petrjanecek.cz/obrazky/denik/2013/praha2/24.JPG
https://img.ihned.cz/attachment.php/640/
65238640/ApmTo0cC1sVf5xJwtNEhl9QI
LHGagMye/shutterstock_227943325.jpg
http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ct24/sites/default/file
s/styles/scale_1180/public/images/1289601-
309204.jpg?itok=ABN2PiM9
http://www.fototuristika.cz/dat
a/wysiwyg/tips/502/image/pom
n%C3%ADk_sv.V%C3%A1cla
va_5.jpg
76
An epitaph is a short text honouring a deceased person inscribed on a tombstone or plaque.
Genre painting depicts aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in
common activities. Common scenes from everyday life include markets, domestic settings,
interiors, parties, inn scenes, or street scenes.
An incunable is a book or any other material that was printed material before the year 1501.
Parchment is a material made from processed animal skin and used for writing on.
The Passion (from Latin – suffering) is the short final period in the life of Jesus covering his
entrance visit to Jerusalem and leading to his crucifixion on Mount Calvary.
The Pieta is a subject in Christian art depicting Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus.
77
MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES
Museum (musaion – the Temple of the Muses) is a permanent non-profit institution at
service of society and its development, open to the public. The purpose of modern museums
is to collect, preserve, interpret, and display items of artistic, cultural, or scientific
significance for the purpose of enjoyment, study and education of the public. Museums are,
above all, storehouses of knowledge aiming for the increase and dissemination of knowledge.
According to their focus and content (exhibitions and depositories), they are classified
as general (national, of national history) and specialised museums (within one field). Unlike
museum depositories, museum exhibitions are accessible to the public. Types of museums
vary from large institutions, covering many fields, to very small institutions focusing on a
specific subject, location, or a notable person. Museums can focus on history, natural history,
cultural history, science, technology, anthropology, war, fine arts, applied arts, or crafts.
Institutions collecting and displaying art collections are called galleries.
The continuing process of digitisation of information combined with the increasing
capacity of digital information storage is causing the traditional model of museums (i.e. as
static collections of three-dimensional specimens and artefacts) is expanding to include virtual
exhibits and high-resolution images of their collections. As for 2014, according to the World
Museum Community, ICOM – International Council of Museums, there are more than
55,000 museums in 202 countries. The city with the largest number of museums is Mexico
City with about 130 museums. Some of the most attended museums include the Louvre in
Paris, the National Museum of China in Beijing, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington,
D.C., the British Museum and National Gallery in London, and The Metropolitan Museum of
Art in New York City.
Due to the extensive cultural heritage, the Czech Republic can boast an extraordinary
amount of museums and galleries. More than 700 museums and galleries can be found on the
territory of the country.
The oldest (1814) and the third largest (2,400,000 artefacts) museum in our country is
the Silesian Land Museum (founded as Gymnaziální museum/Grammas School Museum).
The Museum administers and displays collections documenting nature development,
prehistory and history primarily with regard to the history of Silesia as well as north and
north-west Moravia in the field of mineralogy, geology, paleontology, botany, zoology,
entomology, dendrology, archaeology, ethnography, museology, numismatics, history, art
history including history of music, literature, theatre and military history. The Museum also
manages Arboretum in Nový Dvůr, War Memorial in Hrabyně, Czechoslovak Fortification
Complex in Darkovičky, and Memorial and Chalet of Petr Bezruč. The Second World War
Memorial in Hrabyně commemorates one of the most intense battles on the territory of our
country. The aim of the Memorial is to illustrate the history of the Second World War period,
to acquire thematically related exhibits and to gather information on members of the
Czechoslovak domestic and foreign resistance and on the victims of persecution by the Nazi
regime. It also focuses on the study of and research into the wartime period. The complex
includes a symbolic cemetery containing the names of more than 13,000 Red Army soldiers,
as well as of inhabitants of Silesia and North Moravia who died on all fronts during the War
78
or who perished in concentration camps. Hlučín-Darkovičky Czechoslovak Fortification
Complex is a unique artefact of its type, and of great value in European context. It is an
exhibition of military technology that includes a group of structures that were created as a part
of the Czechoslovak border defence system, and that are amongst the best-preserved in
Europe. The Complex consists of five different fortifications, both in the condition and with
the fitting as they were in 1938, as well as the condition they were in at the end of the War.
The complex is also a symbol of key events in Czechoslovak history, being closely linked to
the Munich Agreement and loss of the Sudetenland – one of the most dramatic moments in
the history of Silesia. Petr Bezruč Memorial is based at the site of native house of the Silesian
poet, the author of Silesian songs. The building where he was born was destroyed during the
Second World War but another building was built at that site in 1956. The exhibition outlines
the most important moments in the life and works of Bezruč and the Memorial is a centre for
literary studies and an exhibition site. Its depository contains over 200,000 documents from
the estates of around 85 writers, which makes the Silesian Land Museum the largest after the
Museum of Czech Literature in Prague. The Arboretum in Nový Dvůr is a botanical garden
with a special focus on dendrology (study of trees). It is a complex of botanical gardens and a
refined landscape park with rare plants of five continents and greenhouses with tropical and
subtropical plants. The Arboretum prides approximately 7,000 different types of plants,
woody plants and herbs.
National Museum in Prague is the most important and largest museum institution in
the Czech Republic. It was established in 1818 by Kaspar Maria von Sternberg with the
historian František Palacký strongly involved. The Museum is aimed at a variety of scientific
disciplines (from natural to social sciences) and it administers and displays its collections
consisting of almost 14 million items in dozens of buildings in Prague as well as in other
places in the country. National Museum consists of five specialised institutes: Natural History
Museum, Historical Museum, National Museum Library, Náprstek Museum (Náprstkovo
muzeum asijských, afrických a amerických kultur) and Czech Museum of Music. Natural
History Museum has the departments of mineralogy, paleontology, mycology, botany,
entomology, zoology and anthropology, as well as scientific laboratories. Historical Museum
(Departments of Prehistory and Protohistory, Department of the Old Czech History,
Department of Ethnography, Department of Numismatics, Department of Theatre, Archives
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arge/130156708.jpg
http://1gr.cz/fotky/idnes/14/111/org/JOG56f9b8_12
2047_3447888.jpg
http://www.cz-
museums.cz/UserFiles/adresar/
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79
of the National Museum) contains extremely rich collection of artefacts of painting, sculpture
and decorative arts, jewellery, embroidery, panel painting, wooden sculpture, liturgical
objects (chalices, reliquaries), glazed tiles, porcelain and glass collections, coins and medals,
and weapons. In addition to their historical value, most objects are also of high artistic value.
Archives of the National Museum contains rare manuscripts, collection of personal legacy
(written sources of famous personalities of Czech history), seals and seal dies (containing
about 3,000 items). National museum is also the name of the impressive Neo-Renaissance
historical main building of the Museum standing at the top of Wenceslas Square. It was built
by Josef Schultz and opened in 1891 (originally the collections were based at several
aristocratic palaces such as Sternberg or Nostitz). The building was badly damaged by
bombing in 1945 and in 1968 by strong Soviet machine-gun fire (this can be still seen as
lighter sandstone was used to repair the bullet holes). The Lapidarium of National Museum
houses valuable stone sculptures dating from the 11 to the 20 century (collection of about
2,000 artefacts).
National gallery in Prague administers extensive collections of Czech as well as
world works of art in a number of historical buildings. The Convent of Saint Agnes of
Bohemia houses the Art of the Middle Ages in Bohemia and Central Europe, the Monastery
of Saint George displays collection of old masters (Baroque and Rudolf II collections),
Kinsky Palace (Lesser Town) houses Bohemian landscape painting from 17 to 20 century,
Sternberg Palace houses European Art from Antiquity to the Baroque period, Schwarzenberg
palace (Hradčany) displays Baroque in Bohemia, Kinský Palace (Old Town) houses Art of
Asia and Art of the Ancient World, Trade Fair Palace (Veletržní palác) houses modern and
contemporary art (19 to 21 century), House of the Black Madonna (Dům U černé matky Boží)
is the seat of the Museum of Czech Cubism.
Moravian Gallery in Brno is the second largest art museum in the Czech Republic,
established in 1961 by merging of two older institutions. The Gallery administers not only
collections of painting, drawing, graphics and sculpture from the earliest period to the present
day but also collections of photographs, applied arts, graphic design and architecture. Since
1963, the Gallery has organized the International Biennale of Graphic Design (Mezinárodní
bienále grafického designu).
National Technical Museum in Prague, founded in 1908, is the largest institution
dedicated to preserving information and artefacts related to the history of science and
technology in the Czech Republic. Its exhibits include astronomical devices from the
16 century that Tycho de Brahe used, the first Czechoslovak automobile, or the aeroplane that
Jan Kašpar flown his flight from Pardubice to Velká Chuchle in 1911. The Museum also
manages substantial archives.
Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (Uměleckoprůmyslové muzeum v Praze) was
founded in 1885. Its rich collections include decorative and applied arts and designs ranging
from Late Antiquity (transition from classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages) to the present
day with focus on European objects, particularly arts and crafts created in the Czech Lands.
The impressive permanent exhibition, Stories of Materials, displays the history and
development of decorative arts in the fields of glass, ceramics, graphic art, design, metal,
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wood and other materials, as well as jewellery, clocks and watches, textiles, fashion, toys and
furniture.
Jewish Museum in Prague (Židovské muzeum v Praze), founded in 1906, is a
museum of Jewish heritage in the Czech Republic. Its collection of Judaica (Jewish
ceremonial art; objects used by Jews for ritual purposes) is one of the largest in the world. It
contains about 40,000 objects, 100,000 books, and a rich archive documenting history and
customs of Jewish communities in Bohemia and Moravia. During the Second World War, the
properties of the Jewish community (valuable works of art) were stored in the Museum.
Approximately 80 000 of Bohemian and Moravian Jews fell victims to the War.
Consequently, there was almost nobody to claim the confiscated objects, preserved in the
Museum. Currently, administrative activity of the Museum includes the Maisel Synagogue,
Pinkas Synagogue, Spanish Synagogue, Klausen Synagogue, Old Jewish cemetery,
Ceremonial hall of the Prague Jewish Burial Society, and Robert Guttmann gallery.
Olomouc Museum of Art, established in 1951, is the third largest institution of its
kind in the Czech Republic. The Museum houses more than 200,000 collection items
(paintings, sculptures, drawings, graphic art, photographs, applied art and architectural
designs) administered in three different locations. Museum of Modern Art houses collections
of mainly 20 and 21 century art. Archdiocesan Museum Olomouc was established in 1998 in
cooperation with the Olomouc Archbishopric as the first museum in the Czech Republic
focused on spiritual culture. Its collections present masterpieces that originated from the 12 to
18 century. Its premises also include the Romanesque Palace of the Moravian Bishops near
the Basilica of Saint Wenceslas at Olomouc Přemyslid Castle. Archdiocesan Museum
Kroměříž was established in 2007 (again in cooperation with the Olomouc Archbishopric) as
a part of the Museum at the Archbishop Palace in the town of Kroměříž. It administers all the
local collections (paintings, drawings, graphic art, collections of coins and medals, music
archive, collection of household goods and library) amounting to some 135,000 items. Apart
from the gallery and historical libraries, a permanent exhibition of gardening in the Czech
Lands will be opened.
Museum of Moravian Slovakia (Slovácké muzeum) in Uherské Headiště has a
special status among the other Czech and Moravian museums. Since its foundation in 1914,
the Museum has focused on archaeology and ethnography, history and visual art were added
later. Its scope of research and collections cover the whole of the Slovácko (Moravian
Slovakia) ethnographic region. The professional and highly specialized institution is located
in several buildings: the Main building in Smetanovy sady housing a permanent exposition of
Moravian Slovakia along with various other ethnographic, archaeological and historical
exhibitions, the Slovácké Museum Gallery (Galerie Slováckého muzea) presenting visual art
of south-east Moravia as well as works of both domestic and foreign authors, the Memorial of
Great Moravia (Památník Velké Moravy) in Staré Město displaying the exhibition
documenting an important era of Czech history, Folk Distillery Museum (Muzeum lidových
pálenic) in Vlčnov, and Open-Air Museum in Topolná presenting folk architecture of the
region. The Museum also maintains four archaeological sites with reconstructed foundations
of Great Moravian churches in Uherské Hradiště, Staré Město, Modrá near Velehrad and
Osvětimany that were declared National Cultural Monuments.
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Terezín Memorial (Památník Terezín), originally called National Suffering Memorial
(Památník národního utrpení), was established in 1947. The former Baroque military fortress
from the 18 century served Nazis as a Jewish ghetto, concentration camp and prison during
the Second World War. Approximately 32,000 men and women passed through the gates of
the Small Fortress Gestapo prison from 1940. They were later sent to the extermination
camps, mainly to Mauthausen. The Jewish Ghetto was opened in 1941 and soon became
overcrowded. Approximately 7,000 people lived in Terezín before the War and about 30,000
to 40,000 on average lived in the Ghetto. Altogether about 155,000 Jews including 15,000
children passed through it. Although it was not an extermination camp, almost 35,000 people
died there mostly due to the inhuman conditions, malnutrition and diseases. About 87,000
people were deported in 63 transports mainly to the Auschwitz extermination camp, but also
to Majdanek, Treblinka, Sobibor or Chelmno (only 3,600 of them returned). The Terezín
Memorial has been established in the Small Fortress, the Museum of Ghetto in the building of
the former school and the National Cemetery in front of the fortress. The key mission of
Terezín Memorial, the only institution of its kind in the Czech Republic, is to commemorate
the victims of the Nazi political and racial persecution during the occupation of the Czech
Lands, to promote museum, research and educational activities, and look after the memorial
sites connected with the suffering and death of dozens of thousands of victims of violence.
Terezín was declared National Cultural Monument in 1962.
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HISTORY OF CZECH MUSIC
We have no substantial evidence of the state of musical culture and the forms of music
and singing in the Bohemian Lands before the advent of Christianity. Christianity and its
liturgical chant began to make real progress on our territory in the late 9 century. After the
Fall of Great Moravia (soon after 900), the Slavonic liturgy survived in the Sázava Monastery
(1032-1097) but prevailed by the Latin liturgy, and with it the canonical Gregorian Chant
(unaccompanied sacred song). Secular music and song undoubtedly existed from earliest
times but there are only vague references to it in the chronicles up to the 13 century. Hence,
we lack reliable testimony and musical sources.
The first significant pieces of Czech music include two chorales that in their time
performed the function of anthems – Hospodine pomiluj ny (Lord, Have Mercy on Us) from
around 1050 and Svatý Václave (Saint Wenceslas) from around 1250.
A number of well-known German minnesingers were certainly present at the royal
court of the last Přemyslids and then the Luxemburgs to sing the praises of the Czech kings.
King Wenceslas II (1271-1305) organised the first major musical event that drew the attention
of all Europe. He held a musical competition in Prague, inviting the most famous
minnesingers and troubadours of Europe. The King took part in the competition personally, as
a minnesinger. We have records of Czech love songs of courtly type such as Dřěvo se listem
odievá (Trees Are Putting on Leaves) from the 14 century, but in most cases the texts have
survived without the music.
In 1348, Charles IV founded a university in Prague, where a department of
musicology operated from the very start. In the 15 century, the Hussite movement arose in the
Lands of the Bohemian Crown and had a serious impact on musical culture. The Gregorian
Chant was translated from Latin to Czech, and Hussite songs, sacral and war, became the
prototype of the form called protestant chorale. The most famous war songs are Ktož sú boží
bojovníci and Povstaň, povstaň, veliké město Pražské. These, as well as many other sacral
songs have been preserved in the Jistebnice Hymnbook (around 1420). During the Bohemian
Reformation (1440-1620) various changes in liturgical and sacred singing continued. Church
singing was provided by so-called Literate Brotherhoods (literátská bratrstva), societies of
educated burghers. Nonetheless, elements of Renaissance music style were reaching the
country from the mid-15 century. Roughly around the mid-16 century church singing shifted
from Latin to Czech. A significant change was the striking increase in participation of the
congregation in the religious service through the singing of Czech sacred songs. This explains
the huge number of hymnbooks (collections of sacred songs) produced by all the religious
groups, many of them printed, especially in the case of the Unity of the Brethren (so-called
Žlutický kancionál, 1558; Šamotulský kancionál, 1561).
From the 1570s, the musical culture of the Czech Lands moved closer to the culture of
Western Europe, both in basic conditions (school system linked up to music institutions,
printing of music, manufacture of musical instruments), in musical practice (town trumpeters
and organists, amateur circles of burghers, cappellae and instrumental ensembles of nobility,
e. g. at the courts of the Rosenberg families in the South of Bohemia where contemporary
European secular music was also played), and in original musical production. During the
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reign of Rudolph II (16-17 century), Prague (the seat of the Holy Roman Emperor) again
became one of the centres of events in Europe. Rudolf passionately supported art and
sciences. In the field of music, he established what was called the court cappella/Imperial
Ensemble, a unique phenomenon in that era that performed internationally popular secular
genres at the court (madrigals, canzonettas, ensaladas, etc.). Among Bohemian composers of
the era, the nobleman and leading Rudolphine courtier Kryštof Harant of Polžice and
Bezdružice can be mentioned.
In the beginning of the 17 century, the early Baroque style started to rise. The
development of new kinds of music in the Czech Lands was strongly affected by the removal
of the royal court with its huge cultural potential and the institution of the court cappella to
Vienna (1612). Major European composers were not attracted to the country, and opera, the
most important and prestigious musical genre of the time, was not cultivated here
systematically for a long time. The most important places for the cultivation of music were
ecclesiastical institutions – churches, monasteries and colleges. Domestic musical production
was focused on various kinds of Catholic sacred music for the whole period.
The first important Czech composer of the Baroque age was Adam Václav Michna of
Otradovice (c.1600-1676). His work includes both collections of sacred songs that arefgv
outstanding for their original musical treatment and distinctive poetic qualities such as Česká
mariánská muzyka (Czech Music in Honour of the Virgin), and church music with
instrumental accompaniment on Latin texts (Missa Sancti Wenceslai).
The most distinguished composer to follow Michna was probably Pavel Josef
Vejvanovský (1640-1693), the trumpet player and Kapellmeister in the service of the Bishop
of Olomouc Karl Liechtenstein in Kroměříž. His extensive output (about 130 at least partially
preserved pieces) contains not only figural church music, but also many instrumental pieces
for various instrumental combinations. Apart from sonatas for performvbance in church (e. g.
Sonata vespertina), they also included the secular dance suites called balletti.
The turn of the 17 and 18 centuries saw a visible revival of musical life in Prague,
where a dense network of parish and monastic church choirs were cultivating figural music.
The most important, from the musical point of view, were the churches of the Jesuit colleges,
the Order of the Cross Church of Saint Francis Seraphic by Charles Bridge, and the Cathedral
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of Saint Vitus. The most important composer of the Bohemian Baroque was Jan Dismas
Zelenka (1679-1745). He wrote a series of pieces for the Prague Clementinum. Apart from
three sepulchres (cantatas sung at the Good Friday in front of the Holy Sepulchre), it was
mainly music for the Latin school drama Sub olea pacis et palma virtutis conspicua orbi regia
Bohemiae Corona – Melodrama de Sancto Wenceslao (Pod olivovníkem míru a palmou
ctnosti Koruna česká nádherně září celému světu), on the occasion of the coronation of
Charles VI the King of Bohemia in 1723. His sacred vocal-instrumental music (250 works)
includes over 20 masses, four extensive oratorios (large musical composition for orchestra,
choir and soloists), requiems (Mass for the dead), Magnificats (also known as the Song of
Mary) and Te Deum (Te Deum laudamus; Tebe Bože chválíme) settings, many litanies (form
of prayer used in services and processions consisting of a number of petitions), psalms, and
hymns.
Opera was rarely heard in the Czech Lands for a long time. When performed at all it
was usually a part of visits of the imperial court. At the beginning of the 18 century, a few
Italian touring companies gave isolated performances. Count Jan Adam Questenberg begun to
stage opera at his chateau in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou. The repertoire was primarily Italian,
but it seems to be here that Czech was first used in opera, in a translation of the opera
L'origine di Jaromeritz in Moravia (On the Origin of Jaroměřice, 1730). Invited to Bohemia
by Count František Antonín Špork in 1724, the Italian opera company of impressario Antonio
Denzio played for ten years in Prague and at Kuks, presenting operas by Italian composers.
Opera productions were also presented at the seat of the Bishop of Olomouc in Kroměříž.
