Luhačovice were not included on the UNESCO list, but they were also not removed

Prague/Luhačovice (Zlín Region) - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has not yet included Luhačovice and its set of buildings designed by architect Dušan Jurkovič on the prestigious list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites. However, the spa town has not been removed either, so it still has a chance to be added to the list in the future. The UNESCO committee also recommended preparing a comparative study on European spa towns, spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture Jan Cieslar said today.
Luhačovice was the only site from the Czech Republic that the committee debated in Quebec, Canada this year - each country can only propose one item at a time. "Luhačovice were discussed, but no decision was made," the spokesperson said. Therefore, Luhačovice are still in the running. If the committee decides against a candidate site, it can never be nominated again. That did not happen in this case.
"With the committee's decision, the Czech Republic was de facto acknowledged as a spa powerhouse," the spokesperson said. According to him, the comparative study is already underway and will be completed in the spring of next year. The result should be a joint nomination of European spa towns, which could enrich the UNESCO list with not only Luhačovice but also the towns of the West Bohemian spa triangle, the Belgian spa of Spa, the German Wiesbaden, and other symbols of European spa culture.
In the case of Luhačovice, a joint Czech and Slovak nomination of the set of buildings by Dušan Jurkovič, which are also located in Slovakia, is being considered independently of the comparative study. A joint nomination is also being considered for the Great Moravian settlement in Mikulčice in the Hodonín region and the Church of St. Margaret of Antioch in Kopčany, Slovakia. However, this nomination is not yet finalized.
Other sites that the Czech Republic would like to include on the list in the future are Žatec with its hop-growing tradition, the transmitter on Ještěd, or the Kladruby nad Labem stud farm.
As previously stated by Michal Beneš from the UNESCO department at the Ministry of Culture, bilateral proposals have a relatively good chance of success, as there are not many of them among the nominations. The Czech Republic must choose a certain strategy regarding candidate selections since it has a large number of recorded sites in proportion to its area and population. Moreover, countries with many sites find it difficult to promote additional ones. The Czech Republic has 12 sites on the list.
The Deputy Mayor of Luhačovice, Roman Lebloch, told ČTK today that even the fact that Luhačovice has come this far is seen as a positive aspect. "The city has gained visibility. The final report from the commission was very positive. Moreover, I believe that the fact that it is a spa town played a significant role in the decision-making. If recording were to occur, it would have significantly better conditions in terms of prestige than other spa locations," he noted.
This year, 27 natural and cultural sites were newly added to the UNESCO list, with a total of 47 sites vying for inclusion. The list now comprises 878 sites in 145 countries.