The historical city of the year 2010 is Znojmo

Prague/Znojmo - The historical city of the year 2010 was today announced at Prague Castle as Znojmo from South Moravia. The award is a reward for the care of monuments, and the winner receives one million crowns. The title of Historical City of the Year has been awarded since 1994. This time, nearly 50 historical cities from the Czech Republic applied. The organizers selected the winner from three finalists; alongside Znojmo, the title was sought by Polička in East Bohemia and Prachatice in South Bohemia. The leadership of Znojmo is investing one million in monuments.
    Znojmo is situated on a rock above the Dyje River. As a fortress and prosperous settlement, Znojmo was historically significant property of the Czech kings and Moravian margraves. The city's famous history can be documented by well-preserved architectural monuments.
    The city boasts a castle complex with a baroque chateau, the Romanesque rotunda of St. Mary and St. Catherine, the Gothic dean church of St. Nicholas, and half a dozen medieval churches and monasteries. Many Renaissance burgher houses have also been preserved. Znojmo has been taking care of its Urban Heritage Reserve since its declaration in 1971. Within the city's territory, there are 167 immovable cultural monuments.
    In 2010, Znojmo restored three burgher houses. It also participated in the competition with a project to make the ground floors of several houses accessible to the public and the revitalization of the Karolina Gardens. The city plans further use of the underground in the context of tourism.
    "We greatly appreciate the award. It is recognition of the work of many of my predecessors at the city hall, who have been trying for years to restore the monuments in the city. Znojmo has undoubtedly flourished," said Zbyšek Kaššai (ČSSD), the mayor of Znojmo, to ČTK. Znojmo will use the one million crowns associated with the title of Historical City of the Year 2010 for the enhancement of its center. According to the mayor, it is necessary to proceed more efficiently in financing these works in the future. He noted that Znojmo is currently struggling with a high debt.
    According to the director of the South Moravian monument preservation office, Petr Kroupa, Znojmo undoubtedly deserves the recognition. "It has repaved the central historical squares, revitalizes the medieval walls, and tries to improve their surroundings. Equally important is the city hall's care for the dilapidated Louka Monastery. Thus, there are quite a number of significant efforts in the field of monument care," Kroupa told ČTK. According to him, receiving the award will certainly help in the development of tourism in Znojmo.
    Last year, the title of Historical City went to Beroun in Central Bohemia, and the then mayor and current Minister of Culture Jiří Besser received the award at the Castle.
    In addition to the absolute winner, successful cities from regional rounds were also announced today, which will receive a reward of 100,000 crowns. This year, the successful cities were Kutná Hora in Central Bohemia, Cheb in Karlovy Vary, Klatovy in Plzeň Region, Žatec in Ústí Region, Jilemnice in Liberec Region, Jičín in Hradec Králové Region, Lipník nad Bečvou in Olomouc Region, Třebíč in Vysočina, Uherské Hradiště in Zlín Region, and Příbor in Moravian-Silesian Region. In the capital city of Prague, the first city district won.
    Cities could apply for the competition until the end of last year. In January of this year, evaluations were made at the regional level, then at the national level.
    The title of Historical City of the Year is awarded for the best preparation and implementation of a program for the regeneration of urban monument reserves and zones. The awards are presented on the occasion of the International Day of Monuments and Sites, which falls on April 18.
    The competition is organized by the Association of Historical Sites of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry for Regional Development.