“Bohemian Classicism” (1740-1820), a new type of music accessible to everyone, was
exceptionally important for whole Europe. Every school leaver was usually a trained singer
and instrumentalist, and active musical knowledge was a socially valued attribute. Relatively
dense network of music centres had developed, and grammar schools and colleges famous for
their music were often located even in smaller towns. The country monasteries, which had
schools and professional ensembles, were also important centres. Singing was one of the main
subjects in rural schools. Regenschori (heads of church choirs) in small churches wrote music
for the simplest listeners. The English traveller Charles Burney called the Lands of the
Bohemian crown “Europe’s conservatory”. Often the same arias as in the theatre were
performed in church choirs. Composed music drew inspiration from folk music. The Czech
Lands became distinctive for over-production of talented and well-trained musicians who
influenced the culture of many European centres. Despite the quantity and extension of
musical activity, there was no large centre where the best home musicians could make their
careers. Hence, Bohemian musicians (composers, Kapellmeisters and instrumentalists) were
leaving to follow careers in neighbouring countries where dozens of courts needed a cappella
and theatre in order to keep up their reputation (Germany, Vienna, Hungarian Lands). In spite
of the strong competition, Bohemian musicians were sought out when orchestras were being
founded, and obtained many prestigious positions. (The reforms of Josef II (1741-1790)
affected almost all aspects of life. In a few years the institutional structures that had
maintained the standard of musical life were in ruins. The policy of Josef II consisted in
restraining the influence of the church on education. His liturgical reforms banished elaborate
music from the churches that at that time had often fulfilled the function of concert halls).
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Drama and opera theatre built at the expense of Count F. A. Nostitz-Rhieneck was
opened in Prague in 1783. It was one of the largest theatres in Central Europe in its time
(originally Nostic Theatre; today Estates Theatre). In 1786, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart came
to Prague for the production of his opera The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro). In
1787, his opera Don Giovanni, commissioned by the Prague impressario Guardasoni, was
premiered with triumphant success at the Nostic Theatre. It was Prague and the Lands of the
Bohemian crown where Mozart earned true recognition and fame. Mozart perceived the
county as an island of honour and understanding. His quote “My Praguers understand me” is
famous. Bohemian aristocrats passed him from house to house and from ball to ball, and the
common people whistled arias from The Marriage of Figaro that (following adaptations) was
played even in pubs. Mozart’s new music literally amazed the entire kingdom. A mere week
after Mozart’s death, his Requiem was performed in the Church of Saint Nicholas to
commemorate him.
František Xaver Brixi (1732-1771) was among the most striking and creative
composers to remain in the Czech Lands. At the age of 27 he obtained the prestigious
(lifetime) post of Kapellmeister at the Prague Cathedral. As a composer he mainly wrote
church music, but he also composed oratorios and instrumental pieces. Josef Mysliveček
(1737-1781) was one of the few foreigners to make a name for himself as an opera composer
in Italy. He composed for leading Italian theatres in Naples, Milan and Rome.
In the beginning of the 19 century, concert life based on private patronage started to
awaken in Prague and other larger towns. The patriotic nobility financed the Estates Theatre
and founded a conservatory in Prague. First half of the 19 century (c. 1810–1860) has
traditionally been considered a comparatively unimportant period in the history of music in
the Czech Lands, a mere dull echo of the rich musical life of previous years. The greatest
interest continued to be opera, which at that time relied mainly on new pieces from the
contemporary French-Italian repertoire. In contrast to the 18 century practice, it was
performed in translation, i.e. in German or very occasionally in Czech as well. The conductors
of Prague Opera included the famous German composer Carl Maria von Weber (1813-1816),
and later František Škroup (1801-1862; 1827-1857), the author of the Czech national anthem
Kde domov můj (1834) and several serious operas on Czech and German texts.
Prague Conservatory, the first institution of its kind in Central Europe, was established
in 1811 and Organ School in 1830. Entertainment music was primarily dance music and the
Czech Lands “exported” the polka, which from the end of the 1830s quickly spread
throughout Europe and to the American continent. Entertainment music of the time also
included social singing for all kinds of occasions. In the Czech-speaking society, this is
represented particularly by the song collection Věnec ze zpěvů vlastenských published in
1835-1839 by František Škroup, and by the male choral works on texts of Moravian folk
poetry composed by the priest and Augustinian monk Pavel Křížkovský (1820-1885), later the
teacher of Leoš Janáček.
Mozart was not the only one who was close to the Lands of the Bohemian crown. At
the end of the classical era, Ludwig van Beethoven also visited the country, travelling to
Prague, the spas in Western Bohemia, Teplice, and Hradec nad Moravicí (1806). Carl Maria
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von Weber conducted in the Estates Theatre in Prague (1813-1817), Ferenc Liszt visited the
country several times and gave concerts in 1840 and 1846, as did Hector Berlioz, and later
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky who conducted the premiere of his opera Eugene Onegin in Prague
in 1888, as well as Robert and Clare Schumann (1846, 1847) – in short, the European musical
elite.
The second half of the 19 century may rightly be considered the culminating era in the
history of music in the Czech Lands. Music became the most important and internationally
the most successful aspect of Czech culture based on a new bourgeois society and reflecting
the gradual transformation of the multinational Habsburg monarchy into a modern
constitutional state. Opera was at the centre of efforts to create a new national art. Prozatímní
divadlo (Provisional Theatre), designed exclusively for Czech performances, was opened in
Prague in 1862. National Theatre was built in 1868-1881, and after a fire in August 1881, it
was re-opened in November 1883. German opera production continued to be performed in the
Estates Theatre (Ständetheater, Stavovské divadlo) and from 1888 to 1945 by the New
German Theatre (Neues Deutsches Theater; today State Opera) in Prague. Plzeň had its own
permanent Czech opera stage from 1868, and Brno from 1884.
In contrast, public concert life in Prague and other towns (with the exception of the
West Bohemian spa centres) lacked a professional symphony orchestra for many years, and
acquired one only at the beginning of 1896 in the form of the Czech Philharmonic. Concerts
of chamber music (previously mainly performed in private settings) were organised by the
Prague Kammermusikverein (Association for Chamber Music) from 1876, and by Český
spolek pro komorní hudbu (Czech Association for Chamber Music) from 1894. The Prague
choral society Hlahol established in 1861 presented many major choral works, cantatas and
oratorios from the Czech and international repertoire as well as Beseda brněnská Choir or the
Olomouc Žerotín choir. In 1863, Umělecká beseda was formed, bringing together Czech
writers, musicians and fine artists. Its foundation fund Hudební matice (HMUB) financed the
publication of major works by Czech composers.
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) is considered to be the father of the Czech national
music. He worked as a music teacher, pianist, composer and conductor in Prague (1848-
1856), and in Göteborg in Sweden (1856-1861). In these years, he mainly composed piano
pieces and symphonic poems. From 1861, Smetana worked in Prague as the conductor of the
Hlahol choir, music and theatre critic, music director of the Provisional Theatre (1866-1874)
and composer of choral music and operas. Braniboři v Čechách (The Brandenburgers in
Bohemia) was an attempt at a grand historical opera on the French model, Prodaná nevěsta
(The Bartered Bride) was soon proclaimed the example and prototype of Czech national
opera. The tragedy Dalibor (on French model) was rejected by the public and the critics as
“unCzech”. The ceremonial mythological opera Libuše was first performed at the opening of
the National Theatre in 1881. His other works include operas Dvě vdovy (The Two Widows),
Hubička (The Kiss), Tajemství (The Secret) and Čertova stěna (The Devil’s Wall) on texts by
the poet Eliška Krásnohorská, the piano cycle České tance (Bohemian Dances), the
monumental cycle of six symphonic poems Má vlast (My Country) and string quartets.
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Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was one of the greatest and most versatile European
composers of the latter half of the 19 century. He worked as a violist at the Provisional
Theatre and organist in the Church of Saint Adalbert in Prague, and later he was appointed
first professor of composition at the Prague Conservatory and director of the National
Conservatory of Music in New York (1892-1895). His works include operas Čert a Káča
(The Devil and Kate), Rusalka, Král a uhlíř (The King and Charcoal Burner), Vanda, Tvrdé
palice (Stubborn Lovers), Šelma sedlák (The Cunning Peasant), Jakobín (The Jacobiner),
Armida, cantatas Dědicové Bílé Hory (The Heirs of the White Mountain), Stabat mater,
chamber music (String Quartet in C Major and in F Major, Piano Trio in F Minor, Piano
Quintet in A Major), songs and other pieces such as Moravské dvojzpěvy (Moravian Duets),
Slovanské tance (Slavonic Dances), Cigánské melodie (Gypsy Melodies), Biblical Songs, and
many others. He also wrote symphonic poems Vodník (The Water Goblin), Polednice (The
Noon Witch), or Zlatý kolovrat (The Golden Spinning Wheel) based on poems by Karel
Jaromír Erben. Out of his great Symphonies, the Symphony No. 9, From the New World
written during his stay in America, is the most famous.
Zdeněk Fibich (1850-1900) composed symphonies, overtures, symphonic poems,
chamber and piano pieces, songs, cantatas and melodramas. His trio of stage melodramas
Hippodamie on the text by the poet Jaroslav Vrchlický (Námluvy Pelopovy (The Courtship of
Pelops), Smír Tantalův (The Atonement of Tantalus), Smrt Hippodamie (Hippodamia’s
Death)) represented a unique stage experiment in its time.
Other opera composers who enjoyed success were Vilém Blodek (1834-1874), the
author of the comic one-acter V studni (In the Well), or Karel Kovařovic (1862-1920), the
harpist and conductor of the National Theatre orchestra who wrote the operas Psohlavci and
Na Starém bělidle on popular stories by Alois Jirásek and Božena Němcová respectively. The
composer and conductor of Czech origin Eduard Nápravník (1839-1916) was the first
conductor of the Court Opera in St Petersburg for almost half a century. At the turn of the 19
and 20 century, the dramatic soprano Emma Destinnová (1878-1930) won worldwide fame,
as did the violin virtuoso Jan Kubelík (1880-1940). František Kmoch (1848-1912) became
famous in the field of popular dance, marching and military music.
Czech music culture in the period before the First World War was a highly distinctive
and rich complex, comparable in quality of composition, representation of genres and kinds
and breadth of musical production with the cultures of the major European nations.
There is no doubt that the towering personality of these years was Leoš Janáček
(1854-1928). He worked in Brno as a choirmaster, conductor, professor and director of the
local Organ School (that he founded) and as a collector of folksongs. His most famous works
include Lašské tance (Lachian Dances), operas Její pastorkyňa (Her Foster-Daughter; known
as Jenufa), Káťa Kabanová, Liška Bystrouška (The Cunning Little Vixen), Věc Makropulos
(The Makropulos Affair) and Z mrtvého domu (From the House of the Dead), the male choral
works Kantor Halfar or Maryčka Magdonova on words by the Silesian poet Petr Bezruč,
piano work Po zarostlém chodníčku (On an Overgrown Path), the orchestral rhapsody Taras
Bulba and the great Glagolská mše (Glagolitic Mass).
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Vítězslav Novák (1870-1949) was inspired by Moravian and Slovak folk music and
this was reflected in his arrangement of folksongs Slovenské spevy (Slovak Songs), Slovácká
suita (Slovakian Suite), or Jihočeská suita (South Bohemian Suite). Josef Suk (1874-1935), a
violinist in the Bohemian Quartet, the first professional Czech quartet ensemble, is famous for
String Serenade in E flat, stage music for Julius Zeyer’s fairytale play Radúz a Mahulena,
Čtyři skladby (Four Pieces) for violin and piano, and especially the Second String Quartet.
Oskar Nedbal (1874-130), a violist of the Bohemian Quartet and later a well-known
conductor, is the author of a ballet Z pohádky do pohádky (From Tale to Tale) and the
operettas Polská krev (Polish Blood) and Vinobraní (The Vintage).
Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) was a true renaissance personality, both in terms of
the breadth of his work and its forms. He worked as a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic
Orchestra, in Paris (1923-1940), the USA, Italy and Switzerland. (After the communist
takeover he could never return to his homeland.) Of the more than 400 works, we should
mention the cantata Česká rapsodie (Czech Rhapsody), operas The Marriage (after Gogol),
The Greek Passion (after Kazantzakis), the sung ballet Špalíček and the opera-ballet Divadlo
za bránou (The Theatre behind the Gate), six symphonies, Memorial to Lidice (1943; for
large orchestra), concertos for piano and orchestra, violin, cello and oboe concertos, seven
string quartets (for chamber and smaller ensembles), Concerto grosso for string orchestra, or
Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani. His outstanding achievements
in cantata and oratorio include Kytice (Bouquet of Flowers) on folk poetry, Polní mše (Field
Mass), The Epic of Gilgamesh, or cantata Otvírání studánek (The Opening of the Wells).
Probably the most famous representative of the first half of the 20 century is Jaroslav
Ježek (1906-1942) known as the conductor and composer of songs at the popular
Osvobozené divadlo (Liberated Theatre) such as Bugatti-step, Život je jen náhoda, Klobouk
ve křoví, Pochod optimistů (Hej Rup!), David a Goliáš, or Nebe na zemi. His works are still
part of the repertoire and they are considered a part of the golden treasury of Czech music.
Nevertheless, he also composed two string quartets, a Concerto and Fantasia for piano and
orchestra, the Sonata for piano, etc.
The outstanding Czech reputation in the field of orchestral and opera performance
owes much to Václav Talich (1883-1961) who became famous as a conductor of the works
of Suk, Janáček and Martinů. He became the concertmaster (the second most significant
person in orchestra after the conductor) of the Berlin Philharmonic, then he conducted in
Tiflis (Tbilisi), Ljubljana with the Slovenian Philharmonic, and Plzeň, and worked as violist
of the Bohemian Quartet. He conducted the Czech Philharmonic from 1919 to 1941 raising its
prestige to world levels, touring widely with it, and recording Czech music for EMI (Electric
and Musical Industries was a British multinational music recording and publishing company,
and electronics device and systems manufacturing company; sold to Universal Music Group
and Sony BMG in 2011). Concurrently he was chief conductor of the Scottish National
Orchestra (1926–27) and of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (1926-1936).
The phenomenal pianist Rudolf Firkušný (1912-1994) escaped the Nazis in 1939 and
settled permanently in the USA. Although he had a broad repertoire (he performed Mozart,
Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Mussorgsky, Debussy, etc.), he became known especially for
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his performances of the Czech composers such as Smetana, Dvořák, Janáček, and Martinů
(who wrote a number of works for him).
Rafael Kubelík (1914-1996), a son of the violinist Jan Kubelík, was a conductor and
composer who made his debut with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 19. After
1948, he left the country and was a music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1950-
1953), The Royal Opera in London (1955-1958), and the Bavarian Radio Symphony
Orchestra (1961-1979). He was also a frequent guest conductor for leading orchestras in
Europe and America. He composed five operas, three symphonies, chamber music, choral
works, and songs. Kubelík is famous for refusing to greet the Nazi Reichsprotektor Karl
Hermann Frank with a Hitler salute and to conduct Wagner during the War. In 1946, he was
one of the founders of the Prague Spring Festival, and conducted its opening concert.
Jarmila Novotná (1907-1994) was a celebrated Czech soprano who starred in
Verona, Naples, Milan, Paris, London, Berlin, or Vienna. Following the Anschluss, she
emigrated for the USA where she became a star of the Metropolitan Opera (1940-1956).
Considering popular music, Jaromír Vejvoda (1902-1988) is the author of the world
famous melody Škoda lásky (Wasted Love) that he composed in 1927 and that became
incredibly popular. Its first text was written in 1934 by Václav Zeman. In June 1939, the Beer
Barrel Polka (Barrel Polka, Roll Out the Barrel; German version is called Rosamunde) was
No. 1 on the Hit Parade. During the Second World War, versions in many other languages
were created and the song was popular among soldiers regardless the army.
Since the establishment of the Prague Spring Festival in 1946, Prague has repeatedly
drawn the world’s greatest soloists such as Sviatoslav Richter (Russian pianist, considered
one of the greatest pianists of the 20 century), Louis Armstrong (American trumpeter,
composer and singer who was one of the most influential figures in jazz), David Oistrach
(Russian violinist), Arthur Rubinstein (Polish pianist), Dmitri Shostakovich (Russian pianist),
or Leonard Bernstein (American pianist), as well as large orchestras.
Czech music has become a significant part of the world scene primarily due to the
amazing number of excellent orchestras and soloists of various focuses. Vlach and Smetana
String Quartets have achieved world recognition, as well as Suk Trio (who play their entire
repertoire from memory), or the Prague Chamber Orchestra (that has no conductor). The
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra with their philharmonic choir and numerous soloists go on
tours all over the world. The outstanding contemporary Czech performers include Pavel
Šporcl (violin virtuoso combining a talent for classical music with a rather unorthodox
presence, with a characteristic headscarf), Magdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano; London,
Brussels, Vienna, Munich, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Tokyo, Yokohama and Sapporo, etc.),
or Dagmar Pecková (mezzo-soprano; Dresden, Berlin, Paris, London, Zurich). Both Czech
performers and composers enjoy great acclaim in Japan. Leoš Janáček and Bohuslav Martinů,
two names that are famous worldwide, are currently the most frequently played Czech
composers.
Czech folk singers are an integral part of contemporary music, always responding to
events in society. During the socialist era, they were the unofficial spokesmen of the public.
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The most popular are probably Jaromír Nohavica and the late Karel Kryl. But popular music
figures who arose in the previous era, such as Karel Gott and Helena Vondráčková, also have
permanent spots on the Czech stage. The Czech scene also has outstanding bands and singers
playing world music based on Czech folklore, the most popular include Čechomor or Iva
Bittová. In 2008, the Czech singer Markéta Irglová, together with the Irishman Glen
Hansard, won an Oscar for the song in the film ‘Once’.
Good Friday is a Christian religious holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ
and his death at Calvary.
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DOCUMENTARY HERITAGE – HISTORY OF LITERATURE
Czech literature is the literature written by Czechs, mostly in the Czech language,
although other languages like Old Church Slavic, Latin or German have also been used. The
beginnings of Czech literature are connected with Great Moravian
Empire and the Christian mission of Constantin and Methodius who
created Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet used to transcribe Old
Slavonic that also became the language of liturgy. The brothers
translated a part of the Bible into the Old Slavic. Latin began to
penetrate the Czech territory together with the Catholic Church during
the 10 century and became the official language of liturgy and culture
in Moravia and Bohemia. Mainly religious literature and legends
originated, later also chronicles. The Legend of Christian, written in
Latin verse in the latter half of the 10 century, describing the lives of
Saint Ludmila and Saint Wenceslas is the greatest surviving work.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Christianslegende.jpg/1200px-Christianslegende.jpg).
In the Přemyslid Bohemia of the 12 and early 13 century, all preserved literary works
are written in Latin. Historical chronicles and hagiographies (biographies of saints) comprise
the majority of works preserved. Bohemian hagiographies focus exclusively on Bohemian
saints, i.e. Ludmila, Wenceslas, Procopius, Cyril and Methodius, and Adalbert. The most
important chronicle of the period is the Chronica Boemorum by Cosmas (Kronika Čechů;
Kosmova kronika česká) that is the oldest chronicle describing the history of Czechs. Written
in Latin by Cosmas, the dean of the Saint Vitus chapter, in 1119-1125, it approaches its topics
with the then-contemporary politics in mind, and attempts to legitimise the ruling dynasty.
Cosmas chronicle was updated and extended by several authors in the latter part of the 12 and
during the 13 centuries and nowadays we know 15 copies. The original manuscript has not
survived.
During the first part of the 13 century, the Přemyslid rulers of Bohemia expanded their
political and economic influence westward and came into contact with the political and
cultural kingdoms of Western Europe. This cultural exchange was evident in literature
through the introduction of German courtly poetry, or Minnesang (lyric and song writing in
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Germany; mine means love) in the latter part of the 13 century. Since then, German remained
an important literary language in Bohemia until the 19 century. Extensive chronicles were
written of which the Chronicle of Dalimil and Chronicon Aulae Regiae (the Zbraslav
Chronicle; mid-14 century) are the most striking examples.
The Hussite revolution of the 15 century forms its own separate history within Czech
literature. The main aim of this literature was to communicate and argue for a specific
religious doctrine and its form was generally prose. John Hus wrote his theological writing
first in Latin, later in Czech, and this divide remained for much of the later period: poetry and
intellectual prose used primarily Latin, whereas popular prose was written in Czech or
German. Hus also created rules of orthography and grammar that were used to create the
foundations of modern Czech in the 17-18 centuries. Gutenberg’s printing press (invented in
1440s) made books more accessible.
