The UNESCO inspectors have concluded their mission in Prague

Prague - Inspectors from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have concluded their mission in Prague. They inspected the construction site of the Blanka tunnel, traffic along the main road in the center of Prague, Wenceslas Square, as well as Břevnov Monastery and Vítkov. They are keeping their impressions of Prague a secret for now, as they plan to publish the results of the inspection at the summer meeting of the UNESCO European Heritage Committee in Brazil.
    In the capital, they met with representatives of official institutions and civic associations. The main topics, according to findings from ČTK, were the announced inspection of the construction of the Blanka tunnel complex and its impact on the Prague Heritage Reserve, the planned construction of a shopping center at Wenceslas Square, the reconstruction of Prague’s railway stations, and the so-called museum mile, which includes planned tunnels under the National Museum.
   "We told them our positions on the topics we knew they were interested in. They asked us some additional questions," said Josef Štulc, director of the Czech branch of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), to ČTK.
    The UNESCO mission operated in Prague from Tuesday to Saturday. "They are an extended eye of the World Heritage Committee," Štulc noted. During the meetings, they gathered with representatives from ICOMOS, the National Heritage Institute, and the city hall, as well as with the Club for Old Prague and opponents of the current method of repairing the Charles Bridge.
    They always listened carefully to their partners but did not comment on their findings. According to ČTK's information, the meetings were held behind closed doors, and even assistants with refreshments were not allowed access.
    The main reason for the mission's visit to Prague was to inspect the construction of the city circuit in the Blanka tunnels and their potential negative impact on the Prague Heritage Reserve. According to Štulc, the project is already irreversible, but he alerted the inspectors to the low architectural value of the tunnel entrances. "So far, it is purely a highway solution," he said. He therefore wants the city to revise the plans.
    However, discussions also covered other current construction projects in the metropolis. One of them is the planned reconstruction of the courtyard between Jindřišská, Panská, Na Příkopě, and Wenceslas Square. Opponents of this project are unhappy with the volume of planned construction, the height of the buildings, and the violation of historical parcels. "The inspectors listened to this very carefully," Štulc said.
    The mission participants also wanted to view Vítkov and the view from it of the capital, Masaryk Station, or Břevnov Monastery.
    Inspectors will present their findings to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which meets once a year, typically in June or July. This year, members will gather in Brazil. Last year, at the committee meeting in Seville, Spain, they expressed "deep concern over the potential impacts of the Blanka tunnel complex."