The Lidovci want to compel K.Vary to agree to the UNESCO registration through a petition

Karlovy Vary - The regional organization KDU-ČSL wants to compel the councilors of Karlovy Vary through a petition campaign, which started today, to agree to the inscription of the entire central part of the largest domestic spa town on the UNESCO list. This is a response to the stance of some councilors who prefer that only selected buildings be proposed for inscription. This was announced to ČTK by the representative Miluše Hythová, who is the secretary of the regional committee of KDU-ČSL.
    According to the initiators of the petition, the inscription of the west Bohemian spa triangle, consisting of Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, and Františkovy Lázně, on the UNESCO list is in the interest of the entire region. However, the Karlovy Vary city hall prefers that only the colonnades, the city theater, and the Imperial Baths be covered by UNESCO protection. Mayor Werner Hauptmann (ODS) stated that the spa area is extensive and its protection as a whole could restrict the developmental activities of business entities.
    The leadership of the city of Karlovy Vary currently has no information about the KDU-ČSL petition campaign, said the city hall spokesman Jan Kopál to ČTK. He noted that both the mayor and councilors would certainly be interested in it. "The mayor did not rule out a meeting with the initiators of the campaign so that he could discuss the city's positions and its reasons for currently preferring a potential inscription on the UNESCO world cultural heritage list only for selected buildings," stated the spokesman.
    The initiators of the petition, including the Vice-chairman of KDU-ČSL Pavel Svoboda, historian Lubomír Zeman, and architect Vladimír Dufek, argue that limiting the inscription to individual monuments instead of the entire city heritage zone will only lead to no inscription at all. "From the desire to limit the nomination for the UNESCO list to just a few objects, it results in the reluctance of the municipal government for comprehensive protection of the heritage zone in Karlovy Vary," states the KDU-ČSL petition.