An outstanding personality of literature of the 17 century is the Protestant theologian
John Comenius, a philosopher and reformer of education. His works include grammars,
theoretical tracts on education, and works on theology. At the end of the 18 century, Josef
Dobrovský (Geschichte der böhmischen Sprache und Literatur, Deutsch-böhmisches
Wörterbuch) and Josef Jungmann put the foundation stone of the national revival with their
linguistic work. Perhaps the greatest figure of the 19 century is Josef Jungman who translated
many classics of world literature (Milton, Schiller, Goethe) and spent his life establishing
Czech literature as a serious, rich literature capable of great development (Historie literatury
české). František Palacký took up the challenge of re-examining Czech history. As a part of
the effort to establish the origin for Czech literature and culture, Czech historians of the time
sought evidence of heroic epics of the Middle Ages. They appeared to find such evidence in
Rukopis královédvorský and Rukopis zelenohorský (Dvůr Králové Manuscript, Zelená Hora
Manuscript), although both were later proven fakes. By the 1830s, the foundations of Czech
literature were laid and authors began to focus more on the artistic merits of their work and
less on developing the idea of Czech literature and culture as a whole. Babička (The
Grandmother) written by Božena Němcová is considered a classic of Czech literature. Alois
Jirásek wrote a series of historical novels filled with faith in the nation and in progress toward
freedom and justice. His most famous works include the Old Bohemian Legends (Staré
pověsti české), Mezi proudy and Proti všem (about the Hussite movement), Temno (about the
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post-1620 period), F. L. Věk (about the beginnings of the Czech National Revival), or the
dramas Jan Hus, Jan Žižka and Jan Roháč.
The 20 century and especially the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia
stimulated the development of culture enormously and gave rise to numerous excellent
literary works. Jaroslav Hašek, a famous writer of the interwar period, wrote his famous antiwar
comedy novel The Good Soldier Švejk with illustrations of Josef Lada. The novel was a
huge success and has been translated into 58 languages. Karel Čapek, another world famous
writer, is best known for his science fiction including his play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal
Robots) that introduced the word “robot”, and politically charged plays in response to the rise
of fascist dictators Mother, White Disease, or a novel War with the Newts.
After the Munich Agreement in 1938, literature mirrored the current political present
and called for national solidarity and return to the past. During the Second World War, many
authors of the interwar generation did not survive or went into exile. Emigration went on also
after the War, especially after the victory of communists in 1948 that brought severe
censorship, and after 1968 with the period of normalisation that restored tight censorship, shut
down most of literary magazines and newspapers, and silenced authors who did not conform.
Hence, the Second World War marks the origin of the 3-way split of literature that continued
throughout the socialist years until 1989, i.e. domestic published, domestic illegal, and exile
literature.
One of the most famous writers who went to exile was Josef Škvorecký. He settled in
Toronto where he founded the exile publishing house 68 Publishers that became the centre of
the Czech exile literature, and published and supported the banned Czech literature written by
Václav Havel, Milan Kundera or Ludvík Vaculík, among many others. Škvorecký’s most
famous works include The Cowards, Tankový prapor, or Prima sezóna. The list of writers in
exile also includes Milan Kundera (France; The Joke, The Unbearable Lightness of Being),
Pavel Kohout (Austria; Konec velkých prázdnin), Arnošt Lustig (USA; A Prayer For
Katerina Horowitzowa), or Ferdinand Peroutka (USA). The works of banned authors were
also published as samizdat, small underground presses that hand-published much of the work
of the underground, illegal authors. The largest samizdat editions were organised by Ludvík
Vaculík or Václav Havel.
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Some writers stood on the border between the official and unofficial literature, being
banned or allowed to publish in different periods such as Hrabal, Pavel, or Seifert. Bohumil
Hrabal became the most prominent of the contemporary prose authors. He was banned from
publishing in 1968. His most famous works include I Served the King of England, Closely
Observed Trains, Cutting It Short, Larks on a String, or Snowdrop Festival (all of them
translated into English and made into films directed by Jiří Menzel). Most significant works
by Ota Pavel include Golden Eels, How I Came to Know Fish (both translated into English
and adapted for the film). Jaroslav Seifert (Zhasněte světla, Všechny krásy světa) is the only
Czech writer awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (1984). Thanks to the Prize, his later
works had to be accepted again officially.
The fall of communism in 1989 marked another break in Czech literature – free
literary production is possible again. The works of many of the illegal and exiled authors were
published for the first time and many of them returned to public life and publishing.
Literature is a very important part of cultural heritage not only of a particular nation
but of the humanity as a whole. Being aware of this fact, UNESCO established the Memory
of the World Programme in 1992. It is an international initiative launched to safeguard the
documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, devastation caused by time and
climatic conditions, and intentional destruction. It calls for the preservation of valuable
archival holdings, library and private collections all over the world for future generations, the
reconstitution of dispersed or displaced documentary heritage, and the increased accessibility
to these items.
The programme began as a way to preserve and promote documentary heritage, which
can be a single document, a collection, or archival funds that are believed to be of such
significance that exceeds the boundaries of time and culture. This recorded memory reflects
the diversity of languages, people, and cultures. To this end, the Memory of the World
Programme was established with the aim of preserving and digitizing the documentary
heritage of humanity.
In 2004, the Jikji Prize was established (in cooperation with the South Korean
government) to further promote the aims of the Memory of the World Programme. (Jikji is a
Korean Buddhist document printed in 1377, the world’s oldest surviving book printed with
movable metal type that was put on the List in 2001). The award recognises institutions that
have contributed to the preservation and accessibility of documentary heritage. In 2005, the
Czech National Library in Prague received this award.
The documentary heritage includes any information fixed in documents of any kind
that have the form of a text (manuscripts, books, newspapers, magazines, posters, etc.), audio
and video recordings, and films. Consequently, also original digital heritage has been added.
The National Library in Prague has been participated in the activities of the Programme from
the very beginning.
As for 2015, five pieces of Czech documentary heritage have been included into the
Memory of the world.
95
 Collection of medieval manuscripts of the Czech Reformation is an artificially
created collection of primary importance for Czech, European and world history. The
main part of the collection consists of the works of the key priests and lay-preachers,
mostly Hussite manuscripts (so-called Hussitica) and the manuscripts of the Unity of
Brethren but also of John Wyclif that inspired the process of the Czech Reformation.
The manuscripts contain primary historical narrative that maps the early stages and
development of one of the key turning points of the history of European and world
civilisation which resulted in political, cultural and social transformation of Europe
and created a new religious landscape of Western Christianity. (2007)
 Collection of Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian émigré periodicals 1918-1945
(newspapers and journals preserved by the Slavonic Library) represents a unique set of
materials originating from the interwar period. The collection represents the heritage
of the members of the so-called first wave of Russian emigration who following their
departure from Bolshevik Russia settled all over the globe. The size of this emigration
and the scale of its activities led to a specific cultural phenomenon called “Russia
outside Russia”. A new émigré culture was established, separated from its original
roots, yet preserving the original traditions and cultural values. The interwar
Czechoslovakia was one of the key world cultural centres of this emigration and due
to the financial support of the Czechoslovak government it represented the world main
depository of archival collections and published items. The collection contains items
published in all the important centres of émigré life all over the world. (2007)
 Collection of 526 prints of university theses from 1637-1754 is the largest
collection of its kind related to a single educational establishment, in this case Charles
University. It is a unique representation of Baroque culture in the European university
environment. The textual part of this historical source adds to our knowledge of the
nature of university philosophical studies and the official university ceremonies in the
17 and 18 centuries. The visual component significantly enriches our understanding of
the highly sophisticated Baroque iconography and graphic art. (2011)
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 Libri Prohibiti: Collection of periodicals of Czech and Slovak Samizdat in the
years 1948-1989 is the largest collection in the world. The completeness and
uniqueness of a large number of documents attest to the fight against the communist
totalitarian regime and is important for the study of the history of the 20 century. It is
also important from the standpoint of the history of professional journalism, science
and ethics. (2013)
 The moving picture shows of Émile Reynaud. Charles-Émile Reynaud was a French
inventor responsible for the first projected animated cartoons. He projected the first
animated film in public in Paris in 1892. The technical and aesthetic properties of
these picture shows are testament to the research that enabled the invention of cinema.
Today, only two of these strips remain. (2015, submitted by France and the Czech
Republic)
National Cultural Monument, declared by the Czech government, is the most
significant part of cultural heritage of the nation. As for 2015, six documents or their
collections have been declared National Cultural Monument. These include:
 Vyšehradský kodex (Codex Vyssegradensis)
The Latin illuminated Gospel Book, considered the most important and most valuable
manuscript kept in Bohemia, originated on the occasion of the coronation of the first
Bohemian king Vratislaus in 1085. Hence, it is also known as the Coronation Gospels
of King Vratislaus. The manuscript originated in the monastery scriptorium, very
probably in Regensburg and consists of 108 parchment folios. Its extremely rich
iconography and its visual components rank it among the most precious illuminated
manuscripts. (2005)
 Pasionál abatyše Kunhuty (The Passional of Abbess Kunigunde)
It is an illuminated Latin manuscript that originated in the Benedictine Convent of
Saint George in the period between 1312 and 1321. The manuscript was created by
canon Beneš and Dominican friar Kolda of Koldice. It was commissioned by Abbess
Kunigunde of Bohemia, the daughter of King Ottokar II of Bohemia and Kunigunda
of Hungary/of Halych. The earliest surviving coloured depiction of the heraldic
emblem of the Bohemian Kingdom can be found in the manuscript, so-called Eagle of
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Saint Wenceslas of black colour flying out of flames with three-leaf clovers in its
wings and a silver double-tailed lion in a red field. (2005)
 Velislavova bible (Velislai biblia picta)
The Velislaus Bible is a Latin illuminated manuscript created in Bohemia by an
unknown author in the period between 1325 and 1349. It consists of 188 parchment
folios (307 by 245 mm). It is a picture Bible in fact, as the text is limited to brief titles
or descriptions of the 747 pen and ink drawings from the Old Testament, Apocalypse
and from the legends of the saints, especially Saint Wenceslas. Most of the pictures
are only in ink, though some colour is used. The codex was created by several artists
and commissioned by Velislav, the canon (Saint Vitus), diplomat and notary of John
of Bohemia and his son Charles IV. It is deposited in the National Library in
Clementinum and used to be a part of Lobkowitz collections that is why it is
sometimes called the Lobkowitz Bible. (2005)
 Dalimilova kronika/Kronika tak řečeného Dalimila – fraction of Latin translation
The illuminated Chronicle of Dalimil is the first chronicle written in the Czech
language. It was composed in verse by an unknown author between 1330 and 1340
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and compiles information from older Czech chronicles and also the author’s own
experiences. Due to the fact that the Chronicle was very popular, it survived in several
copies. These include fragments from the first half of the 14 century, and several
complete copies from later periods. The Chronicle was translated into German and
Latin. The only evidence of the existence of the Latin text is a fragment discovered in
a private collection in France in 2005 that was purchased by the Czech State. It is most
likely that this particular copy was intended for the young Charles IV. It contains
scenes from the Czech history from the end of the 9 until the mid-11 century. (2010)
 Žlutický kancionál
The illuminated Žlutice hymnal was created by an unknown author of the Prague
calligraphic workshop of Jan Táborský z Klokotské Hory in the period between 1558
and 1565 for the burghers of Žlutice. It contains Czech utraquist (Calixtine) text for
the Holy Mass and other songs with notes. The Hymnal contains 471 parchments
(originally 494; 63 by 40 by 16 cm) and weighs 28 kg. (2015)
 Archiv české koruny/Archivum Coronae regni Bohemiae, 1158-1526
The Archive originally consisted of 2,525 charters, mostly deeds. With all the
subsequent additions and confirmed copies, the Crown Archive nowadays contains a
total 2,822 records from the period between 1158 and 1935. The core of the Bohemian
Crown Archive consists of exceptionally important documents legally ensuring the
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status of the Bohemian King and the State in Europe, in relation to the Holy Roman
Empire in particular. The oldest are Latin, first German document dates back to 1310
and the first Czech to 1395. Largest part of the Archive (1,558 charters) dates back to
the reign of Přemyslid and Luxembourg dynasties. The Archive contains privileges,
papal bulls, peace treaties, treaties of alliance, fief commitments, etc. (1988)
 The oldest preserved document was issued by the Roman Emperor Frederick
Barbarossa in Regensburg in 1158. This Charter allowed the Prince Vladislaus II
to hereditary wear a headdress on large holidays. The Archive
also contains the document granting the Royal title to
Vladislaus II (as the King – Vladislaus I).
 The most famous document of the old Czech history is the
Golden Bull of Sicily issued by the Emperor Frederick II in
1212 that confirmed Ottokar I of Bohemia the hereditary
Royal title as well as the integrity and sovereignty of the
Bohemian Kingdom. At the time of the issue, Frederick was
not crowned yet and hence he did not have the imperial seal.
Therefore he added the seal he used as the King of Sicily.
(http://historie.lusa.cz/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/0458.jpg)
 The deeds documenting the political rise of the Bohemian Kingdom during the
reign of the last Přemyslids and Luxembourgs include the collection of 17
documents issued by Charles IV as the Roman King in 1348 confirming the
privileges and rights of the Czech rulers (Corona regni Bohemiae).
h
t
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 Another famous document is the Letter of Majesty (Rudolfův majestát) from
1609 granting religious freedom to the Czech non-Catholic estates.
 Last documents include the record from 1911 considering the opening of the
Crown Chamber in the Cathedral of Saint Vitus and two more documents
considering the same act in the period of the First Republic. The last two charters
from 1928 and 1935 describe the adaptations of the Royal Tomb.
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In addition to the above mentioned monuments situated on the territory of the Czech
Republic and registered in one of the lists of cultural monuments, there is a number of other
valuable or notable written sources that are deposited abroad but culturally and historically
connected with the Czech Lands.
These are in particular monuments associated with Silesia that used to be a part of the
Bohemian Crown from the mid-14 century until the mid-18 century but nowadays it belongs
to Poland. At least the Liber fundationis claustri sanctae Mariae Virginis in Heinrichow
(Kniha založení kláštera sv. Marie Panny v Jindřichově) should be mentioned that originated
after 1268. It is a narrative source by an anonymous author, probably a monk of the Cistercian
Abbey in Silesian Jindřichov (Heinrichau, today Henryków). The Chronicle contains the
oldest old-Polish text. It is kept in the Archdiocesan Archive in Wrocław (Muzeum
Archidiecezjalne). The book was listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World in 2015.
The Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Wien (Austrian National Library) keeps the
Golden Bull of Charles IV, the Charter set with a “gold” seal, rearranging the relations
within the Holy Roman Empire that was adopted in Nuremberg in 1356. The Charter affirmed
the Bohemian King as one of the seven electors of the Roman King. The Bull was listed in the
UNESCO Memory of the World in 2013. The Library also keeps the Wenceslas Bible, a
unique multi-volume illuminated manuscript commissioned by the Bohemian and Roman
King Wenceslas IV in 1390s. The Bible is written in German and it is very precious not only
because of its text, which is one of the earliest German translations of the Bible, but also
because of its splendid 646 miniature illustrations. Many of them are of “secular” character,
they depict the King himself, female bath attendants washing the King Wenceslas, or famous
kingfisher, the personal emblem of Wenceslas.
The largest surviving medieval manuscript in the world, Codex Gigas (Giant Book), is
of Bohemian provenance. It is also known as the Devil’s Bible (Ďáblova Bible) because of a
large illustration of the devil inside and the legend surrounding its creation. It originated in the
Benedictine monastery in Podlažice (near Chrudim) in the first half of the 13 century. It was
created by an unknown author who strived to “cover all the knowledge” of his contemporary
world. Hence, the Bible contains a number of texts of different character all written in Latin.
In the 16 century, it became a part of the Cabinet of Curiosities of Rudolf II. During the
Thirty Years’ War in 1648, the entire collection was taken as a war booty by the Swedish, and
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now it is preserved at the Royal Library in Stockholm. The Book originally contained 320
parchments (nowadays 310), it is 92 by 50 by 22 cm large and weights 75 kilogrammes.
OTHER IMPORTANT MONUMETS
 Proglas, the oldest Czech literary monument (2 half of the
9 century) written in Old Church Slavonic, is the foreword
to the Old Church Slavonic translation of the four Gospels.
It was written in verse, probably by Saint Constantin
(originally written in Greek). The text is primarily a
defence of the rights to have the Old Slavonic translation
of the Bible (to oppose the idea that the only Bible
languages should be Latin, Greek and Hebrew).
(http://rodon.cz/admin/upload_tinymce/1260.jpg)
 Život Konstantinův and Život Metodějův are hagiographies of the two saints. Their
literary significance is extraordinary as they are the first untranslated, original Old
Church Slavonic texts that originated in Great Moravia. They portray the lives of
Constantine and Methodius moving between historiography and legend.
 Vita et passio sancti Venceslai et sanctae Ludmilae aviae eius (Život a utrpení
svatého Václava a svaté Ludmily, babičky jeho) known as Legend of Christian
(Kristiánova legenda) originated at the end of the 10 century. Although written in
Latin, it defends the Old Slavonic tradition. The author calls himself Christianus
which may mean “Christian” as well as “Kristián”.
 Hospodine, pomiluj ny (Lord, Have Mercy on Us) is the oldest religious hymn from
the turn of the 10 and 11 centuries. Its text preserves traces of its clearly Old Slavonic
origin. The song, almost unmodified, is still used during liturgy.
 Saint Wenceslas Chorale (Svatý Václave, vévodo české země) is a religious hymn and
one of the oldest known religious anthems written in Old Czech. Its roots can be found
in the 12 century and it is still regularly sang at the end of a Sunday Mass and during
major Christian holidays. It originally consisted of three strophes, six more were
added over the centuries. The content is a prayer to Saint Wenceslas, the Czech patron
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saint to protect his nation. In 1918, it was discussed as a possible candidate for the
national anthem.
 Alexandreis (Alexandreida) is an epic poem about the fates of the Macedonian King
Alexander the Great written by an unknown author at the turn of the 13 and
14 centuries. Some researchers believe that, through the fate of Alexander and his
father Philip, the author actually speaks about the Czech King Ottokar II of Bohemia
and his son Wenceslaus II (however, this is also disputed). Alexandreida is denoted as
the first large literary work written in Czech language.
 Bible kralická (The Bible of Kralice) was the first complete translation of the Bible
from the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) into the Czech language. It
was translated by the Unity of Brethern at the turn of the 16 and 17 centuries and
printed in the town of Kralice nad Oslavou.
The elector, or prince-elector, of the Holy Roman Empire had the privilege of electing the
King of Romans who would be crowned (by the Pope) as Holy Roman Emperor. The King of
Bohemia was one of the seven electors (three ecclesiastical and four secular).
http://www.regionvysocina.cz/uws_images/firmy/083199/clanky/bible-
kralicka-slavi-vyznamne-vyroci/000000_h.jpg
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CULTURAL HERITAGE OF CZECH SILESIA
The concept and perception of the cultural heritage of Silesia is the result not only of
the historical and cultural development of the country and its regions and sub-regions, but
also of the complicated destines of its inhabitants in previous generations.
Silesia is a complex area with regions where the traditional ties were severed due to
radical, not natural, change of inhabitants, regions where the culture and everyday life of the
original population have been forgotten and replaced by the culture of new residents, and
regions where this “new culture” (often growing from completely different roots and only
rarely influenced by the original local culture) has become the cultural heritage not only of the
new settlers and their descendants but also of the place, region or country. Hence, Silesia (or
at least its substantial part) is an area where the cultures have not only been meeting for
centuries but also partly or completely replaced each other in the course of recent decades.
Within this chapter, we deal with the cultural heritage of that part of Silesia that is
situated within the territory of the contemporary Czech Republic. Resulting from the repeated
splitting in 1742 and 1918-1920, Czech Silesia represents only about one sixth of the
historical territory of Silesia. Some areas of Czech Silesia have undergone a complicated, and
at the same time varied from the perspective of particular sub-regions, cultural-social
development that is reflected in the relation towards the history of regions as well as towards
their cultural heritage.
