Restoration of historical objects and landscape

The city of Cheb hosted participants of the international expert symposium Architectural Heritage of the Landscape from September 21 to 23, organized under the auspices of the Vice-Chairman of the Senate, Petr Pithart, in the representative spaces of the West Bohemian Theater in Cheb. The three-day symposium was primarily focused on the issue of restoring dialogue between historical objects and the landscape. The first two days were dedicated to expert lectures, while the third day featured a visit to the Czech and German parts of the Cross-Border Landscape Exhibition Cheb – Marktredwitz.


Participants' presentations were divided into four blocks. The first block, called Protection of Historical Greenery and Cultural Landscape from the Perspective of Heritage Care, included stimulating contributions from representatives of the National Heritage Institute. Ing. arch. Věra Kučová spoke about the possibilities for protecting the cultural landscape in the Czech Republic, the current legal framework in the fields of heritage care, nature protection, construction law, and spatial planning. Ing. arch. Miloš Solař then addressed the heritage value of the cultural landscape.
The next segment of lectures on the topic Problematic Heritage of the Sudeten Landscape was introduced by Prof. Ing. arch. Miroslav Baše with the contribution Changes in the Cultural Landscape in the Sudetes after 1945 – general European and specifically Sudeten causes of this process. Hans Herrmann Wöbse spoke about German experiences with threats to the cultural landscape, contemplating the reasons for saving this landscape and how the historical cultural landscape has been or is being preserved in Germany. The first day of the symposium concluded with an evening social gathering of conference participants at the Cheb Regional Museum, which, like the West Bohemian Theater, co-organized this international event.
The second day began with a block titled Minor Architecture of the West Bohemian Region in the Landscape, featuring a contribution by PhDr. Jaromír Boháč from the State District Archive of Cheb, Strange Cheb Region, and presentations from representatives of Atelier 69 Revitalization of Poohří – methods and visions for environmental renewal and Park Egrensis – rediscovering the attractiveness of the landscape. Additionally, in the last set of lectures on the topic Options for the Renewal of Urban Landscape and Public Awareness for the Future, there were interesting contributions as well. For example, Ing. Martina Pásková from the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic spoke about the implementation of the European Landscape Convention in the Czech Republic, while Ing. arch. Zdeněk Lukeš brought closer the Changes in the Gardens of Prague Castle after 1918. The two-day theoretical portion of the symposium culminated in the adoption of a Memorandum, containing stimulating proposals and calls for caring for the landscape as an important component of cultural and historical heritage.
(Cheb 21-23.9.2006)

The participants of the symposium thank the city of Cheb for organizing this event dedicated to such an important topic as architectural heritage of the landscape. They appreciate that the concept of the symposium transcended a narrowly professional perspective and emphasized a comprehensive understanding of the problem.

The participants of the symposium agreed on this memorandum:

1. The landscape is a very important part of the environment, representing cultural capital and is a potential source of significant material values. Care for the landscape and its cultural-historical values is an important public interest, and therefore it must be given due attention. We demand that this attention is also given by the political representation and that the necessary conditions for its preservation are created.
2. The basic prerequisite for caring for the landscape and its cultural heritage is recognizing and naming the values that are valuable to society, and it is desirable to strive for their preservation.
3. Education is essential for preserving landscape quality. Greater attention needs to be paid to education, upbringing, and promoting the ideas of caring for the cultural landscape than has been done so far. We especially emphasize the significance and responsibility of higher education institutions that prepare professionals working in fields related to the environment and architectural heritage of the landscape.
4. Caring for the cultural landscape pertains equally to nature protection and heritage care. It is therefore desirable for both fields to closely cooperate in landscape care. At the same time, it is necessary to involve other sectors and ministries. In this regard, we appeal to the Government of the Czech Republic to support platforms coordinating the care for the cultural landscape of the Czech Republic in all contexts, and we similarly call on individual ministries to do the same in their respective sectors. We ask the Ministry of the Environment to proactively coordinate the implementation of the European Landscape Convention. We ask the Ministry of Education to consider this issue in educational program topics.
5. One of the important tools for preserving landscape quality is spatial planning. It is necessary to adapt the standards and practices of spatial planning to the needs of caring for the landscape and its architectural heritage. The moral responsibility of municipal and regional self-governments for preserving the cultural legacy of the landscape is irreplaceable when commissioning and approving spatial documentation.
6. International, regional, and cross-border cooperation is desirable in the care for the cultural landscape. This is especially needed in the areas of the former Sudetenland.
7. The purpose of caring for the landscape is to preserve existing values important to society and to create a favorable and stimulating environment for citizens. Citizens' participation is therefore an essential prerequisite for the success of caring for the cultural landscape. The participants of the symposium demand that tools be created to involve the public in the process of landscape care and that professional institutions from all concerned fields collaborate with the public much more intensively than they have so far. The role of citizens and civic associations in caring for the landscape is irreplaceable.
8. The economic aspect is one of the very important prerequisites for preserving the quality of the cultural landscape. For this reason, it is appropriate to support forms of tourism and all other business activities that can help care for the landscape and its architectural heritage without leading to their degradation.
9. The cultural landscape is a place to live. It is therefore important to create conditions so that people do not leave the landscape. Without support for living conditions in small communities and creating job opportunities, the landscape will continue to depopulate.
10. We demand that grant titles be established focused on the care for the architectural heritage of the landscape and that the Government of the Czech Republic create systemic tools facilitating access to funds from European Union sources for this purpose. Part of these funds should be dedicated to documentation and project preparation. Private owners who are trying to preserve the architectural heritage of the landscape should be supported in a more effective manner than has been done so far.

More information can be found on the website www.arch-det-kraj.cz.