Národní památkový ústav spouští web o barokních sochách v krajině The National Heritage Institute launches a website about baroque sculptures in the landscape

Prague - Baroque statues in the Czech landscape are harmed not only by vandals and weather conditions but also by public indifference. The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) aims to change this through awareness campaigns, lectures, and a special website where interested individuals can find a hundred unique Baroque statues and groups from across the Czech Republic. The pages will offer information about history, photographs, and tips for other smaller monuments in the vicinity.
    "Tourists only visit castles and chateaus. However, these statues can provide an aesthetic experience as well - and completely free of charge," said Kateřina Adamcová, the project guarantor, to ČTK.
    In total, about a hundred objects from all regions of the Czech Republic will be presented. These are statues, "that caught our attention due to their craftsmanship, technique, material, aesthetic impression, or the patron to whom they are dedicated", Adamcová added. Currently, only about a fifth of the selected objects are listed on the website, and the number is expected to be complete by the end of the month.
    "Domestic Baroque statues in the landscape have virtually no equivalent in Europe. Nevertheless, they are on the fringes of public interest. And that is precisely why they are so often targets for thieves and vandals," Adamcová explained. The NPÚ project aims to change this by bringing people closer to the history and story of the statues in their vicinity.
    The statues are closely tied to their locations, and any potential relocation is therefore limited. "Baroque small monuments were placed in the landscape in harmony with the surrounding environment. Once you uproot them, you impoverish not only the landscape but also the statue itself," added Adamcová.
    Besides the NPÚ website, a series of accompanying events is also planned, including lectures, conferences, guided tours, and educational programs for schools. Interested parties can find individual events on the NPÚ website in the subsection Baroque Statue in the Landscape.
    "A significant benefit of the project would also be the involvement of locals in voluntary photo documentation of the statues," stated Šárka Radostová, who is responsible for movable heritage at NPÚ. It is often difficult to determine ownership of statues in the landscape, and many lack photographs, complicating not only their repairs but also police investigations in the event of theft.
    The NPÚ media plan in recent quarters has focused, for example, on protected historic greenery or the topic of new buildings in historical environments from an archaeological perspective. The NPÚ intends to continue publicizing its activities. "The plan is, I think, relatively successful; of course, it's challenging in today's world to get someone excited about taking care of neglected cultural heritage, but it's certainly an endeavor that has its purpose," said Věra Kučová, NPÚ's expert deputy general director, to ČTK. The third quarter of 2011 will thus focus on Romanticism, particularly the area of artifacts from the 19th century. Afterward, the media section of the NPÚ will turn its attention to the topic of urban complexes, such as villages or estates.