In the western part of Czech Silesia, i.e. in Bruntál, Krnov and Jeseník regions, the
expelled German population was gradually replaced by settlers from the Czech inland (of
uneven social and cultural level). While urban centres were settled without major problems,
rural villages in mountainous areas and smaller towns faced (and are still facing) the lack of
population. The varied societies – Czechs of different social background, Greeks (who left
their homeland from political reasons), and Gypsies who all brought their own culture,
lifestyle, customs and traditions – quickly submitted to modern influences and were not
interested in following the pre-war German traditions. Numerous historical sites were
neglected or even damaged. After expelling the German population, the historical town of
Osoblaha with its centre completely damaged at the end of the War was left to its destiny and
consequently demolished. The same concerned many other sights especially of religious
character such as the pilgrimage Church of Virgin Mary the Helpful at Zlaté Hory
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(demolished in 1973), the Calvary on the Uhlířský vrch near Bruntál, etc. Many castles and
mansions fell into disrepair being used as storehouses or granaries such as Dívčí Hrad,
Janovice or Linhartovy, or as institutions of health and social care such as Bílá Voda.
Numerous village houses were rebuilt into weekend cottages losing their original appearance
and function. On the other hand, some of the expelled villages in Osoblaha or Zlaté Hory
regions that were not resettled preserved their tangible heritage in a state that enables their
registration as village reserves or zones.
In the eastern part of Czech Silesia, i.e. in Těšín region (mainly in Frýdek and
Jablunkov districts), the society has developed rather continuously, regardless the
industrialisation of the region and transformation of the purely rural foothill lifestyle into
suburban. Substantial replacement and consequent severing of continuity did not take place
there, hence many elements of traditional culture have survived at least during holidays,
significant anniversaries, feast connected with the liturgical calendar, etc. While the
demonstrations of material culture in clothing and housing are at the edge of everyday life,
traditional dishes as well as some rituals and customs are still alive. Folk songs, music and
dance are kept by numerous folk associations, and the awareness of the belonging to the
region is rooted here regardless the Czech majority or Polish minority. A specific Těšín
dialect has also survived. At the same time, it cannot be ignored that many mansions have
been left to their destinies or destroyed resulting from mining activities or unconcern.
Opava region is to a certain extent a mixed region in the cultural social context.
Before the Second World War already, the region was settled both by the Czech population
(mainly the countryside, Hlučín district) and by the German population (towns, especially
Opava). Although the post-war expulsion of the predominant majority of Germans
overshadowed their traditions, at least some customs, traditions, folk festivities and evidence
of culinary culture of the Czech population have been preserved.
The development of cultural heritage of Silesia has also been influenced by
urbanisation and development of large cities, industrialisation and development of new towns
on the place of previous rural settlements resulting in the extinction of rural lifestyle and loss
of many cultural traditions and customs (from the 19 century already). On the other hand,
industrialisation has resulted (in some regions) into creation of local professionally
conditioned culture and consequently cultural heritage such as in Ostrava-Karviná coal
district. This development led to the influx of workers, officers and entrepreneurs from the
surroundings as well as from farther countries who often were of different roots and cultures.
This process was naturally connected with transfer of cultural elements, manners and
traditions and change of everyday life. The development of industrial areas has led to the
development of new towns or town quarters with full public facilities and with the potential to
become a cultural heritage of industrial society such as Vítkovice developed at the end of the
19 century. During the socialist era of heavy industry development, compact urban and
architectural concepts of towns in the sorela style (architecture of socialist realism) originated.
In late 1940s, a mining housing estate was built on the territory of seven villages in Těšín
district that was called Havířov (elevated into town in 1955). A similar project of town with
entrance arched gate, extensive boulevard and modern residential houses with courtyards,
originally called New Ostrava, was built for the workers of Ostrava mines and steelworks on
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the territory of a former noble large farm estate in the village of Poruba in 1950s. Both
Havířov and Ostrava-Poruba were declared protected town zones and particular buildings
such as the residential and shopping complex Věžičky (with sgraffito decoration) in Poruba or
the House of culture in Havířov have been declared cultural monuments.
Unfortunately, in the course of time and especially during the Second World War, a
substantial part of Silesia used to be repeatedly an area of military campaigns that affected a
substantial part of towns as well as rural areas. Consequently, many historical centres as well
as industrial quarters and villages were destroyed.
TANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
Although representing only about one sixth of the historical territory of Silesia, Czech
Silesia is rather rich in cultural heritage. Its territory consists of only three larger historical
town centres (Opava, Krnov, Bruntál), modern industrial towns (Ostrava, Karviná, Orlová)
and their surroundings, and less populated mountain and foothill areas of the Beskydy and
Jeseníky Mountains. Considering the western part of Czech Silesia affected by the population
exchange, a part of tangible heritage has been destroyed and most of intangible heritage has
been forgotten.
As for 2015, Czech Silesia can boast eleven National Cultural Monuments that
include three important illustrations of castle architecture, two religious objects, two industrial
sites, solitaire samples of town and village architecture and two monuments connected with
the Second World War.
For centuries, seats of nobility, castles, chateaux, strongholds, water fortresses, etc.,
used to be the dominants of cultural landscape of the country.
 Chateau Bruntál (Freudenthal), situated in the centre of the town, was built in the
15 century and a century later it was rebuilt into a magnificent Renaissance Chateau.
Its contemporary appearance results from the Baroque adaptation in the 18 century. Its
interiors boast valuable Rococo paintings, a picture gallery, library and armoury. It can
also pride an arcade gallery around a triangle courtyard and a charming Sala Terrena
in the surrounding park from the 16 century where also remains of town walls with a
bastion can be seen. In the period between 1621 and 1945, it was the property of the
Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly the
Teutonic Order or German Order. The Chateau was declared National Cultural
Monument in 2001.
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 Chateau Hradec nad Moravicí (Grätz) is a complex of buildings within an extensive
English park (end of the 18 century). The first mention dates back to 1060. In the
13 century, a royal castle was built that passed to Nicholas I, Duke of Opava (Duke of
Troppau; Mikuláš I Opavský), an illegitimate son of Ottokat II of Bohemia. Hradec is
connected with a romantic story of the Queenwidow
(Queen Regent) Kunigunda who settled
here after the death of Ottokar II (Battle on the
Marchfeld, 1278) and lived here with a prominent
Bohemian nobleman Zavis of Falkenstein. The
older building, the White Chateau, was built on the
site of an important Přemyslid castle from the
11 century. At the end of the 16 century it was
rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau and after a fire
in 1796 in the Empire style. The Neo-Gothic White
Tower, Red Chateau and fortification wall inspired
by medieval German castles were built at the end
of the 19 century. The owners of the castle, the
wealthy Lichnowsky family, transferred it into an important cultural and musical
centre in the 19 century with visitors including Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt or
violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini. Lichnowsky family owned the Castle until 1945
when it was confiscated by the Czechoslovak state. The Chateau was declared
National Cultural Monument in 2001. (http://iszp.kr-moravskoslezsky.cz/assets/kultura/hradec-nad-
moravici.jpg)
 Chateu Jánský vrch (Schloß Johannesberg) stands on a hill above the town of
Javorník (Jauernig; it was a part of the Duchy of Nysa). The original castle was built
by Prince Bolko I of Svídnik (Świdnica) at the turn of the 13 and 14 centuries. For
most of its history (from the beginning of the 16 century), the Castle belonged to the
Prince-bishops of Breslau (Wrocław,
Vratislav). The original fortified
castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance
style by the Bishops John Roth in the
late-15 century and John Turzó in the
early-16 century. In the 18 century, it
was rebuilt Baroque by Philipp
Gotthard von Schaffgotsch who
made it his primary residence.
During this time, the Castle (and the
town) became the centre of culture
and art with court cappella led by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, a renowned Viennese
composer, Kapellmeister and violinist. It was declared National Cultural Monument in
2002. (http://www.navstivtejeseniky.cz/data/fotografie/205/6805_velke)
In addition to the National Cultural Monuments, Czech Silesia has many castles,
chateaux and ruins with a lower level of protection (most commonly cultural monuments) that
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were of crucial importance especially for the development of sub-regions and particular
localities. The most significant include former castle complexes of princes.
 Silesian Ostrava Castle (originally called Polish Ostrava) was built on the site of an
older fortified settlement as a guarding castle on the border with Moravia by the
Dukes of Opole at the beginning of the 13 century. It was first mentioned in a papal
deed of Gregory IX from 1229. The castle experienced its largest boom under the rule
of Sedlnitzky von Choltitz (Sedlničtí z Choltic) in the 16 century. It was rebuilt in the
Renaissance style and became the seat of the Těšín region estates gatherings. In the
period between 1714 and 1945, the Castle and its extensive dominion was in the
possession of the Wilczek von Guttenland (Vlčkové z Dobré Zemice). Due to their
activities in coal mining in Silesian Ostrava, the Castle dropped about 16 metres below
its original level and most of it became a ruin (even a demolition assessment was
issued in 1954). Nevertheless, it has been restored recently and has become one of the
most important tourist attraction of the city. Apart the Baroque entrance gate with
adjoining wings, only the torso of the original palace has survived. The complex has
been completed with a modern imitation of castle premises.
 Frýdek Castle was built by Casimir I (Kazimierz, Kazimír), the Duke of Těšín
(Teschen, Cieszyn) at the beginning of the 14 century to protect the trade route from
Moravia to Silesia. It was rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau under the Wrbna von
Freudenthal (Bruntálští z Vrbna) in the 16 century, and after the fire in the 17 century.
It acquired its Classicist appearance under the Habsburgs in the 19 century. The Castle
passed to the possession of the Czechoslovak state in 1918. Nowadays, it is the seat of
an important regional Museum of Beskydy Region (Muzeum Beskyd).
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The medieval history of Czech Silesia is documented by numerous ruins of castles.
Most of them are situated in its western part:
 Edelštejn (Edelstein), once one of the most extensive Silesian castles, was first
mentioned in 1281. It was built by the Bohemian king to protect the Moravian-Silesian
border and silver mines. The Castle was repeatedly pledged. Being the Hussite base
against the Catholic Silesia in the 15 century, it was seized and demolished by the
military campaign of the Bishop of Breslau.
 Fulštejn (Füllstein) was a castle in the Osoblaha region (Hotzenplotzer Ländchen)
built up in 1255. The Bishop of Olomouc, Bruno von Schauenburg, handed the Castle
over to Herbort, the founder of the Fulštejn family that owned the Castle and the
village of Bohušov (Fulštejn until 1950) until the 16 century. In 1648, the Castle was
used as a base of the Swedish army that blew it up afterwards.
 Kaltenštejn (Kaltenstein) was a castle in the Duchy of Nysa, on the territory of the
Černá Voda (Schwarzwasser) municipality. The Castle was in the possession of the
Bishop of Breslau no later than from the end of the 13 century (first mentioned in
1295). It was repeatedly pledged, not maintained from the 15 century, and partly
demolished in the 16 century. Remains of a palace and a bergfried (free-standing
tower) can be seen in the terrain nowadays.
 Cvilín (Schellenburg), originally a royal castle, was first mentioned in 1253. It
belonged to the Dukes of Opava from the end of the 13 century and was repeatedly
pledged. It was restored after being seized by Matthias Corvinus in the 15 century.
The castle lost its function after the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) when it fell into
ruin.
 Vikštejn (Wiegstein) is the ruin of a castle near Vítkov (Wigstadtl). It was established
by the Lords of Kravaře (Herren von Krawarn) and it was first mentioned in 1377. The
Castle was repeatedly seized, destroyed and restored, and finally abandoned only in the
18 century after the castle in Horní Vikštejn was built up.
http://www.vitkov.info/evt_image.php?img=640
The above mentioned castles and chateaux represent a group of imposing seats of
wealthy and influential owners with history dating back far into the Middle Ages.
Nevertheless, the Silesian noble society was rather varied and its seats that completed the
Silesian cultural landscape were rather fortresses, smaller castles and manors, or even just
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objects at the farmyard. These objects can be considered typical representatives of the cultural
heritage of Silesian noble society. Several dozens of such objects can be found on the territory
of Czech Silesia. The most imposing include:
 Jeseník (Freiwaldau; called Frývaldov until 1947), a water stronghold, is the only
monument of its kind in Czech Silesia. It was built in the 15 century and owned by the
Bishops of Breslau until the 20 century. The residential fortified keep (tower)
surrounded by a moat and standing in the centre of the town was rebuilt Baroque in
the 18 century. It is the seat of Museum of National History of the Jeseník Region.
 Kravaře (Krawarn) is a Baroque castle in the Opava region built on the site of a
former stronghold by the Eichendorffs in the beginning of the 18 century. It used to be
a famous centre of the Baroque court culture. It houses the Museum of Hlučín Region
(Hultschiner Ländchen) nowadays. Another seat built in Silesia by the Eichendorffs is
Šilheřovice (Schillersdorf), a Classicist castle with Neo-Baroque elements that
originated at the end of the 18 century.
 Raduň (Radun), originally a Renaissance stronghold in the Opava region was adapted
into an Empire style chateau by Johann Graf Larisch von Mönnich (Jan LarischMönnich)
in the 19 century. The Chateau was gradually enclosed by an extensive
picturesque landscape park, decorative gardens, Classicist orangery, and numerous
ponds. In 1912, the Castle passed on the Blücher family. The Chateau is one of the
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most popular tourist attractions in Silesia. (Most of its interior was taken away by the
Blüchers before the Second World War already.) An outstanding fortified Church of
the Holy Trinity with preserved Renaissance exterior from the turn of the 16 and 17
centuries is situated in the vicinity of the Castle.
We have documents giving evidence of numerous castles and manors on the territory
of Czech Silesia that do not exist anymore. These include the castle in Opava (established by
Přemek I, the Duke of Opava at the turn of the 14 and 15 centuries; demolished in 1892),
Hrabyně, Dobroslavice, Ostrava-Třebovice, Pusté Jakartice (damaged during the military
campaign at the end of the Second World War), Hynčice (demolished in 1960s), Ondřejovice
(demolished in 1970s), Štítina, Horní Heřmanice, or Město Albrechtice (demolished in
1980s). Several castles were demolished also in the Těšín region such as the castles in
Brandýs, Karviná (1950s), Stanislavice, Prostřední Suchá, Stonava (1960s), Orlová (1970s),
Horní Suchá, Ráj, Starý Bohumín, or Ostrava-Radvanice (1980s).
Czech Silesia can also boast valuable cultural heritage of religious character such as
churches and monastery complexes. These include:
 The Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary in Opava is a Gothic structure built
by the German Order in the 13 century and adopted in the 15 century and
consequently after the fire in 1689. Its interior houses the late-Baroque marble epitaph
of Karl, the Prince of Liechtenstein created by the workshop of Opavian carver Johann
Georg Lehner in the second half of the 18 century. Several Renaissance and Baroque
gravestones can be seen at the exterior. Following the establishment of the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Ostrava-Opava in 1993, the Church was elevated into cocathedral.
It was declared National Cultural Monument in 1995.
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 The Chapel of the Holy Cross in Opava, also called the Swedish Chapel, is an
exceptional example of Silesian brick Gothic built on the octagon plan. It was founded
by Přemek I, the Duke of Opava around 1400. Thirteen original late-Gothic frescoes
have been preserved in its interior. It was declared National Cultural Monument in
1995.
 Bílá Voda (Weißwasser), a Piarist college, was founded by Jakob Ernst von
Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn in 1723 in the vicinity of the Church of the Annunciation
dating from 1604. The College also included a trivial school, grammar school, music
seminary (theological college), and philosophical studies from 1751. After the reform
of 1818, only an ordinary school and parish administration remained. In 1876, the
Silesian congregation of the Poor Clerics of the Mother of God (Chudé školské sestry
naší Paní) resettled here from Wrocław. The nuns ran a kindergarten, primary school,
and economic school for girls with dormitory, and later also a shelter for elderly nuns.
The schools were run here until the Second World War. In 1950, after the abolishment
of all the convents in Czechoslovakia, a detention convent and later an internment
convent were established in Bílá Voda where up to 450 at one time, and about a
thousand of nuns in total lived.
 The pilgrimage Baroque Church of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Exaltation of
the Cross (Panny Marie Sedmibolestné a Povýšení svatého Kříže) situated on the
Cvilín Hill is a landmark of Krnov and its surrounding. It was built in the period
between 1722 and 1728. Fourteen chapels of the Calvary were built in the beginning
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of the 19 century and a stairway with 222 steps leading to the Church in 1870s. The
Church was declared Cultural Monument.
 The pilgrimage Baroque Church of the Visitation of Virgin Mary in Frýdek
(Navštívení Panny Marie; Mary visited her relative Elizabeth, Mary pregnant with
Jesus and Elizabeth with John the Baptist) was built in 1777 on the place where a
miraculous statue of Virgin Mary was found in the mid-17 century. The Church was
elevated into basilica minor in 1999.
 The Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary in Hrabyně (Hrabin) was built on
the place of a former wooden chapel (mentioned in 1497) in the period between 1723
and 1731. The Church is a target destination of the pilgrimage to Virgin Mary of
Hrabyně (Matka Boží Hrabyňská).
 The pilgrimage Baroque Church of Virgin Mary the Helpful situated on Uhlířský
Hill (Köhler Berg) near Bruntál was built on the place of a former wooden pilgrimage
chapel (from 1653) in the period between 1756 and 1765. A linden alley planted in
1766-1770 connects the Church with the town.
 The Church of Saint Martin in Bohušov was established by Herbord von Fülme
(later of Füllstein/Fulstein; z Fulštejna) and his sons on the place of an older burial site
in the late 13 century. The Church was rebuilt after 1486 and its contemporary
appearance is from the 19 century when it was rebuilt after a fire that almost destroyed
it. During the reconstruction of 1999-2000, a burial ground was discovered below its
presbytery with tombstones of the bishop Heinrich von Fulstein (Jindřich Sup
z Fulštejna; the Sup/Herbord family), Erik von Fulstein (Erik Sup z Fulštejna) and
Wenceslas Sedlnitzky von Choltitz that are unique documents of Silesian Gothic
sculpture.
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 The Church of Saint Peter of Alcantara in Karviná-Doly is a Baroque church from
1732-1736. Due to the coal mining activities, the terrain has dropped about 32 metres
below its original level and the Church leans at an angle of 6.8 degrees. It is an
exceptional evidence of the negative impact of mining on the cultural landscape as the
Church is a uniquely preserved object of the former built-up area of the former
vanished village of Solca and the town of Karviná demolished in the 1950s.
 Zlaté Hory (Cukmantl) boasts the restored pilgrimage Church of Virgin Mary the
Helpful. The original church Maria Hilf was built on the place of a forest chapel with
a picture of Virgin Mary from the mid-18 century. The Church was completed with
chapels, Calvary, well, Lourdes cave, and pilgrimage house. Up to 100 thousand
pilgrims came to the Church every year in the interwar period. Following 1945 and
expulsion of the German population, the Church fell into disrepair, the pilgrimages
were forbidden and the Church was blasted away in 1973. It was built anew with the
financial help of the displaced people and consecrated in 1995. A Pilgrimage of three
nations with the presence of pilgrims and priests from the Czech Republic, Germany
and Poland takes place here every September.
 Žulová (Friedberg; Frýdberk) has a Classicist Church of Saint Joseph built in the
beginning of the 19 century integrating parts of the original Gothic castle established
around 1300 by the Knight Johann von Wüstehube. The Castle was rebuilt
Renaissance by Martin of Gerstmann, the Bishop of Breslau. During the Thirty Years’
War in 1636, it was burnt down and partly demolished by the Swedish Army. The
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preserved stone bergfried (the main round castle tower) was used as the church tower
with a small bell tower added. The Church was declared Cultural Monument.
The Těšín region boasts an exceptional group of old wooden sacral structures
representing genuine treasures of local folk (so-called gorol) architecture. These churches and
chapels are unique as they are not open-air museum exhibits but functioning churches in their
original locations. The most valuable include:
 The Church of Corpus Christi in Guty is probably the oldest wooden church built in
1563 (according to the dating on the portal). The interior has its appearance from the
17 and 18 centuries and the preserved bell dates 1565.
 The pilgrimage Church of Saint Anthony of Padua was built by Georg von
Oppersdorff on the top of the Malá Prašivá Hill (706 m above the sea level; MoravianSilesian
Beskydy) in 1640. The sacristy (room for keeping robes, sacred vessels, etc.)
and choir (area that provides seating for the clergy and church choir) date back to the
18 century and the organ is from 1801.
 The Church of All the Saints in Sedliště is one of the largest churches of its kind in
the Czech Republic with many original elements. It was built in the period between
1624 and 1638 probably on the place of an older predecessor.
Czech Silesia is not very rich in Jewish monuments. It is a result of the complicated
attitude of the local people towards the Jewish minority in the Opava and Krnov districts
especially in the older period, and mainly of the demolition of synagogues after 1938. Among
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the preserved monuments, the Jewish Synagogue in Krnov should be mentioned. It was built
in the Neo-Romanesque style with the interior in Moorish style in 1871-1872. Due to the
decision of the municipality administration to convert it into a market hall, the Synagogue
was protected from the destruction during the Second World War. It was used for the
purposes of archives after the War and nowadays it is used as a cultural-social centre.
