Bečov Castle with the fortress has won the heritage Oscar

Bečov (Karlovy Vary) - The project for the conservation and presentation of the Upper Castle in the complex of the chateau and castle in Bečov has won the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage Europa Nostra 2009. The award, commonly referred to as the Oscar for heritage conservation, was received in the project and research category. The second category is for completed implementations. The Bečov project was submitted to the competition by the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), and the awards will be ceremoniously presented on June 10 in Istanbul. CTK was informed of this today by the NPÚ spokesperson Zdeňka Kalová.
    The NPÚ worked on the preparation of materials for the competition with the Girsa studio and the Czech Technical University in Prague. The project describes the concept and solutions for the conservation of the medieval castle. "This is the first historical summary of the exceptional results of expert surveys and expert opinions about the castle from both past and recent years," stated Bečov castle custodian Tomáš Wizovský.
    The Gothic castle consists of a monumental grouping of the chapel tower, the ancient donjon, and the connecting wing. The building, founded in the mid-14th century, lost its representative function during the Thirty Years' War. Nevertheless, the Bečov castle has been preserved in a highly authentic form. However, its reconstruction is progressing slowly. "We have already done the conservation of the plasters and last year we also repaired the roof. In the castle part, a unique fire reservoir and fire extinguishing system have been completed this year, costing about ten million crowns," noted Wizovský.
    The award can significantly contribute to increasing interest from visitors or institutions in the castle complex and also help accelerate the planned reconstruction of the castle. The restoration of the castle, which occupies about two-thirds of the Bečov complex, will require at least 56 million crowns. According to the custodian, this is only the price of the most essential works. For the entire complex, up to 200 million crowns is needed. Currently, only the chateau part is accessible to the public, where the relic holder of Saint Maurus, one of the most important monuments in the Czech Republic, is displayed.
    Since 2002, the Czech Republic has received eight awards from the European Union for Cultural Heritage Europa Nostra. Of these, the NPÚ has received six prestigious Oscars for heritage preservation.