South Moravian Region wants a project for a bridge to the archaeological park in Mikulčice

Archaeological Base Mikulčice (Pelčák and Partner architects; project 2010-11)

Mikulčice (Hodonín Region) - The South Moravian Region will this year have a bridge designed that should connect the archaeological site in Moravian Mikulčice in the Hodonín Region and the Slovak Kopčany. The regional council approved the assignment for the public procurement process from which the designer should emerge. The council intends to select the designer in September, said councilor Pavel Balík to ČTK. The bridge is to span the Morava River and allow visitors easy movement between the Slovak and Moravian parts of the archaeological park. Currently, the shortest land link measures six kilometers.
      The region emphasizes the park as one of the important tourist sites, and museum professionals are striving for its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
      The idea of building the bridge is several years old. However, everything has been delayed, for example, due to project reevaluation. Initially, it was considered that the builders would hang the bridge on piles. Now, it is planned to construct an arch bridge, which, according to Balík, should also be able to support a truck.
      With the project, it will be possible to apply for a building permit, which the region aims to obtain by the end of the first half of 2012. "Following that, a contractor for the construction would be selected," Balík stated. According to him, the study estimates the cost of the bridge construction at 59 million crowns. An additional six million crowns is expected to be the cost for connecting access roads to the bridge. These will lead to both the Great Moravian settlement Valy in Mikulčice and to the Church of Saint Mark of Antioch in Kopčany.
      The funding has not yet been resolved. The region intends to obtain an European grant for the project. It is currently waiting for the announcement of a suitable grant title, Balík said.
The Mikulčice settlement Valy was one of the largest power centers not only of Great Moravia but also of Central Europe at the time, and it is also a unique example of a developing urban agglomeration. It covers an area of about ten hectares. According to some opinions, Valy may have been the legendary Great Moravian capital of Veligrad, which has yet to be located.
      Valy consisted of classical constructions, but archaeologists also found the foundations of 11 churches and a princely palace. The latest findings suggest that the Great Moravian princes managed their empire "from the saddle of their horse." They probably alternated between functioning in the main centers of the empire, which was common in the early Middle Ages.
      The public overlooked the settlement after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. However, according to museum professionals, interest is now rising, and the site attracts 20,000 visitors each year.