Most towns in Czech Silesia were more or less damaged at the end of the Second
World War and consequently insensitively restored and completed. Resulting from the fact
that basically no locality has been preserved in its original historical form, Czech Silesia has
not any town reserve registered. On the other hand, as for 2015, it can boast 14 town zones
situated on the Moravian Silesian border (out of 255 in the Czech Republic).
 Opava (Troppau) used to be the capital of historical Principality of Opava (Opavské
knížectví) or Duchy of Opava (Herzogtum Troppau; Opavské vévodství) and the
capital of Austrian Silesia from 1743. The oldest verifiable mention of Opava dates
back to 1201 and it was awarded the town rights around 1220. Its contemporary
appearance has been affected by the modern development, especially by the
destruction of a part of its historical core in 1945 and the consequent insensitive
development. The landmarks of the town include Hláska, the Watch Tower originally
belonging to the medieval trade centre (draper shops) from the 14 century that has
served as the Town Hall since the mid-20
century, the two-tower Church of the
Assumption of Virgin Mary built in the
Gothic style and declared National Cultural
Monument, the Minorite Monastery with the
Church of the Holy Spirit and the burial
ground of the Opavian Přemyslids, the Jesuit
grammar school with the Church of Saint
Adalbert (originally the Church of Saint
George) that later served as the seat of the Land
Government and nowadays the Land Archives,
the former Franciscan monastery with the
deconsecrated Church of Saint Wenceslas with adjoining Gothic chapels with
polychromic decorations. Other remarkable buildings that should be mentioned
include the Silesian Theatre built in the beginning of the 19 century, or the seat of the
military headquarters Arma, nowadays the seat of the Silesian University. Blücher
Palace and Sobek Palace situated in the Masaryk Street give evidence of noble urban
architecture. Only a torso of burgher houses in their original form situated around the
two medieval squares, the Upper and the Lower Square, and along the Mezi Trhy
Street has survived such as the Baroque House U mouřenína with late-Gothic arches
and a column in the interior, or the Renaissance houses Boží koutek and U bílého
koníčka. The native house of Joy Adamson (given name Friederike Victoria Gessner),
a famous African wildlife activist and writer, is situated in the Na Rybníčku Street. A
park surrounding the historical centre was established on the site of the medieval town
walls and Baroque fortifications demolished before the mid-19 century already. The
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exhibition building of the Silesian Land Museum from the late 19 century, situated in
the park on the site of the demolished princely palace, boasts rich collections of
Silesiacal provenance.
 Bruntál (Freudenthal) originated around 1210, first mention dates back to 1223. In
the Middle Ages, the town prospered due to gold, silver and ore mining. It was the
property of the German Order from 1621, belonged either to Opava or Krnov Duchy,
and was the seat of independent Bruntál Duchy in 1680-1682. It boasts more than
30 cultural monuments. Apart the Chateau and burgher houses, these include the
Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary from the beginning of the 14 century, the
former Piarist monastery with the Church of Our Lady of Consolation (Panny Marie
Těšitelky) from the late 18 century, seminarium puerorum Petrinium from 1920s, the
Baroque statue of Saint John of Nepomuk, the Holy Trinity Column, etc.
 Frýdek (Friedek), established by Casimir I, Duke of Cieszyn in the 14 century, was a
centre of the state country from the 16 century. It was then successively owned by
several significant Silesian noble families. The town experienced a rapid development
of textile industry in the 19 century. Frýdek represents a well-preserved urban whole
with a number of cultural monuments such as the Castle, the pilgrimage Church of the
Visitation of Virgin Mary, the Church of Saint Judoc (Saint Joyce; Svatý Jošt), the
Church of Saint John the Baptist, remains of town walls, Jewish cemetery and about
forty burgher houses from the 16 to 20 centuries including the Art Nouveau house
with the restaurant Radhošť.
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The town zones also include localities of regional importance, usually the seats of
historical dominions or cultural historical centres preserved in their original urban
arrangement and with interesting collections of religious as well as secular buildings. These
include Bílovec, Hlučín, Hradec nad Moravicí, Budišov nad Budišovkou, Fulnek and
Odry in Opava region, Javorník, Vidnava and Zlaté Hory in Jeseník region and Karviná in
Těšín region. A specific character place among the town zones belongs to Poruba, a satellite
housing development built in the sorela style (architecture of socialist realism) representing an
elaborated urban whole consisting of residential houses with courtyards, shopping and
cultural social premises and schools.
Up to the 19 century, a predominant part of population (not only in Silesia) was settled
in the countryside and was engaged in agriculture. Nevertheless, resulting from the process of
industrialisation and consequent urbanisation of substantial part of Czech Silesia, only a few
remainders of traditional folk buildings have been preserved. Given the specific conditions of
the post-war development, individual rural buildings and even complete cores of villages can
be seen predominantly in the western part of the country.
Kosárna, a smithy, in Karlovice (Karlsthal) in Bruntál region is considered to be a
rather unique monument. The house built in 1600 and adapted in 1759 consists of a walled
ground floor and a wooden first floor with a carved gallery and columns, topped with a high
saddle roof that is a typical example of a foothill building of western Austrian/Czech Silesia.
It has been a museum since 1992. Kosárna Karlovice was declared National Cultural
Monument in 2014.
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Village reserves, i.e. localities with preserved buildings of folk character and wellpreserved
urban structure in Czech Silesia include:
 Heřmanovice (Hermannstadt), a village in Bruntál district, was first mentioned in
1339. The municipality developed due to gold mining in the Middle Ages and due to
iron ore mining in the Modern period. The village has a group of exceptionally
preserved houses of the east-Sudeten type, i.e. ground-floor timbered houses with
stone foundation wall, with saddle shingle, later slate roof, with a large living area,
store room, hallway (exceptionally with a preserved black kitchen), another store room
and a stone animal stalls. They usually have gable boarding, three wooden framed
windows in the front facade and whitewashed walls. The village boasts 14 protected
houses, remains of medieval stronghold, the Church of Saint Andrew and a
Renaissance Schultheiß house. Remains of the castles Drachenburg (Drakov) and
Quinburk (Hrad Sokolí), probably founded by the bishops of Breslau (the owners of
the dominion) in the 14 century, can be seen in the surroundings of the village. The
latter is protected as a cultural monument.
 Lipina (Lippein), a village in Opava district, was first mentioned in 1377. It was later
abandoned and was resettled by German population in 1783 when the basis of the
contemporary protected complex of folk homesteads originated. These are gabled
walled buildings of the east-Sudeten type, partly with preserved interiors.
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Czech Silesia can boast eight protected village zones, three of them in the Jeseník
district and six in the Bruntál district. Most important among them are:
 Horní and Dolní Údolí (Ober Grund, Nieder Grund; until 1949 Horní Grunt, Dolní
Grunt) are hamlets first mentioned in 1450 but archaeological findings date them to
the 13 century. Both settlements originated in connection with gold mining. Both
settlements have several wooden folk buildings, and cultural monuments of Horní
Údolí also include the Church of Saint John the Baptist with a cemetery and the ruin
of the Castle Koberštejn established probably by the bishops of Breslau to protect the
border. Nowadays, both hamlets are parts of Zlaté Hory.
 Karlova Studánka (Karlsbrunn, or Bad Karlsbrunn) is a village first mentioned in
1554. Its mineral waters were known no later than in the mid-17 century. The German
Order (the owner of the dominion) established a spa centre here, originally just small
wooden houses with baths around the healing springs, in 1880s. The core of the
protected zone is created by a complex of wooden spa buildings such as the Silesian
House (originally Lothringen, Lotrinský), or the Drinking Pavilion (Pitný pavilion;
originally Wilhelmsquelle).
 Malá Morávka (Klein Mohrau), first mentioned in 1594, is a small village in Bruntál
district. The zone includes the historical core with the Church of the Holy Trinity,
presbytery, vogt house and about fifty village houses or farmsteads, and the Chapel of
the Holy Trinity on the Kapličkový Hill that is a private museum today.
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 Petrovice (Petersdorf), a village in Osoblaha district, was first mentioned in 1267. Its
historical development is a typical example of the destiny of once highly developed
foothill settlement with textile production first affected by the disruption of economic
contacts after the split of Silesia in 1742, then by the decline resulting from
industrialisation of town centres and finally by the expulsion of German population. It
had more than 1,300 inhabitants in 1869, 1,025 in 1910, less than 800 in 1930 and
only 142 in 2001. The village zone is created by a complex of log houses and the hall
Church of Saint Roch of a simple Classicist type from the mid-19 century.
 Rejvíz (Reihwiesen) is a mountain, originally pastoral and logging hamlet that is a part
of the National Natural Reserve. It originated in 1794 within the late colonisation
activities of Philipp Gotthard von Schaffgotsch, the Bishop of Breslau.
The only locality in the eastern part of Silesia registered as a protected village zone is
Komorní Lhotka (Kameral Ellgoth), a climatic spa in Frýdek district with preserved wooden
folk architecture. Apart the Carpathian log buildings from the 19 century (typical for the
Těšín area) situated in the village, an exceptionally well-preserved farmer log building with a
barn, animal stalls and shed is situated in the valley of Ráztoka. There is also a toleration
church situated in the village, originally a prayer room from 1782. It was rebuilt in the first
half of the 19 century, furnished with galleries and completed with a tower.
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Czech Silesia, with rapidly developing textile and mainly mining, iron and steel
industries from the 19 century, also has objects of industrial character that have been
declared National Cultural Monuments:
 A unique complex of buildings of “Alois Larisch and sons” (later Karnola) textile
factory in Krnov, i.e. former spinning mill, weaving mill, sample workshop including
the machines from the 19 and beginning of 20 centuries. The sample workshop houses
the archives, rich collection of sample books, samples of fabrics created for particular
seasons, bobbins, etc. documenting the advanced level of textile industry development
in Silesia.
 Mine Michal in Ostrava-Michálkovice, is a unique complex of buildings and
technical devices of a black coal mine established in the 19 century and modernised in
1915. A part of the site is an exceptional complex of electrical mining machines and
compressors from the beginnings of electrification. Works in the mine were terminated
in 1994.
Two other former mines are also remarkable cultural monuments. Mine Anselm, the
oldest drift mine, was established in Petřkovice in 1830. It was owned by Rotchilds from
1843 and nationalised in 1945. Mining was terminated here in 1991. The Mine was converted
into a museum with expositions above as well as below the ground. It is a part of the Landek
Park, archaeological, natural and mining area that was declared National Natural Monument
in 1993. Mine Alexander was established in Kunčičky in 1896. The above-ground complex
was built in the form of Neo-Baroque court of honour with two headframes. The complex
further includes two shaft buildings, a “garage for carriages”, administrative building, boiler
house, and chimney.
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The underground mining has resulted in a substantial change of the cultural landscape
and environment that may also be considered cultural heritage. Apart the industrial
complexes, new type of residential buildings and complexes, more and more frequent
manifestations of under-mining resulting in disruption and consequent demolition of the
original built-up areas, i.e. particular objects as well as whole settlements and town districts
(Orlová, Karviná), new elements have appeared in the country – pit heaps created of gangue,
a commercially worthless material that surrounds the coal. One of the natural landmarks of
Ostrava is the Pit Heap Ema (Ema-Terezie) with a tourist path in Silesian Ostrava that
reaches 315 metres above the sea level.
Cultural heritage of a region is created also by historical events, historical memory
connected with them and consequently the Places of Memory. Two objects commemorating
events of the Second World War in Czech Silesia were included in the List of National
Cultural Heritage:
 Monument to guerrilla movement “Noční přechod” in Morávka is a sculptural
group of three partisans created by Miloš Zet in 1968. It was erected to commemorate
the fights of partisans in the Beskydy area who significantly participated in the antiNazi
resistance. The Monument is also dedicated to the locals who supported them. In
December 1944, the Nazis captured the guerrilla group and their supporters were
sentenced – 14 people were executed and 10 were deported into a concentration camp.
 Monument to the Životice tragedy commemorates the victims of the Nazi terror in
the village of Životice (a part of Havířov). Resulting from the gunfight between the
Gestapo and partisans in a local pub in August 1944, 36 people were shot and other 31
people deported into concentration camps.
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Other monuments connected with the War events or the period preceding its outbreak
include:
 Czechoslovak military fortification was built in the period between 1935 and 1938
to line the then Czechoslovak-German, now Czech-Polish, border in Silesia. HlučínDarkovičky
Czechoslovak Fortification Complex consists of five different
fortifications, both in the condition and with the fitting as they were in 1938, as well as
the condition they were in at the end of the War. The Complex, declared Cultural
Monument, is a part of the Silesian Land Museum and open to the public.
 Monuments connected with Ostrava Operation that took place in March to May
1945 with the aim of the Red Army and the First Czechoslovak Army Corps led by
General Ludvík Svoboda to break into Moravia from the north. The front ran from
Nisa via Krnov and Opava towards Český Těšín. The Operation is commemorated by
the Second World War Memorial in Hrabyně with a ceremonial cemetery, the
installed Czechoslovak tank in Sudice, or the tank of the First Czechoslovak Army
Corps, a reminder of the liberation of Ostrava standing on the Silesian (Těšín) bank of
the Ostravice River.
Specific Places of Memory include:
 Ostrá hůrka is a hill in Chabičov (Chabitschau; today part of Háj ve Slezsku,
Freiheitsau) perceived as an important site of Silesian revival. First gathering took
place here on the occasion of the transport of Bohemian Crown Jewels from Vienna to
Prague in August 1867. Two years later, the first mass public meeting to support the
Silesian rights and against Germanisation took place here with more than 15 thousand
participants from the whole Silesia. Silesia claimed the state unity with Moravia and
Bohemia and spoke out against the Germanisation of Czech education system.
Gatherings took place here several more times, for example on 21 September 1918 to
support the Czechoslovak state, on 25 September 1938 as a call to protect the country
against the imminent occupation and war, on 23 September 1945 for equality of
Silesia, etc. Since 1990, Ostrá hůrka has been a place of meetings on significant
political and social events.
 Landek is a forested hill over the confluence of Odra and Ostravice in Petřkovice on
the border between Moravia and Silesia, a place of varied evidence considering the
history of this place from prehistoric until modern times and at the same time linking
the elements of cultural, historical and industrial heritage with natural-geological
conditions. A settlement of mammoth hunters has been discovered on the top of the
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hill with a female (headless) figure called the Venus of Petřkovice and remains of coal
used as fuel. In the Middle Ages, a castle was built on this strategically located hill (on
the site of a fortified Slavonic settlement from the 8-10 century) by Ottokar II of
Bohemia to protect the Amber Trade Route and the land border. The Castle was
destroyed during the wars with Matthias Corvinus in the 15 century (only its relief can
be seen in the terrain nowadays). At the foot of Landek, black coal seams running on
the surface are noticeable. (Coal started to be mined below the surface in 1782 – mine
Anselm.)
 Archaeopark Chotěbuz-Podobora presents a reconstruction of a Slavic hillfort from
the 9 century on an authentic place of the most significant and best documented
archaeological locality in the Těšín region. It is an exact copy of a wooden palisade
fortified area with a hall structure and half-dugouts.
MOVEABLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
The most important institution that collects, preserves, studies and presents cultural
heritage of Silesia is the Silesian Land Museum in Opava. It continues in the activities of its
predecessors, i.e. Grammas School Museum (Gymnaziální museum) established in 1814,
Silesian Land Museum for Arts and Crafts (Schlesisches Lansdesmuseum für Kunst und
Gewerbe) established in 1882, Muzeum of Matice opavská (Silesian Association) founded in
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1884 and Opavian City Museum as it took over their collections after 1945. The Museum
concentrates on historical, archaeological, ethnographic and folklore collections.
Museum of Těšín Region (Muzeum Těšínska) boasts rich collection of historical,
ethnographic and iconographic character documenting the history and traditions of the Těšín
region society that are displayed in exhibition areas in Český Těšín, Karviná, Havířov and
Petřvald. Museum of Beskydy Region (Muzeum Beskyd) in Frýdek-Místek documents the
historical, cultural and social development of the Frýdek-Místek district. Its most valuable
collections are those of archaeology, crafts, art crafts and cast iron, and a rich collection of
photographs. The Open-Air Museum of Folk Traditions and Crafts in Bolatice in the
Hlučín region presents the documents of rural everyday life in authentic environment.
The most attractive and valuable items of rich moveable tangible heritage of Czech
Silesia include:
 The Venus of Petřkovice, also called the Venus of Landek, is a headless torso of
female, 4.6 centimetres high, carved from hematite (iron mineral coloured black to
steel-grey, brown to reddish brown, or red). It was found in 1953. Its uniqueness lies
not only in the material used but mainly in the fact that it depicts a young and slim
woman. Its age is estimated at 23,000 years.
 Ducat of Přemek I, the Duke of Opava is a gold coin of a significant Duke Přemek I
(1365/1381-1433). The only surviving specimen is deposited in the National Museum
in Prague. The obverse/head depicts the ruler in a robe with attributes and inscription
DUX OPPAVIA, the reverse/tails depicts the emblem of the Duchy of Opava and
inscription PRSEMISLAVS DEI GRACIA.
 Rifle “těšínka”, a hunting single-barrel gun with a wheellock and an outer spring, was
produced by Těšín gunsmiths from the 16 century. Its butt was usually decorated with
a rich intarsia (wild animals, hunting scenes, etc.) made from horn, mother of pearl,
brass, etc. Těšínka rifles were owned by leading European aristocrats including the
Habsburg rulers.
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 Conciliation crosses are stone crosses in villages or countryside that were set up in
places where a murder or accident had happened. Dating back to the 16-18 century,
they are situated in Budišovice, Dobroslavice, Polanka nad Odrou and Stará Ves u
Bílovce in the Opava region, in Bartultovice, Nová Véska, Horní Benešov in the
Bruntál region, and in Horní Údolí, Javorník, Vidnava, Zlaté Hory in the Jeseník
region.
 Těšín costume jewellery, i.e. wrought and filigree silver women’s belts, buckles,
double hooks (hočky) for lacing (šnurování), necklaces of several connected rows of
chains (orpanty), chains with pendants arranged in a garland way hung on bodices
(lancušky or přodky), and men’s buttons (gombíky) for waistcoats (brucfleky) and
coats (kamizole) imitated the noble Renaissance jewellery. They were worn in the
Těšín and Jablunkov regions. The oldest are documented in the 16 century.
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 Land coats of arms symbolising particular historical lands originated in the Middle
Ages.
 Silesia – black eagle with a silver perisonium, golden crown and red armour in a
golden field; originally the family coat of arms of the (Lower-)Silesian Piasts, later
the coat of arms of the whole Silesia; nowadays a part of the Coat of arms of the
Czech Republic (third field of the quartered shield)
 Duchy of Opava – pale shield, silver and red
 Duchy of Teschen – golden eagle with red armoury in a blue field
 Duchy of Nisa – six silver fleur-de-lis (stylised lily) in red field
INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
Intangible cultural heritage is linked to human memory, tradition and oral transfer. It
includes language, tradition, customs, rituals, oral tradition, music and singing, knowledge,
experience as well as collective memory.
As far as language is considered, the territory of Silesia used to be a melting pot of
German and Polish languages, and to a lesser extent also Czech and Yiddish (jüdisch).
Resulting from this fact, local/regional language varieties, i.e. dialects have developed.
Silesian dialects, slowly becoming extinct and replaced by common Czech and Polish,
represent cultural heritage themselves. At the same time, they fix information considering the
history of the country, its population, material and spiritual everydayness and hence also
considering cultural heritage of different character.
Historically, the language situation in Czech Silesia was complicated. Gwara, or rather
its Těšín variation gwara cieszyńska (po našymu; the way we speak) was used in the Těšín
region. In larger towns, German was used until the mid-20 century. Lach dialect was used in
the Opava and Hlučín regions. German was used in local dialects in western part of Silesia,
mainly in Krnov, Bruntál and Nisa (Jesenicko) regions, and partially in the Opava region
(Opava, Odry, Bílovec and surroundings) until the end of the Second World War.
A substantial part of intangible cultural heritage is created by folklore, i.e. folk
customs and rituals, songs and dances. Although they share many similar elements,
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expressions and character, they are of purely regional character. They were often connected
with important holidays of the liturgical year (Christmas, Easters, Advent, Shrovetide),
religious holy days connected with a local church (Kermesse – hody in Moravia, krmáš in
Silesia; pilgrimage – odpust in the Hlučín Region), family events (christening, wedding,
funeral) or agricultural year (dozhinki; wine festival). Manifestations of traditional folklore
have been preserved in their original form mainly in the areas without a significant swap of
population, i.e. mainly in the eastern part of Upper Silesia, in the Těšín, Hlučín, and partly
Opava regions.
