Prague, Jan 15 (CTK) – The Czech spa towns of Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne, west Bohemia, have a chance of entering the UNESCO list of world heritage after two-day talks of the international working group on the nomination in Prague, Culture Ministry spokeswoman Simona Cigankova told CTK Saturday.
The Czech spas will seek UNESCO-listing along with five other European spas.
The working group approved seven nominations after an analysis. Apart from Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne, the list includes Bath in Britain, Baden-Baden in Germany, Spa in Belgium, Vichy in France and Montecatini in Italy.
There are other seven spa localities that are yet to be assessed, including Frantiskovy Lazne, west Bohemia. Consequently, this town has also a chance of being nominated, unlike the Luhacovice spa, south Moravia, the nomination of which was rejected, Cigankova added.
According to the UNESCO criteria, the nominated towns must be significant European spas as well as the sources of cultural influences connected with spa treatment.
The nomination of the spas is jointly made by seven countries. The Czech Republic is coordinating it.
The press reported in December that the working group had proposed that the Austrian towns of Baden and Bad Ischl and five German towns, Bad Ems, Wiesbaden, Bad Kissingen, Bad Pyrmont and Bad Homburg, be deleted from the nomination.
It is not known yet when the nomination is to be submitted to the UNESCO committee.
However, its authors are trying to work it out as thoroughly as possible since if it is rejected once, it cannot be submitted anew.
The Czech Republic would like to overcome the ten-year stagnation in the UNESCO-listing of its sights.
A total of 12 Czech monuments have entered the UNESCO list of world heritage so far, the last one in 2003. Though the number of the Czech UNESCO sights is twice higher than the average, the Czech Republic would like to seek more.
Nineteen Czech sites are seeking UNESCO-listing now.
Some of them within international projects, such as the Krusnohori (Ore Mountains) mining area, seeking the prestigious label along with Saxony, on the German side of the mountains. The Czech state has already officially submitted the nomination documentation and the UNESCO committee is to deal with it in 2016.
The other sites the nomination documentation of which is being prepared are the Terezin fortress, north Bohemia, which served as a Nazi concentration camp during WWII, ponds in the Trebon area, south Bohemia, the Jested mountain hotel and transmitter, north Bohemia, and some Prague sights, situated outside the historical centre that is UNESCO heritage as one whole. Those are a church designed by Slovenian architect Josip Plecnik (1872-1957), the functionalist Mueller villa, the Brevnov monastery and the Renaissance Hvezda summer house.
The sites that enter the UNESCO list usually attract more tourists and they can also gain state subsidies more easily than other monuments.
