Golden Bull of Sicily goes on display at National Archive

Prague, Sept 24 (CTK) - An armoured vehicle accompanied by two police cars Monday transferred the Golden Bull of Sicily, a rare document linked to the medieval Kingdom of Bohemia, from a Prague depository to the National Archive seat where it will be displayed for four days on its 800th anniversary.

The Golden Bull charter was granted to the then Czech sovereign Premysl Otakar I by Frederick II, the then King of Rome and Sicily and future Holy Roman Emperor, on September 26, 1212.

It guaranteed the Czech state's sovereignty, indivisibility and mainly the hereditary title of king for Czech sovereigns, and confirmed the rights and privileges the Czech kings enjoyed within the Roman Empire.

The bull, considered one of the most significant documents of the Czech statehood, has been kept in the National Archive's depository in a special safe that would resist even a nuclear blast.

Kept in a stable temperature and humidity, the bull sheets hang on a special device, protected by a plastic film. The sheets are protected from UV radiation but they can "breathe" at the same time, National Archive director Eva Drasarova told CTK.

The seals are kept in special cases to prevent deformation of the respective sheets.

The document is priceless. Its value is comparable to that of the crown jewels, Drasarova said.

In the archive's exhibition hall in Prague-Chodovec, the bull and another three accompanying documents will be displayed under strict security measures and in climatic and light conditions similar to those in the depository.

The exhibition will be open to the public from September 27 to September 30 from 10:00 to 18:00.