Apart from rather uniform customs such as Christmas and Easter carolling,
Shrovetide contrabass funeral or walking the bear, Easter egg painting, watering or
whipping girls, specific ways of celebrating holidays and important events existed in Silesia.
These include Easter riding procession, a procession of riders on horses dressed in festive
costumes who, singing songs, ride around a village in front of the faithful. Such Easter riding
called Rajtování has been preserved in Lukavec (part of Fulnek).
Gorolski Święto (Highlander’s Festival) has been organised every first weekend in
August since 1947. It is and ethnographic festival and international folklore meeting in
Jablůnkov. An international folklore festival Silesian days is organised every first or second
weekend in September in Dolní Lomná. Apart from performances of folk ensembles,
traditional crafts are also performed. Lomňanský jarmark (Annual Fair in Lomná),
organised in Dolní Lomná in October includes folk ensembles performances, presentation of
folk natural healing, and offer of regional dishes and products.
When discussing cultural heritage, namely knowledge and skills verifiably connected
with Silesia, we cannot miss out the healing methods and procedures of Vincenz
Priessnitz, the founder of natural healing in the Jeseník Region, generally considered the
founder of modern hydrotherapy. In the beginning of the 19 century, based on his personal
experience, he started treatment using water and cold wrapping that resulted in the
establishment of a spa in Gräfenberk near Frývaldov (Freiwaldau; Jeseník) in 1837. His
method became world-famous and a basis of a spa tradition in the region lasting up to now.
Also the modern literary and musical activities can undoubtedly be considered cultural
heritage, especially when arising from the roots of a particular area describing its traditions or
present days, and become a testimony of a particular time and society. From this point of
view, we cannot omit Petr Bezruč, a native of Opava (connected with Frýdek) whose
collection Silesian Songs (Slezské písně) is one of the fundamental books of Czech poetry.
Court of honour is a courtyard surrounded by a main central building and two symmetrical
secondary wings containing minor rooms.
Toleration churches originated after the Patent of Toleration (Toleranzpatent) was issued by
Joseph II in 1781. The Patent extended religious freedom to non-Catholic Christians who
were legally permitted to hold “private communal worship” on condition that it is discreet and
not conducted in public spaces. The churches were not allowed to have towers and bells,
entrance from main streets and arched windows, hence they reminded ordinary village barns.
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UNESCO MONUMENTS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, was
established on 16 November 1945 in London. It has 195 member states and nine associate
members and is headquartered in Paris. Its purpose is to contribute to peace and security by
promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in
order to increase universal respect for justice and human rights along with fundamental
freedom. One of its basic tasks is protection of cultural heritage of humanity.
The Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict
was signed in The Hague in 1954. The Contracting Parties undertake to protect cultural
heritage and to prevent any form of theft, pillage, misappropriation, and vandalism directed
against cultural property situated in own as well as in the territory of another Party. The
Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and
Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property was signed in Paris in 1970.
On 16 November 1972, the General Conference of UNESCO adopted the Convention
Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Based on this
Convention, the World Heritage Committee for safeguarding the cultural and natural heritage
of outstanding universal value was established in 1976, and the first sites were inscribed on
the World Heritage List in 1978. As of July 2015 there are 1,031 World Heritage Sites,
places of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity –
802 cultural, 197 natural and 32 mixed properties in 163 states. (Czechoslovakia was one of
the founding members of UNESCO in 1945.)
The Czech Republic is a beautiful country with a rich history. It is a real treasure of
numerous artistic and architectonic jewels. Various rulers have reigned the country leaving
their mark on it, skilful craftsmen built and decorated hundreds of castles, chateaux,
cathedrals, churches and monasteries and contributed to the architectural appearance of the
Czech towns. Hence, the country can pride numerous magnificent monuments that are parts
of its rich history and document the great cultural tradition of the country and its inhabitants.
Thanks to the UNESCO protection, the expertise of architects, painters, sculptors, and other
master craftsmen from the past times can be enjoyed by future generations. The country can
boast twelve sites of outstanding beauty that have been put on the List of World Cultural and
Natural Heritage with the first three – the historical centres of Prague, Český Krumlov and
Telč inscribed in 1992. Apart from the twelve sites, the Czech Republic has other four items
in the category of intangible cultural heritage.
One of the first Czech sites that have been put on the UNESCO list in 1992 is the
historical centre of PRAGUE consisting of the Old Town, Josefov (former Jewish Quarter),
the Lesser Town, Hradčany with the Prague Castle, the New Town, and Vyšehrad. Prague
was put on the List due to its exceptional concentration of numerous unique historical
monuments of all the periods. It has been celebrated as one of the most beautiful cities in the
world ever since the Middle Ages. Founded during the Romanesque and flourishing during
the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods, Prague has been the capital of the principality,
kingdom and the later republic, and the residence of rulers and archbishops, for an
uninterrupted period of thousand years. In the 14 century under the rule of the Emperor
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Charles IV, it was the capital of the whole Christian World as well as the seat of the first
Central European University. About 250 years later, during the reign of Rudolf II, a
mysterious metropolis was full of artists, scientists and learned rabbis. Its importance has
been mirrored in its architectural appearance. Thousands of monuments bear testimony to the
thousand-year history of the city from the Romanesque period, when Prague is mentioned for
the first time, up to the present day. The historical city centre is a living textbook of all the
architectural styles as it represents a unique symbiosis of Romanesque rotundas, Gothic
towers, Renaissance noble palaces, Baroque churches, Art Nouveau blocks of flats,
Functionalist villas as well as latest works of contemporary architects.
The Romanesque period is represented by the Basilica of Saint George at Prague
Castle or the ruins of the Přemyslid residence at Vyšehrad. The most important buildings of
the Gothic period are Saint Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle, the Old Town Hall on the Old
Town Square, Charles University and Charles Bridge with 30 statues from the Baroque
period. Beautiful Renaissance palaces were built for important noble families such as the
Rosenberg Palace at the Prague Castle, or the Martinic and Schwarzenberg Palaces at
Hradčany Square. Examples of the unique Prague Baroque include Saint Nicholas Church in
the Lesser Town, the Czernin Palace or the Prague Loretto at Hradčany Square. The National
Theatre and National Museum are Neo-Renaissance buildings while the Municipal House on
the Republic Square represents Art Nouveau style and the House of the Black Madonna in
Celetná Street is an outstanding example of Cubist architecture. Dancing House (Fred and
Ginger Building), Main Point, BB Centre Philadelphia or Golden Angel represent the
contemporary architecture of Prague.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the Prague castle dominating the city is
the largest castle complex in the world. It is also the oldest preserved site of early medieval
fortified settlement in Europe founded by Bořivoj, the first documented Christian Prince of
Bohemia, in 880s. The Romanesque Basilica of Saint George is the oldest preserved building
within the Castle. During the centuries, numerous religious buildings as well as noble palaces,
gardens and defence towers were built in the area of the Castle giving the evidence of the
growing importance of the city. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room
inside Saint Vitus Cathedral that is considered to be the heart of the Castle. Its most
precious part is the Chapel of Saint Wenceslas that was built over the grave of the Saint.
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The Lesser Town, situated below the Prague Castle, is full of palaces built for noble
families of the Bohemian Crown such as the Houses of Hradec, Kolowrat, Kounic,
Liechtenstein, or Nostitz. Probably the most extensive of them is the Wallenstein Palace, the
contemporary seat of the Senate. The dominant feature of the Lesser Town is the Baroque
Saint Nicolas Church built by Dienzenhofers. Charles Bridge, connecting the Lesser and the
Old Town, is the second oldest bridge in the country. The unique 600-years old Bridge with
Gothic towers on both sides is decorated with Baroque statues creating an exceptional openair
gallery of saints. The Old Town is crowded with historical monuments. Its heart is the Old
Town Square that originated as a marketplace on the crossroads of European trade routes. Its
main attractions are the Old Town Hall with the Astronomical Clock, a masterpiece of
medieval clock making, 27 white crosses inlaid in the pavement (commemorating the
27 Czech leaders of the Estate Uprising against the Habsburgs executed here on 21 June
1621), and the Gothic Church of Our Lady Before Týn with the tomb of Tycho de Brahe.
Other valuable historic monuments of the Old Town include the Bethlehem Chapel,
Carolinum, Clementinum, Rudolfinum, the Gunpowder Tower, the Municipal House, or the
precious old Jewish Quarter with the well preserved Jewish cemetery and synagogues – the
Gothic Old-New Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue, a mixture of the late Gothic and
Renaissance style, or the Spanish Synagogue built in the Moorish Revival style. The
Wenceslas Square is the heart of the New Town. The dominating feature of the Square is the
Statue of Saint Wenceslas, the Patron Saint of Bohemia, surrounded by the statues of four
other Bohemian patron saints – Ludmila, Agnes, Procopius and Adalbert. At the top of the
square, the Neo-Renaissance building of National Museum is situated. Another important
sight of the New Town is the Neo-Renaissance National Theatre, one of the most important
monuments for the Czechs. Most prominent artists of the time took part in its decoration such
as Josef Mánes, Mikoláš Aleš, Josef Myslbek, František Ženíšek, or Vojtěch Hynais. The
Prague fortress of Vyšehrad is located on the right bank of the Vltava River. According to the
legend, Vyšehrad was the location of the first settlement that later became Prague. On a rock
over the Vltava River, there is a ruin of a historic fort and the Residence of Přemyslid Princes,
the Romanesque Rotunda of Saint Martin from the 11 century, the originally Romanesque
Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul established in the 11 century, and the National Cemetery, the
final resting place of many outstanding Czechs.
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Several monasteries are situated on the territory of Prague. The Strahov Monastery,
founded in 1143, is the oldest Premonstratensian abbey in Bohemia. Nowadays the Monastery
is the seat of the Monument of National Literature, one of the most valuable and best
preserved historical libraries not only in the Czech Republic. The oldest book kept in the
Library is the Strahov Evangeliary from about 860. The Benedictine Břevnov Monastery,
founded in 993, is the oldest male monastery in Bohemia. It was founded by Saint Adalbert,
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the second Bishop of Prague, and the prince Boleslaus II. The Convent of Saint Agnes was
founded in 1231 by Agnes of Bohemia, the youngest daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia
who also became the abbess of the convent.
Various attributes have been given to Prague reflecting its exceptional beauty and
importance – City of a Hundred Spires, Golden City, or Mother of Towns.
The historical centre of the South Moravian town TELČ, situated in the southern part
of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, was inscribed on the UNESCO List in 1992. The main
sights of the town include the beautiful Renaissance chateau with an English park (the chateau
retaining substantial evidence of its Gothic predecessor), the inner town containing a unique
complex of Renaissance and Baroque houses, and Marian plague column and Baroque
fountain situated on the square.
Telč was founded as a royal water fort at the crossroads of major trade routes in the
13 century. The town developed around a market square in the form of an elongated triangle
and most of the houses were originally built of wood. After a fire in the late 14 century, the
town was rebuilt in stone and surrounded by stone walls and a network of artificial ponds.
The Parish Church of Saint Jacob was built in 1360-72, and the Gothic Castle was
reconstructed in High Gothic style in the late-15 century. The second half of the 16 century
was a period of great prosperity of the town under Zacharias of Hradec. Following another
devastating fire, he rebuilt the inner town and market place in the Renaissance style and began
the reconstruction of the Castle. Their Renaissance appearance has been preserved almost
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intact up to the present days. In the 17 and 18 centuries, the Jesuit order made significant
additions to the appearance of Telč. The town acquired Baroque elements by building a Jesuit
college (1651-65) and the Church of the Name of Jesus (1666-67). At the same time, Baroque
gables were added to the facades of some of the houses in the marketplace; Rococo and
classical elements followed in later adaptations.
Telč is the best-preserved surviving example of the period of building planned
settlements in the areas of original border virgin forests for reasons of political control and
economic expansion in the later Middle Ages. Although decorated with facades from various
periods, the houses in the market place are basically Renaissance. Telč was not affected by the
desire for over-restoration of the 19 century, hence both the individual buildings and the
townscape retain authenticity in materials and design.
ČESKÝ KRUMLOV, namely its picturesque medieval town centre together with the
chateau and castle on the rock, was put on the UNESCO List in 1992. It is a charming town
situated on the banks of the Vltava River. There are two main historic areas – the Latrán area
below the Castle and the town proper on the opposite bank in the meander of the Vltava
River. It flourished in the 14 to 16 centuries under the Lords of Rosenberg, who made Český
Krumlov the centre of their large estate.
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Český Krumlov, located in Southern Bohemia, grew up at a crossing of the Vltava
River at the junction of ancient routes connecting Bohemia with Austria, Bavaria and
Northern Italy. It developed within a horseshoe bent of the Vltava River in the 13 century.
The core of the Castle, so-called Little Castle (Hrádek) dates to the same century. The
settlement developed to the east of the Castle fortifications (Latrán) as well as on the opposite
bank of the river around the central square. The dominion was the seat of the influential
House of Rosenberg from 1302 until 1602. In the 17 century, it became the property of the
Eggenberg family, an Austrian dynasty who converted the Castle into an impressive Baroque
seat. The town later passed to the influential House of Schwarzenberg who owned it from
1719 until 1947. The wealth and importance of the town is reflected in many of the burgher
houses from the Gothic period onwards that pride beautiful facades as well as internal layouts
and decorative details, especially carved wooden ceilings. Other important sights include the
Gothic Church of Saint Vitus with frescoes from the 15 century, the Renaissance Jesuit
College, the Baroque seminary, the Town Hall (created by combining several burgher houses
and embellishing them with a Renaissance facade), or the Renaissance armoury in Latrán.
Remains of the medieval fortifications include the Budĕjovice Gate, a Renaissance structure
modelled on Italian originals. The town has a regular street layout with streets radiating out
from the central square and a circular intra-rampart road.
The Castle, a complex of forty buildings (second largest castle complex in Central
Europe), is dominated by the Little Castle with a round tower. In the 16 century, the simple
early-Gothic Little Castle was reconstructed Renaissance. Radical Baroque reconstructions
were carried in the 17 and 18 centuries. It took almost 80 years during the 17 and 18 centuries
to build an extensive bridge over a deep gap in the rock, so-called Cloak Bridge that is
a covered three-storey corridor on massive pillars vaulted together on each storey. The
corridor in the lower storey connects the Masquerade Hall with the Castle Theatre, and the
Connecting Corridor located in the upper storey of the bridge enables passage up to the castle
park. The Castle boasts a rarity unparalleled elsewhere in the world – a Baroque chateau
theatre (1684) with original theatre fund that has survived intact to these days.
Český Krumlov is the finest surviving example illustrating organic urban development
in medieval and Renaissance Central Europe in terms of its intactness and the quality of its
buildings and townscape. It is an outstanding example of a small central European medieval
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town whose architectural heritage mirrors its economic importance and has remained intact
thanks to its peaceful development over more than five centuries.
The Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk at ZELENÁ HORA was inscribed
on the UNESCO List in 1994. The Church is situated not far from the town Ždár nad Sázavou
in Moravia near the border with Bohemia. It is dedicated to Saint John of Nepomuk, the most
popular Central European saint in the Baroque period. The Vicar General of the Prague
Archbishopric, John of Pomuk, died a martyr’s death in 1393. He is celebrated as a saint
representing the seal of confession. According to the legend, he was drowned because he
refused to tell the king what the queen had disclosed to him during confession. The Church
was built in the first half of the 18 century according to the plans of Johann Blasius Santini
Aichel, one of the greatest figures of Central European Baroque. It has a form of a fivepointed
star in accordance with the legend that tells that a five-star crown appeared above the
body of the martyr drowned in the Vltava River. The Church is built in Baroque Gothic style,
i.e. Baroque with Gothic elements. It retains many of its original furnishings including the
main altar, designed by Santini that represents the celebration of Saint John of Nepomuk in
heaven and the four side altars (also designed by Santini) depicting the four Evangelists.
KUTNÁ HORA, namely its historical town centre with the Church of Saint Barbara
and the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist at Sedlec, was
inscribed on the UNESCO List in 1995. Due to the rich silver mines, the town of Kutná Hora
used to be the richest town of the Bohemian kingdom. The town flourished during the 14 and
15 centuries when it was one of the most important political and economic centres of
Bohemia. Its medieval centre and the churches are outstanding examples of architectural
development symbolising its prosperity and testifying its importance. The main sights of the
town include the Gothic Church of Saint James, the Church of Saint Barbara, splendid
burgher houses (Stone House), the former mint at the Italian Court from the late 13 century
with the Minting Museum, or the Gothic fountain. Apart the Cathedral, there is a fascinating
ossuary in the Monastic Chapel of All Saints in the nearby Sedlec.
The rich deposits of silver ore determined the earliest settlement in the historic centre
of the town where numerous scattered mining settlements existed in the 13-16 centuries.
Silver mining quickly developed in the 13 century during the reign of Wenceslas II. In 1300,
Kutná Hora became a royal mining town and the first Prague groschen were minted at the
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Italian Court. The town became the cultural, political and economic centre of Bohemia,
competing for importance even with Prague.
The Cathedral in Sedlec was built on the place of an earlier Romanesque church as a
part of the Cistercian Abbey (the oldest in the Czech Lands founded 1142) between 1280 and
1320. The monastery was burnt down by the Hussites in 1421. The reconstruction was
conducted by Johann Blasius Santini Aichel in his original Baroque Gothic style in the
beginning of the 18 century. Santini also conducted the reconstruction of the Cemetery
Chapel of All the Saints dating to around 1400. Its lower level is used as an ossuary that is
estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people whose bones have
also been arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel (chandelier, altar,
monstrances). The Monastery was abolished in 1783.
At the beginning of the 14 century, Kutná Hora was enclosed by massive stone walls,
wooden houses were replaced by substantial stone ones, and the Church of Saint Jacob (and
other six churches) were built. Work on the monumental church of Saint Barbara, the patron
saint of miners, began in 1380s as an expression of the importance and power of the town.
The Cathedral was built during the late 14 and 15 to the first half of the 16 century as a fivenave
church. The first architect was Peter Parler. Other outstanding architects were Matthias
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Rejsek (1489 until his death in 1506) and Benedikt Rejt/Ried (died in 1534). In 1558, the
Cathedral was completed with the construction of the facade and three tent roofs. Its interior
is decorated with medieval frescoes depicting the secular life of the medieval mining town of
Kutná Hora.
At the beginning of the 16 century, the mines in the city centre were gradually
exhausted and abandoned. The relative lack of Renaissance buildings in the town illustrates
the sudden decline in its fortunes in the early 1540s.
The LEDNICE–VALTICE cultural landscape consisting of castles, a huge mosaic of
rivers, canals and parks has been a part of the World Heritage since 1996. The complex is a
result of the effort of the ruling dukes of Liechtenstein who transformed their domains in
southern Moravia into a striking landscape in the period between the 17 and 20 centuries. It
combines Baroque architecture (mainly the work of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach) and
the Classical and Neo-Gothic style of the castles of Lednice and Valtice with countryside
created according to English romantic principles of landscape architecture. At 200 km2
, it is
one of the largest artificial landscapes in Europe. The area is nicknamed the Garden of Europe
or the Garden of Paradise.
When Karel I of Liechtenstein acquired the title of a duke in the early 17 century, he
made Valtice his main residence and Lednice his summer seat. A system of avenues and paths
connecting the individual parts of the estate was created providing vistas and rides during the
17 and 18 centuries. The English concept of the park was applied in the early 19 century with
smaller parks on the English model, so-called Englische Anlagen, around three large ponds –
Mlýnský, Prostřední and Hlohovský. An important element in the appearance of the area is
the very wide range of native and exotic tree species.
The Chateau of Valtice, originally a medieval castle, underwent successive
reconstructions in Renaissance, Mannerist and, most significantly, Baroque style. Along with
the Baroque Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, it is the dominant feature in the
system of avenues. On the contrary, the Lednice Chateau is not widely visible, the dominant
role being taken by the exotic minaret. Lednice was built as a Renaissance villa around 1570.
Then it was gradually rebuilt following the Baroque, Classical and Neo-Gothic fashions. The
Neo-Gothic reconstruction in 1850 put the Chateau into harmony with the prevailing
romanticism of this part of the landscape – architecture and landscape are closely interrelated.
