Prague, May 15 (CTK) – The preservation project of the Saint Wenceslas Rotunda in the building of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University at the Prague Lesser Quarter gained the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage from the Europa Nostra NGO, spokesman Vaclav Hajek told CTK on Tuesday.
Independent juries of experts evaluated 160 competing projects from organisations and individuals from 31 European countries.
A prize was gained by 29 projects from 17 countries for excellent results in the sphere of restoration, research, specialised services and education as well as popularisation of heritage.
The awards will be bestowed during the first European Cultural Heritage summit in Berlin on June 22.
Experts long believed that the Saint Wenceslas Rotunda had vanished without any trace, but 14 years ago, its fragments were found when the faculty building was reconstructed.
It is one of the oldest ecclesiastical buildings in Prague. The restoration works followed the concept of minimum visible interventions in the heritage sight itself.
The renewal of the priceless sight from the era of the beginnings of the Czech state required the participation of archaeologists, historians, theologians, natural scientists and many other experts.
Along with EU money, two million crowns were gained in a public collection.
The jury of Europa Nostra mainly appreciated the way of visual presentation of archaeological strata and the effort to present and interpret the remains of the rotunda.
Europa Nostra also awarded a number of foreign projects, such as the renewal of a Greek Byzantine church, a new method of conservation of European historical buildings and the foundation of a Finnish public educational programme which makes children and young people join the national heritage care.
