Velkolosinská paper mill wants to be listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list

Velké Losiny (Šumperk) - The handmade paper mill in Velké Losiny is preparing an application for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The paper mill submitted its first application four years ago, but ultimately withdrew it after discussions with the Ministry of Culture and the Czech UNESCO committee. This information was reported by today's Olomouc edition of MfDnes.
    "We did submit the application back then, but it was withdrawn after consultation with the Ministry of Culture and the Czech UNESCO committee because it seemed that it would be rejected," stated the director of the handmade paper mill, Jan Jurčík.
    According to him, a single rejection means a definitive end to hopes of joining the global elite. This was also confirmed by the director of the Olomouc office of the National Heritage Institute in Olomouc, František Chupík. "That is common practice. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee never revisits rejected applications," said Chupík.
    The mill is now preparing a new application that will be more elaborate. "There are many materials that we need to submit, and we can't afford any mistakes," Jurčík pointed out. He estimates that a definitive yes or no from UNESCO could come within five to six years.
    The Velké Losiny handmade paper mill has it all the more difficult as UNESCO has recently favored applications from other continents over those from Europe. According to Chupík, European sites of interest may benefit if several countries submit a joint nomination for multiple technical heritage sites. "If the handmade paper mill receives support from all of Central Europe, it will have a significantly higher chance of entering the UNESCO World Heritage list," Chupík believes.
    The Olomouc region currently has only one site registered as a World Heritage site. This is the Baroque Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, which has been listed since 2000.
    According to experts, several other sites in the region would also stand out on the World Heritage list. However, the chances are slim, and currently, no other site besides the Losiny paper mill is aspiring for inclusion. Experts would like to see, for example, the Klášterní Hradisko in Olomouc on the prestigious list.
    The paper mill in Velké Losiny is the oldest still-operating handmade paper mill in Central Europe. It is also remarkable as an architecturally Baroque-Classical complex from the 18th and 19th centuries, during which it experienced its greatest prosperity. It was built at the end of the 16th century by Jan younger from Žerotín. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that handmade paper has been produced there continuously for 400 years.