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A number of romantic buildings built in the period between 1900s and 1920s are
scattered throughout the whole complex. These include Minaret (62-metres tall Neo-Moorish
Revival structure serving as lookout tower), John’s Castle (Neo-Gothic “artificial ruins”),
Temple of the Three Graces (semicircle gallery with allegorical statues of Sciences and Muses
and statue of the Three Graces), Rajsna (Classicist Colonnade), Rendezvous or Temple of
Diana (hunting lodge in a form of a Classicist arch), St Hubert Chapel (Neo-Gothic column
structure dedicated to the patron saint of hunters), Apollo Temple (Classicist hunting lodge),
New Farm (Nový dvůr; Classicist farm originally used for sheep husbandry, nowadays for
horse breeding), Border House (Hraniční zámeček; Classicist chateau built directly on the
former (until 1920) borderline between Lower Austria and Moravia), Lány (Empire hunting
lodge), Belvedere/Hunting Lodge (Lovecký zámeček), Fishpond Manor House (Rybniční
zámeček), or Pohansko Manor (Empire hunting lodge).
The Lednice-Valtice cultural landscape is of outstanding universal value as an
exceptional example of the designed landscape that evolved in the Enlightenment and
afterwards under the care of a single family. It succeeds in bringing together in harmony
cultural monuments from successive periods and both native and exotic natural elements to
create an outstanding work of human creativity.
HOLAŠOVICE, as one of the best-preserved examples of folk architecture referred to
as South Bohemian Folk Baroque, was put on the UNESCO List in 1998. It is a very typical
South Bohemian village situated in its heart, 15 kilometres west of České Budějovice and
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18 kilometres north of Český Krumlov. It has a central square lined by 23 houses of similar
design, dating from the first two thirds of the 19 century. In the centre of this square there is a
small pond that was used for fish farming.
The settlement of Holašovice originated during the period of extensive colonization of
the forested border regions of Bohemia in the first half of the 13 century. Until the beginning
of the 16 century, the area was settled by Czechs, but the plague that ravaged Bohemia in
1521 left only two inhabitants alive. Consequently, the Cistercians brought in settlers from
Bavaria and Austria and the population remained predominantly German until the
establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. Czechs remained in a minority until the
end of the Second World War when the ethnic Germans were expelled.
The village underwent considerable rebuilding between 1840 and 1880. The style
adopted, known as Folk Baroque, is characteristic of this region. All the farmsteads (with the
exception of the barns) were built of stone (not timber-framed as was the case in most of the
villages of Bohemia at that time). It consists of 120 structures, i.e. 23 homesteads that are
protected architectural monuments along with their attached farm buildings (barns, stables,
etc.) and gardens, arranged around an elongated village square with a small chapel. The
farmsteads are all built with their gable-ends facing the square. Farmstead No. 8 is the largest
in the village. The main farmhouse is a modest building with two rooms. Adjoining long cow
house is divided into two vaulted rooms. This wing is dated on the facade to 1861. A massive
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three-storey granary to the right of the entrance dates from the mid-19 century. The courtyard
is closed at the back by a spacious stone barn, built towards the end of the 19 century to
replace an earlier timber structure. There are also several farm workers’ cottages that are
much smaller and simpler in design. The village smithy and the smith’s house are located in
the middle of the village square. Both buildings are single-storey structures with saddle roofs,
and the smithy has a characteristic arched opening on the square. The Chapel of Saint John of
Nepomuk is a small structure with a tall bell-shaped front. The rectangular interior is vaulted
with two lunettes. The chapel has a saddle roof hipped at one end with a spire containing a
bell. It appears to date from the mid-18 century.
Holašovice is an exceptionally complete and well-preserved example of a traditional
rural settlement built in South Bohemian Folk Baroque that preserves a ground plan dating
from the Middle Ages.
KROMĚŘÍŽ, namely its Archbishop’s Castle built in the Baroque style and its
pleasure gardens, was put on the UNESCO List in 1998. Kroměříž is located on the site of an
earlier ford across the river Morava. An early medieval market village received the status of a
town in 1260. The Bishops of Olomouc who were the owners of Kroměříž since the
12 century had their summer residence there. The landmarks of Kroměříž are the Baroque
Chateau with its historical interiors, picture gallery, library, Assembly and Vassal Halls
(Sněmovní sál, Manský sál) and two gardens – the Flower Garden and the Podzámecká
Garden.
In 1497, the wealthy and well-connected Stanislav Thurzo became the Bishop of
Olomouc and he started the reconstruction and modernisation of the Castle in Kroměříž. The
reconstruction started in the late Gothic style but as the work proceeded, Renaissance
elements were applied. Thurzo also established a garden, comprising orchard, kitchen garden
and flower garden. The town was badly damaged during the Thirty Years’ War (1643). In
1660, the educated and wealthy bishop Karel of Liechtenstein started the reconstruction of
Kroměříž and his residence where he placed a collection of masterpieces by leading European
painters and established a large library full of rare books. A mint was built outside the
Chateau where special coins and medals were minted.
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In 1770s, the Castle Garden was restyled in accordance with the Romantic approach of
the late 18 century. The work on the Garden continued into the 19 century with the
construction of arcades, bridges and even a model farmstead. However, it preserved its
Baroque geometrical layout. The main building of the Castle is a free standing structure with
four wings round a central courtyard. It contains three storeys with an attic half-storey above.
According to custom, the first floor of the Castle is the piano nobile where the main rooms are
located, i.e. the Throne Room, the Conference Hall and two dining rooms. The second floor
houses the guest rooms, the Library, the Vassal Hall and the Chapel.
The Flower Garden, also known as Libosad, is situated in the south-western part of the
historic centre of Kroměříž. It reminds a late Renaissance Italian style garden with an arcaded
gallery containing many statues and busts, historic greenhouses, fountains and ponds.
The Gardens and Castle in Kroměříž are an exceptionally complete and well-preserved
example of the European Baroque princely residence and its associated landscape of the
17 and 18 centuries. The Castle complex and Gardens played a significant role in the
development of Baroque garden and palace design in Central Europe.
LITOMYŠL CASTLE is an exceptional example of a Renaissance arcade-castle
decorated with sgraffiti that was added to the World Heritage List in 2000. This landmark of
Litomyšl was built by Vratislaus of Pernštejn in 1568-81. Litomyšl is the birthplace of the
prominent Czech composer Bedřich Smetana who was born on the premises of the Chateau
brewery.
Litomyšl is located at an important communication junction on the main road between
Bohemia and Moravia. There has been a settlement since at least the 10 century with its
fortified core on the hill where the castle now stands. The town was destroyed several times,
by the Hussites in 1425, and by fires in 1460, 1546, and almost completely in 1560. The
ruined castle was reconstructed by Vratislaus of Pernstein between 1560s and 1580s. The
decorations, envelope and figural sgraffiti on the facade and gables and two large-scale battle
scenes in the main courtyard, were created primarily by Italian masters. Considerable
modifications in the High Baroque style were carried by Franz Maximillian Kaňka from 1719
onwards. Major alterations took place in the interior in 1792-96 but the fine Renaissance
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gables were preserved. Many rooms were decorated in Classicist style with both geometrical
and landscape wall paintings. The in-house theatre was built in Neo-Classical style in the
western wing in 1790s. It is constructed entirely of wood and the original painted decoration
of the auditorium, stage decorations, and stage machinery have survived intact.
The Chateau is a four-winged, three-storeyed structure with an asymmetrical
disposition. The western wing is the largest, whereas the southern wing is no more than a twostoreyed
arcaded gallery to close the square second courtyard, a feature that is unique to
Litomyšl. The vaulted arcading continues round the western and eastern sides of the
courtyard. The south-eastern corner of the eastern wing contains the Chateau chapel.
The buildings related to the Chateau were all built or rebuilt in accordance with the
modifications that the Chateau itself underwent over time which is reflected in their
architectural styles.
The Holy Trinity Column in OLOMOUC was put on the List in 2000 as an
exceptional example of the European Baroque sculpture and architectural production of the
first half of the 18 century. The Holy Trinity Column is situated in the Central Moravian town
of Olomouc, a town preserve that is the second oldest after Prague. The Column can be seen
on the Upper Square near the Town Hall. The Holy Trinity sculptural group rises up
35 metres being the highest sculptural group not only in the Czech Republic but also in
Central Europe. It also contains a small chapel. Several famous artists helped to build it in the
period between 1716 and 1754. The most important figure was the author of this architectural
jewel Wenzel Render. The main aim of building the Column was a spectacular celebration of
the Catholic Church and faith partially caused by the gratefulness for surviving the plague that
ravaged Moravia in 1714-1716. Taking into consideration the fact that all the artists
participating in its building were Olomouc citizens (sculptors Filip Sattler and Andreas
Zahner, goldsmith Simon Forstner), the building of the Column was taken as an expression of
local patriotism as well. Wenzel Render, Olomouc master stonemason, financed and carried
out most of the works himself.
The basic ground plan of the Holy Trinity Column derives from a circular base
(17 meters in diameter) from which a staircase of seven steps rises to the first level that
comprises a small chapel decorated with Baroque reliefs depicting characters from The Book
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of Genesis. The first level is decorated with six over life-size statues of saints (220-240 cm),
relief figures of apostles and rich masonry details. The same pattern is repeated on both the
second and third levels. The statues of the saints include Constantin and Methodius, Adalbert,
John of Nepomuk, John the Baptist, Wenceslas, etc. The third level supports a 10 meters high
pillar that is richly decorated. The sculptural group of the Assumption of Virgin Mary is
attached on the first third of the monolith. The figure of Virgin Mary is supported by a pair of
angels. The group is of over life-size and in gilded copper. On the top of the pillar-monolith
itself, there is a group of the Holy Trinity, i.e. God the Father giving a blessing and Christ
with the cross, both placed on a globe, with the figure of the Archangel Michael below. The
entire structure is completed by a star with a dove in the centre symbolising the Holy Spirit.
The entire group is on an over life-size scale in gilded copper.
The Olomouc Holy Trinity Column represents a unique demonstration of religious
faith in Central Europe during the Baroque period. It is one of the most exceptional examples
of the culmination of Central European Baroque artistic expression.
The Tugendhat Villa in BRNO was put on the UNESCO List in 2001 as the first and
only masterpiece of modern architecture in the Czech Republic and the fourth in the world.
The glazed Villa with windows reaching from the ceiling to the floor is situated on a hillside
above Brno. It was designed in 1920s by the famous German architect Ludwig Mies van der
Rohe who used top quality materials and modern technologies of the early 20 century and
also designed all the details of the interior equipment. The Villa was named after the owner of
a Brno textile factory, Fritz Tugendhat, who had this jewel of the inter-war functionalistic
architecture built for his family.
The architect took charge of the project down to the smallest detail, also designing all
the furniture of the house, designs that have become world-renowned. The Villa was built
between 1929 and 1930 but was inhabited by its owners for eight years only as they emigrated
to Switzerland and later to Venezuela for the fear of the Nazis. The German state confiscated
the Villa in 1939 and set up a design office of the Messerschmitt Works there. It lost most of
its original furniture, and was a subject to some alterations and damage. After the War, the
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Villa was taken over by the Czechoslovak state, served various purposes and unfortunately
did not escape partial reconstruction and devastation. Nevertheless, its basic arrangement has
been preserved in its original form. A scientific restoration of the building began in 1994. The
building was furnished with replicas of the original designs and furniture that had been lost.
Experts consider the Tugendhat Villa a breakthrough work of modern architecture.
The Villa is a detached house in a residential area of Brno. The entrance to the house
is from the street on the north side. The building has three floors, one facing the street and two
developing down towards the garden. It has a flat roof, and each floor has a different plan.
The uppermost floor is entered directly from street level and includes a terrace that forms a
balcony on the garden side. There is a small entrance hall and family bedrooms. From the
hallway and from the balcony there are stairways leading down to the main floor that has
three parts. The first part is the main living area with a winter garden, reception room, music
corner, study and library, sitting areas and dining room. The second part has kitchen facilities,
and the third part consists of the servants’ area. The living area has large windows on two
sides and is directly joined to the terrace that is partly open partly covered, and has a wide
stairway leading down to garden level. The ground level has utility rooms and is used for
technical purposes. The main structure of the house is made from reinforced concrete with
steel frames. A structure of polished steel pillars supports the entire house. A steel skeleton
also carries ceramic ceiling panels.
The exterior of the house is painted white. The entrance is panelled with dark
pallisander wood. The back wall of the living area is made from onyx, the glass wall opens
towards the garden. There is ivory-coloured
linoleum in the living hall. The original
furniture, such as the so-called Tugendhat
chair, was made in chromium-plated flat
steel elements and padded in leather. Each
piece of furniture in the living area had its
specific place. The mechanical equipment
designed and built for the house was also
exceptional, including special structural
solutions for the use of steel pillars, and for the electrically operated large steel-frame
windows. The house had central heating and an air-conditioning system.
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The Tugendhat Villa in Brno is a masterpiece of the Modern Movement in
architecture. Its particular value lies in the application of innovative spatial and aesthetic
concepts that aim to satisfy new lifestyle needs by taking advantage of the opportunities
afforded by modern industrial production. (On 26 August 1992, Václav Klaus and Vladimír
Mečiar met in its rooms to conduct negotiations about the break-up of Czechoslovakia.)
Three distinct components, the Jewish Quarter, the old Jewish cemetery and the
predominantly Romanesque Basilica of Saint Procopius were the reasons for inscribing
TŘEBÍČ on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in 2003. The Jewish Quarter incorporating
the Jewish Cemetery is one of the largest in Europe and the only Jewish sight outside Israel
independently inscribed on the UNESCO list.
Třebíč is a historic town situated on both sides of the Jihlava River. The origins of the
town are connected with the founding of the Benedictine monastery in 1101 around which a
local trade centre developed. The Monastery was destroyed in the 16 century and a castle was
built on its site.
The Romanesque-Gothic Basilica of Saint Procopius, situated on the hill overlooking
the town, originated as a monastic Church of Virgin Mary in the early 13 century (now it is
linked with the Castle). It is a three-nave basilica with an elongated presbytery, and two
western towers. A significant Czech Baroque architect, František Maxmilian Kaňka, restored
the Basilica in the first half of the 18 century. The Basilica is an exceptional combination of
Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements and it can boast a rare example of a ten-part or
‘botanical’ rose windows, and a valuable crypt with pointed rib vaults. Original frescoes have
been discovered in the choir.
The Jewish Quarter rises from the river up on the hillside, close to the monastery and
the ford across the river. Its two main streets are linked with the riverside through a number of
small medieval alleys, some of which go through the houses. The houses consist generally of
a vaulted ground floor and one or two upper floors with wooden ceilings. There was often a
shop or a workshop at the street level, the upper levels were reserved for residential use. Some
of the facades have features dating from the Renaissance or Baroque period but many are of
later date. The Jewish Quarter had its own self-government. It has preserved all essential
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social functions, synagogues, schools, town hall, poorhouse, etc. The oldest mention of a
synagogue dates back to 1590. The present Old (Front) Synagogue (1639-42), a simple
Baroque building, is used as a Hussite church today. The New (Rear) Synagogue dates from
the 18 century and serves as a museum and meeting room. In the 1920s, the area merged with
the town of Třebíč and the population started being mixed. In 1890, there were nearly 1,500
Jews in this area, but in the 1930s only 300. All Jewish residents were deported during the
Second World War, and none is left at present.
The Jewish Cemetery is situated above the Jewish Quarter, behind the hill. The current
cemetery has two parts, the first part from the 17 century and the second from the 19 century.
There are approximately more than 3,000 stones at the Cemetery and some of them bear
important carvings. The oldest readable stone bears the date 1631. At the entrance, there is a
ceremonial hall, built in 1903.
The Jewish Quarter bears an outstanding testimony to the different aspects of the life
of this community as well as to the cultural traditions related to the Jewish diaspora in Central
Europe. The ensemble of the Jewish Quarter, the old Jewish cemetery and the Basilica of
Saint Procopius in Třebíč give evidence of the co-existence as well as of the interchange of
values between two different cultures, Jewish and Christian, over many centuries from the
Middle Ages to the 20 century.
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INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
Cultural heritage consists of the products and processes of a culture that are preserved
and passed on through the generations. Some of that heritage includes tangible artefacts such
as buildings, monuments, or works of art. However, many parts of culture are of intangible
character, including songs, music, dance, cuisine, crafts or festivals. They are forms of culture
that cannot be touched or stored in physical form but only experienced.
Considering the UNESCO approach, the content of the term cultural heritage has
changed considerably in recent decades. It does not end at monuments and collections of
objects anymore. It also includes traditions on hhr living expressions inherited from our
ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social
practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe,
or the knowledge and skills necessary to produce traditional crafts. They all have been passed
from one generation to another, have developed in response to the environment and contribute
to give us a sense of identity and continuity, providing a link from our past, through the
present, and into our future.
Intangible cultural heritage is promoted by UNESCO as a complement to the World
Heritage. In 2003, UNESCO proposed the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible
Cultural Heritage with the aim to protect and promote it. The List of Intangible Cultural
Heritage was established with the aim to ensure better protection of important pieces of
intangible heritage worldwide. Within the programme, two lists are compiled. The longer
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes cultural
practices that demonstrate the diversity of this heritage and raise awareness of its importance.
The shorter List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding contains such
cultural elements that are in danger and require urgent measures to keep them alive. Facing
growing globalisation, intangible cultural heritage is an important factor in maintaining
cultural diversity.
As for 2015, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
contains 314 items and the List of Intangible Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
includes 38 elements. The Czech Republic has four pieces of intangible cultural heritage
inscribed on the Representative List.
Slovácko Verbuňk, Recruit Dances
The Slovácko verbuňk (from German Werbung meaning recruitment), inscribed on
the Representative List in 2005 as the first item in the Czech Republic, is an improvised dance
performed by boys and men living in South Moravian and Zlín districts. Today, it is
performed by folk dance groups in most towns and villages of the Slovácko region, mostly in
connection with festivities, such as the annual Hody community celebration.
The verbuňk is danced to music called New Hungarian songs and it usually consists of
three parts. At the beginning, a song is performed. The song is followed first by slow
movements and then by faster dancing parts. The dancing does not have precise
choreography. It is characterised by spontaneity, improvisation, and individual expression
including jumping contests of the dancers. It is performed by groups of dancers and each
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dancer within this group interprets the music in his own way. These dances are an essential
part of local customs, ceremonies, festivities and celebrations. They are also performed at the
annual contest of the best dancer within the International Folklore Festival in Strážnice.
Shrovetide Door-To-Door Processions and Masks (Villages of the Hlinecko Area)
The original Shrovetide processions, inscribed on the Representative List in 2010, take
place in the town of Hlinsko and six nearby villages in the Hlinecko area in Eastern Bohemia.
This traditional and popular carnival custom takes place at the end of winter, during
Shrovetide, the period just before the Christian Lent. Village men and boys wearing
traditional masks that represent traditional characters (red masks for boys and black for
married men) go from door to door around the village, accompanied by a brass band. The
procession stops at each house and four of the men perform a ritual dance. This dance should
secure a rich harvest and prosperity for the family. In return, the masked men receive treats
and collect a fee. After visiting the last house of the village, a symbolic ‘Killing of the Mare’
ritual takes place. A mare, one of the masks, is sentenced during this ritual for its supposed
sins and a humorous testament commenting various events in the village as well as in the
society is read out. This ritual symbolises the end of winter and a new beginning, the
upcoming spring, as following the execution, the mare is revived with alcohol. This is a signal
for the beginning of dance and frolic of the masks with the bystanders. The Shrovetide
processions play an important role in influencing social relations, strengthening the sense of
unity and belonging, and in securing interrelations within the village community.
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Ride of the Kings in the South-East of the Czech Republic
The Ride of the Kings, inscribed on the Representative List in 2011, takes place
during the spring, as a part of the Pentecost traditions, in the towns of Hluk and Kunovice and
the villages of Skoronice and Vlčnov situated in the Slovácko region. A group of young men
ride through a village in a ceremonial procession. The ride is headed by chanters, followed by
pageboys with naked sabres who guard the King, and the rest of the royal procession. The
King, a young boy with his face partially covered and holding a rose in his mouth, and the
pageboys are dressed in women’s ceremonial costumes. The King and his retinue ride on
richly decorated horses, stopping to chant short rhymes that comment humorously on the
character and conduct of the spectators. The chanters receive donations for their performance,
placed either in a money-box or directly into the riders’ boots. The King’s retinue returns
home after a few hours of riding, and celebrates at the house of the King with a small feast,
music and dancing in the evening. The traditional paper decorations for the horses and the
ceremonial costumes in particular, are made by women and girls. The colour patterns and
shapes are specific to each village. The Ride of the Kings is a symbolic rite of passage ritual
for young unmarried men. The most popular Ride of the Kings is the one taking place in
Vlčnov. It has more than 200-year-long tradition as it has been held annually since at least
1808. The Ride of the Kings in Hluk is held every three years as a part of the Dolňácko
Festival. The Ride in Kunovice is held every two years, and in Skoronice it is a part of the
Slovácko Year festival.
