On Zelená Hora, it is necessary to restore the furnishings of the church

Žďár nad Sázavou - The Roman Catholic Church needs millions of crowns for the restoration of the furnishings in the Church of Saint John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora in Žďár nad Sázavou. The restoration of the church's equipment is, according to the monitoring report from the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), one of the priorities for the reconstruction of this monument listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Dagmar Zvěřinová (ČSSD), senator and deputy mayor of the town, said this today to ČTK.
    "While the church itself is owned by the state and managed by the National Heritage Institute, the furnishings are owned by the Roman Catholic Church," she explained. However, the Žďár parish only completed a three-year general restoration of the interiors of the neighboring Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the castle complex last year and will continue with exterior repairs. The Church of Saint Procopius in the city center, which is planned for next year, also needs repairs.
    "Until last year, there was scaffolding in the Church at Zelená Hora due to restoration work on the structural elements, and therefore, surveys necessary for drafting the restoration plan for the furnishings could not be conducted," said František Laštovička, the coordinator of the parish's restoration, to ČTK. He estimates the costs for repairing the wooden decorations, altars, sculptures, and paintings at millions of crowns. The parish will have to apply for a grant from the Ministry of Culture.
    The city, alongside the completion of the revitalization of green areas at Zelená Hora, plans to build parking lots with restroom facilities. One should be located under Zelená Hora behind the residential development. However, the office has not yet managed to acquire the land there. Therefore, it cannot yet apply for European funding, and without it, according to Zvěřinová, construction will not begin.
    According to Mayor Jaromír Brychta (ODS), the preparation of an educational trail around Zelená Hora is also ongoing. The city is already applying for approximately five million crowns for this project in the Regional Operational Program. People should learn interesting facts about the history of the Cistercian monastery, Zelená Hora, as well as information about the surrounding flora and fauna on the trail.
    The monitoring report from NPÚ, which was approved by the city council on Monday, states that last year, 3.9 million crowns were invested in the restoration of the UNESCO monument. Thanks to the project by the Czech UNESCO Heritage Association, an audio guide in several language versions was installed at the church. New websites for the monument were also launched, and a new promotional brochure and two publications were published.
    Last year, 22,465 people visited the Church at Zelená Hora, which is somewhat less than in 2007. In addition to church ceremonies, weddings, and funerals, four concerts were held in the complex. Among the priorities for restoring the monument is also the development of educational activities, resolving the drainage of rainwater from the church's roof, and continuing the restoration of the truss.