The Kroměříž Gardens are among the most endangered in the world

Zlín - The Podzámecká and Květná gardens in Kroměříž are listed as one of the 100 most endangered world monuments for the year 2008. This was stated today by Jan Slezák, the director of the National Heritage Institute in Kroměříž. The list was created by the private non-profit organization World Monuments Fund (WMF), whose goal is to save endangered architectural and cultural heritage worldwide.
    According to Slezák, both gardens are in very poor condition, which has been primarily affected by the floods at the end of the last century. At that time, about a hundred historical trees were uprooted. “I am not pleased that they are listed as endangered,” remarked the director.
    He also reminded that saving both gardens will require investing tens of millions of crowns. “Thanks to being listed in the world fund, it will be easier for us to raise funds,” he explained. Slezák aims to secure funding not only from the Ministry of Culture's budget but also from other European funds.
    Currently, the staff of the Kroměříž heritage office is processing the assignment of a heritage project, which will serve for the building permit to save both sites.
    The unique Květná garden in Kroměříž was created between 1665 and 1675. It is the only originally preserved garden from this period in the Czech Republic. At the beginning of December 1998, it was included along with the Archbishop's Castle and the Podzámecká garden in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
    In the past, the World Monuments Fund has also noted landmarks such as the Český Krumlov Castle, the Lednice greenhouse, the Kutná Hora Chapel of the Body of Christ, Braun's Bethlehem in Kuks, and the historic center of Prague. This listing has generally helped these monuments, usually associated with several tens of thousands of dollars. WMF has been active since 1965 in the rescue of historical cultural assets in over 450 sites across more than eighty countries.