Falconry
Falconry, inscribed on the Representative List in 2012, is the traditional activity of
keeping and training falcons and other birds of prey in their natural state. Predominantly
carried on along migration flyways, it is practised by amateurs and professionals, men and
women of all ages. Falconry was originally a way of obtaining food, nowadays it is identified
with the sense of belonging and sharing. Falconers develop a strong relationship and spiritual
bond with their birds, and commitment is required to breed, train, handle and fly the falcons.
Falconry is transmitted as a cultural tradition by mentoring, learning within families and
formalised training in clubs. In hot countries, falconers take their children to the desert and
train them to handle the bird and establish a mutual relationship of trust. Although falconers
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come from different backgrounds, they share common values, traditions and practices such as
the methods of training and caring for birds, the equipment used and the bonding process.
Falconry forms the basis of a wider cultural heritage including traditional dress, food, songs,
music, poetry and dance, sustained by the communities and clubs that practise it. Falconry is a
social tradition respecting nature and the environment and it is inscribed on the
Representative List on an extended basis that could contribute to the development of cultural
diversity and intercultural dialogue worldwide. Apart from the Czech Republic, the countries
that share the inscription include Belgium, France, Spain, Slovakia, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Mongolia, and Korea.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (40 days before Easter) and ends approximately six weeks
later, before Easter Sunday. The purpose is the preparation of the believers through prayer and
fasting for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after Easter Day. It falls on the tenth day after Ascension
Thursday. It refers to the occasion of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and
other followers of Jesus Christ.
Piano nobile (noble floor or noble level) is the first and principal floor of a large noble house
with an ornate outer staircase and large windows. This floor contains the principal reception
rooms and bedrooms of the house. It is usually built in one of the styles of Classical
Renaissance architecture.
Shrovetide is the Christian period of preparation before the beginning of the liturgical season
of Lent. It starts on the ninth Sunday before Easter and ends on Shrove Tuesday. The
following day, the Ash Wednesday, is the first day of Lent.
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Vocabulary
CULTURE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE – BASIC TERMS
accessory doplňky, příslušenství
applied arts užité umění
appreciation uznání, porozumění, pochopení
approach přistoupit
attitude postoj
attribute charakteristická vlastnost/rys
auditory art muzická umění, hudba
belief víra
behaviour chování
cave dwelling jeskynní příbytek/obydlí
capability schopnost
challenge výzva
core jádro
craft řemeslo, řemeslná dovednost/zručnost
craftsmanship řemeslná zručnost/dovednost/um
deal with zabývat se
decorative arts dekorativní umění
desirable žádoucí
distinctive charakteristický, osobitý, typický
encompass zahrnovat
expectation očekávání
farmstead, farmhouse statek, usedlost
feature rys
fine art krásná umění
goldsmith zlatník
habitat přirozené prostředí
handicraft ruční práce
hardstone carving kamenictví
homestead usedlost, statek
immovable nemovitý
indigenous domorodý, původní
inherit zdědit
inscription nápis
intangible nehmotný
involve zahrnovat, týkat se
ivory slonovina
legacy dědictví, odkaz
mastery mistrovství
metal casting odlitek
morals morálka, morální/mravní zásady
movable movitý
performing arts múzická/scénická/performativní umění
pilgrimage pouť
pottery keramika, hrnčířství
practice praktika
puppetry loutkářství
quarry lom
relic pozůstatek, památka
representation znázornění, zobrazení
153
retrace zpětně vystopovat
rite obřad, ritual, ceremoniál
rural area venkovská oblast
strive snažit se, usilovat
tangible hmotný
value hodnota
visual arts výtvarná umění
HISTORY OF THE CZECH LANDS
alien cizí
ally spojit se
annihilation zničení, vyhlazení
antique starožitnost
assassin úkladný vrah, atentátník
assassination atentát
badge znak
basin kotlina
betray zradit
chivalric rytířský
clergy duchovenstvo, kněží
coat of arms erb
coin vytvořit, vymyslet
combat boj
crest klenot (heraldický, umístěný nad přilbou)
cruel krutý
deliberate promyšlený, záměrný
dismal bezútěšný, katastrofální
elector kurfiřt
estate stav; majetek
eternal věčný
expulsion vyhoštění, vyhnání
fake falešný, padělek, podvrh
famine hladomor
flat tax rovná daň
forsake opustit
heir dědic (trůnu)
heresy kacířství
inobservance nedodržování
merchant kupec
offender pachatel
onslaught nápor, příval
oppression útlak, útisk
pave připravit cestu
peasant rolník, venkovan
plague mor, epidemie
ploughman oráč
preacher kazatel
principality knížectví
proclaim prohlásit
realm říše
salvation spása
secede oddělit se, odtrhnout se
seer věštec, jasnovidec
154
serf nevolník
statehood státnost
submit podrobit se, podřídit se
successor následník
succession nástupnictví, dědictví
suppress potlačit
surrender kapitulace
sword meč
trial proces
worship vyznání, vyznávat, konat pobožnost
wrath hněv, zloba
NATURAL HERITAGE & NATURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION.
alder olše
arable land orná půda
beech buk
black stork čáp černý
bog Mountain Pine borovice blatka
bog spruce smrk černý
broad-leaved listnatý
brook potok
coniferous jehličnatý
ditch příkopa, strouha
dwarf pine kosodřevina, borovice kleč
elk los
European otter vydra říční
fir jedle
floodplain naplaveninová oblast
glacial lake ledovcové jezero
glacial kettle kar, ledovcový kotel
grassland louka
Greater Pasqua flower koniklec velkokvětý
hamlet osada, víska
insect hmyz
limestone vápenec
lynx rys
marsh močál, bažina, mokřina
meadow louka
moorland(s) vřesoviště
orchard ovocný sad
peat bog rašeliniště
peregrine falcon sokol stěhovavý
pine borovice
plain planina
precious stone, gemstone drahokam
primeval forests prales
reed rákos
sedge ostřice (vodní rákos)
shrub křovina
solitary osamocený
spruce smrk
swampland bažina
velvet plant (verbascum) divizna
155
virgin forest prales
wetland(s) mokřad
willow vrba
wood grouse tetřev hlušec
ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE
abandon opustit
amber bead jantarový korálek
armament zbraně, zbrojní
bivalvia mlž
burial hrob
burial ground pohřebiště
casting odlévání
charcoal dřevěné uhlí, uhel
chieftain velitel
clay jíl, hlína
dagger dýka
ditch příkop
dwelling příbytek
earthwork násep, val
enamel smalt, email, glazura
engraving rytina
excavation vykopávka
fossil zkamenělina
Funnelbeaker culture kultura s nálevkovitými poháry
Globular Amphora culture kultura kulovitých amfor
grave field pohřebiště
hillfort hradiště
jaw bone čelist
limestone vápenec
Linear Pottery culture kultura s lineární keramikou
loom tkalcovský stav
mammal savec
masonry building zděná stavba
melt rozpouštět, tavit
offering oběť, dar
ostracod lasturnatka
owl sova
primeval pravěký, prehistorický
quarry (kameno)lom
rainbow cup duhovka (druh mince)
reveal odhalit, odkrýt
reindeer sob
rhino nosorožec
seize zmocnit se, obsadit, ovládnout
severe vážný, kritický
sheet-metal plech
smithy kovárna
soil půda, hlína, zemina
retrace zpětně vystopovat
trace stopa
Urnfield culture kultura popelnicových polí
vessel nádoba
156
vicinity sousedství, blízké okolí
wrist band náramek
CULTURAL HERITAGE – ARCHITECTURE
acropolis akropole
aedicule edikula
agreeable příjemný
aisle postranní loď
arcaded courtyard arkádové nádvoří
arch frieze obloučkový vlys
Arch style obloučkový sloh
attic atika
baptistery baptisterium
baptismal font křtitelnice
barrel vault valená klenba
bastion bašta
battlements cimbuří
belfry zvonice
bevelled zkosený
broken vault/arch lomený klenba/oblouk
burgher měšťan
burned tile pálená taška
Chapter Hall kapitulní síň
chastity cudnost
civic městský
clerestory (clear storey) bazilikální okno
clasp sepnout, stisknout
cloister křížová chodba
consecration vysvěcení
convent ženský klášter
cornice římsa
cross vault křížová klenba
curvature zakřivení, ohyb
dome kupole
draw bridge padací most
draw on čerpat, vycházet (z čeho)
drystone wall suchá zeď (bez použití pojiva/malty)
ecclesiastic(al) církevní
embellish vyzdobit, zkrášlit
faced obložený
fancy zdobený, vybraný
flying buttress opěrný system
font, baptismal font křtitelnice
gable štít
gargoyle chrlič
granite žula
groin vault křížová klenba
grotesque zrůda, šereda
guarding strážní
guild hall cechovní dům
half-timbered hrázděný
hall church halový/stejnolodní kostel
heyday rozkvět, vrchol
157
hillock kopeček, pahorek
joint windows sdružená okna
lateral boční
legacy odkaz
lime washed vybílený
lintel překlad
mansion panské sídlo
marble mramor
martyrdom (u)mučení, mučednická smrt
military orders rytířské řády
moat hradní příkop
monastery mužský klášter
moulding ozdobná lišta/římsa
municipality obec
mural nástěnná malba
nave hlavní loď
net vault síťová křížová klenba
niche výklenek, nika
nobility šlechta
obedience poslušnost
pilaster polosloup
pillar, column pilíř
pinnacle fiála, věžička
plastered, rendered omítnutý
pointed arch lomený oblouk
prayer modlitba
precious vzácný, cenný
presbytery fara
presumed předpokládaný
pulpit kazatelna
rampart hradba, násep, ochranný val
recess výklenek
render omítnout
rib vault žebrová klenba
rose windows rozeta
rounded arch kruhový oblouk
sacral sakrální, posvátný
secular světský
semi-arch půloblouk
slenderness štíhlost
stained glass vitraj
stonemason kameník
timber dřevo
timeless nadčasový
tracery kružba
wayside cross/shrine kříž u cesty/boží muka
PAINTING
altarpiece oltářní obraz/socha
ancestor předek
assign připsat
Assumption Nanebevzetí
auditorium hlediště
158
baptism křest
Calixtine kališník
curtain opona
distinct odlišný, jasně odlišitelný, specifický
draughtsman kreslíř
elements přírodní živly
genre painting žánrová malba
Gigantomachy Zápas gigantů
graphic artist grafik
Holy Mass mše svatá
hymnal kancionál
incunabulum prvotisk (tisk před rokem 1500)
interrogation výslech
Jesse Jišaj/Isaj; otec Davidův
landscape painter krajinář
manuscript manuscript/rukopis
mercy milosrdenství
mural nástěnná malba
panel painting desková malba
pen and ink drawing perokresba
parchment pergamen
Passion Pašije (vyprávění o utrpení a smrti Ježíše Krista)
prophet prorok
Resurrection Zmrtvýchvstání
rugged scenery rozeklaná/drsná/skalnatá scenérie
sketch drawing skica
sin hřích
still life zátiší
Virtue Ctnost
Vice Neřest
war booty válečná kořist
SCULPTURE
ash popel
bellfounding zvonařství
carving řezbářství
Christ the Saviour Kristus Spasitel
clay jíl, hlína
coffered ceiling kazetový strop
column capital hlavice sloupu
courtyard nádvoří, dvůr
deceased zesnulý, zemřelý
equestrian statue jezdecká socha
facial expression výraz tváře
figurative plastic art figurální plastika
hermit poustevník
indisputable nesporný, nepopíratelný
infernal monster pekelná obluda
liberal arts svobodná umění
linden wood lipové dřevo
metal casting kovolijectví
plague epidemie, mor
plaque plaketa, pamětní deska
159
plastic art plastika
polychrome polychromie (barevná výzdoba)
sandstone pískovec
stiffed strnulý
stonemasonry kamenictví
tombstone náhrobek, náhrobní kámen
MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES
administer spravovat, řídit
bullet kulka
claim nárokovat
commemorate připomínat si
dedicate věnovat
defence obrana
depository depozitář
chalice kalich, pohár
embroidery výšivka
extermination camp vyhlazovací tábor
fitting vybavení
gather shromažďovat
malnutrition podvýživa
masterpiece mistrovské/vrcholné dílo
museum of national history vlastivědné muzeum
native house rodný dům
museum of natural history přírodovědecké muzeum
perish zahynout
persecution pronásledování
resistance odpor, vzdor
scope rozsah, rámec
seal pečeť
seal die pečetidlo
specimen exemplář
victim oběť
woody plant dřevina
HISTORY OF CZECH MUSIC
accompaniment doprovod
advent příchod, nástup
anthem hymna
banish vykázat, vahnat
chamber music komorní hudba
chant chorál
choirmaster sbormistr
choral sborový
commissioned work práce na zakázku
conductor dirigent
congregation kongregace, církevní shromáždění
conservatory konzervatoř
courtier dvořan
courtly dvorský
dull nezajímavý, jednotvárný
figural music figurální hudba (duchovní skladba s doprovodem nástrojů)
Good Friday Velký pátek
160
Gregorian chant gregoriánský chorál
headdress čelenka
hymn chvalozpěv
hymnbook kancionál
Kapellmeister kapelník
liturgical chant liturgický zpěv, žalm, hymnus
musical treatment hudební úprava/zpracování
overture předehra
patriotic vlastenecký
petition žádost
praise chvála
requiem zádušní mše (za zemřelé)
restrain potlačovat
sepulchral pohřební
striking pozoruhodný, výrazný
string smyčcový
vague nejasný, nekonkrétní
versatile všestranný
whistle pískat, hvízdat
DOCUMENTARY HERITAGE
affirm potvrdit
archival holding archivní fondy
argue zastávat se, obhajovat
attest svědčit, potvrzovat
banned (oficiálně) zakázaný
chapter kapitula (sbor kanovníků/kněží)
canon kanovník (kněz)
charter listina
completeness úplnost, kompletnost
conform přizpůsobit se, vyhovovat
dean děkan
deed právní document
dispersed rozptýlený, roztroušený
fate osud
female bath attendant lazebnice
fief commitment lenní závazek
foreword předmluva
friar mnich (hlavně žebravý)
Gospel evangelium
gospel book evangeliář
intentional úmyslný, záměrný
kingfisher ledňáček
lay preacher laický kazatel
manuscript rukopis
merit hodnota, význam
narrative vyprávění, příběh
notary notář
orthography pravopis
peace treaty mírová smlouva
re-examine přehodnotit
safeguard ochránit, zabezpečit
scriptorium scriptorium (písařská dílna)
161
standpoint hledisko, pohled, stanovisko
strophe strofa, sloka
three-leaf clover trojlístek
tract traktát, pojednání
treaty of alliance spojenecká smlouva
turning point přelomový okamžik
CULTURAL HERITAGE OF SILESIA
abolishment zrušení
animal stalls chlév
Annunciation zvěstování
armoury zbrojnice
attitude postoj, stanovisko, přístup
awareness povědomí
barn stodola
blast away odstřelit
blow up vyhodit do povětří
bobbin špulka
bodices živůtek
boiler house kotelna
built-up area zástavba
brass mosaz
buckle spona
butt pažba
call výzva
capture zajmout
carolling koledování
carver řezbář
cast iron litina
ceremonial cemetery čestný hřbitov
choir kruchta
claim hlásit se
conciliation cross smírčí kříž
consecrate vysvětit
court of honour čestný dvůr
deconsecrated odsvěcený
descendant potomek
destiny osud, úděl
detention convent sběrný klášter
disrepair zchátralý
dominion panství
dormitory internát
draper shops soukenické krámy
drift mine štolový důl
edge okraj
entrance arched gate vstupní (vjezdní) obloukovitá brána
equality rovnoprávnost
expel vyhnat, vypudit
the faithful věřící
farmyard hospodářský dvůr
feast svátek, hostina
fuel palivo
gable boarding prkenný štít
162
gallery ochoz
gangue hlušina
garage for carriages kočárovna
garland girlanda (věnec)
granary sýpka
guerrilla movement partizánské hnutí
gunfight přestřelka
gunsmith puškař
half-dugout polozemnice
hallway síň
headframe těžní věž
hook háček
horn rohovina
housing estate sídliště
imminent hrozící
imposing výstavný
influx příliv
internment convent internační klášter
Kermesse posvícení
lacing šněrování
Land Government zemská vláda
living area světnice
logging dřevařský
log house roubený dům
manor panské sídlo, šlechtická usedlost
mansion panské sídlo
mass public meeting tábor lidu
military headquarters vojemské velitelství
mother of pearl perleť
neglect zanedbat, zapomenout
noble large farm estate šlechtický velkostatek
obverse/head/front avers
oral tradition ústní slovesnost
ore mining těžba rudy
outer spring vnější napínací pero
overshadow zastínit, potlačit, zatlačit do pozadí
pale shield polcený štít
parish farnost
pastoral pastevecký
pendant přívěšek
perceive vnímat
Piarists Řád zbožných škol, piaristický řád, piaristé
pit heap halda
Place of Memory Místo paměti
pledge zastavit, dát do zástavy
prayer room modlitebna
predecessor předchůdce
presbytery presbytář, kněžiště
princely palace knížecí zámek
provenance provenience, původ
residential houses obytné doma
resistance odpor
reverse, tails revers
163
robe roucho
sacristy sakristie
saddle roof sedlová střecha
sample book vzorník
sample workshop vzorkovna
Schultheiß house šoltýství (šoltys/rychtář)
seam sloj
seize obsadit, zmocnit se
seminary seminář
seminarium puerorum chlapecký seminář
sentence odsoudit
severe zpřetrhat
shaft building jámová budova
shed kůlna
shield štít
shingle roof šindelová střecha
Shrovetide masopust
single-barrel gun jednohlavňová puška
slate roof břidlicová střecha
spinning mill přádelna
state country stavovské panství
steelworks huť
stone foundation wall kamenná podezdívka
store room komora
stronghold tvrz
suburban příměstský
succumb podlehnout
timbered house roubená stavba
unconcern nezájem, lhostejnost
under-mining poddolování
vanish zmizet, ztratit se
verifiable prokazatelný
vogt house rychta
waistcoat vesta
weaving mill tkalcovna
wheellock kolečkový zámek
whipping girls šmigrust
whitewashed obílený vápnem
wine festival vinobraní
wrought tepaný
UNESCO MONUMENTS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
alley ulička
Ascension nanebevstoupení
bent ohyb
birds of prey dravec
blessing požehnání
brass band dechovka
breakthrough průlomový
chandelier lustr
chant skandovat
commitment věrnost, závazek, odevzdání se
contest soutěž, soupeření
164
craftsmen řemeslník, umělec
dedicate věnovat
descent seslání
detached samostatně stojící
dove holubice
exhausted vyčerpaný
falconry sokolnictví
ford brod
fortune bohatství
frolic zábava, veselí
gap mezera, propast
gilded copper pozlacená měď
horseshoe podkova
husbandry hospodaření
illicit zakázaný
inner town vnitřní město
intact nedotčený
ivory slonovina
junction křižovatka
layout rozvržení, dispozice
lent (předvelikonoční) půst (40 dní před Velikonocemi)
lookout tower vyhlídková věž, rozhledna
mare kobyla, klisna
Marian plague column Mariánský morový sloup
martyr mučedník
mint mincovna
misappropriation zpronevěra
modest skromný, neokázalý
nickname přezdívat
ossuary kostnice
pageboy páže, mládenec (doprovázející nevěstu)
passage ritual přechodový rituál
Pentecost Letnice (svatodušní svátky, 50 dnů po Velikonocích)
pillage rabování
poorhouse chudobinec
prevailing převládající, převažující
radiate rozbíhat se (paprskovitě)
ravage zpustošit
recruitment odvod
reinforced concrete vystužený beton
resurrection vzkříšení, zmrtvýchvstání
retinue družina
rite obřad, rituál
sabre šavle
safeguarding ochrana
scatter rozptýlit, roztrousit
seal of confession zpovědní tajemství
supposed sin předpokládaný/údajný hřích
treat pohoštění
utility room technická místnost
vicar general generální vikář (druhý nejvyšší úřed ve správě diecéze)
vista výhled, vyhlídka
water fort vodní tvrz
165
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