Mikulčice Castle should be ready for UNESCO within three years

Brno - The South Moravian Region wants to create conditions with the Trnava region within three years for registering Mikulčice and the nearby Slovak Kopčany on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Great Moravian fortress Valy, which lies on the border of Moravia and Slovakia, is one of the most significant monuments from the period of the establishment of the first state formations in the Slavic world, said the South Moravian governor Stanislav Juránek to ČTK today.
    Southern Moravia will allocate one million crowns for the next year for the creation of a study to modify the entire area and also for the first small jobs. Mikulčice and the nearby Kopčany are divided by the Morava River. Primarily, it will be necessary to create a bridge over it, as well as a tourist border crossing, which requires an agreement between the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
    "Now tourists who visit Mikulčice and want to see the unique church in Kopčany must go on a journey of about seven kilometers through Hodonín," Juránek stated. According to him, the regions can request assistance from the army regarding the construction of the bridge. In extreme cases, the Morava could be crossed by a temporary military pontoon bridge until a quality bridge is built.
    Both regions have already agreed that their common priority will be the registration of Mikulčice and Kopčany on the UNESCO list. However, before they apply for it, they want to create all the conditions for this step.
    The fortress Valy in Mikulčice was one of the significant centers of the Great Moravian Empire. The monument consists of the fortress itself with its outer bailey and adjacent settlement agglomeration. The main fort rises almost seven meters above the surrounding terrain. According to some sources, Saints Cyril and Methodius also worked there. The results of the ongoing research are presented in a permanent exhibition at the archaeological site.
    The nearby church of St. Margaret of Antioch in Kopčany is absolutely unique. It was built in the ninth century and is considered the oldest standing church building in Central Europe.
    In Southern Moravia, the Lednice-Valtice area and the Tugendhat villa in Brno are currently included among UNESCO monuments. There is also discussion that, in addition to Mikulčice, the central part of the Moravian Karst with its caves, preserved nature, and the unique technical monument Stará huť should also be included among them.