Plzeňský region has launched a long-term project of West Bohemian Baroque

Plzeň - The Plzeň Region today launched a long-term project focused on Baroque. It aims to become a protected brand, a tourist product, an offer in culture and education. In cooperation with the Plzeň 2015 organization, the region wants to prepare cultural programs, festivals, revive forgotten Baroque churches and chateaus, and also establish a Baroque center in the museum in Mariánská Týnice. Alena Svobodová, head of the Department of Heritage Care and Tourism at the regional office, told ČTK today.

The project follows last year's event "9 Weeks of Baroque," which was held as a regional extension of the Plzeň - European Capital of Culture (EHMK) project. Baroque was one of the key points of the EHMK program last year; the new product West Bohemian Baroque is its continuation, an effort for living art and culture that people were interested in last year. "It should attract people to visit those places through our leaflets, promotional brochures. So that they do not perceive just the concert or exhibition itself, but also see Baroque as a philosophy, as a whole, as a complete revival of society that was incredibly important 300 years ago," said Svobodová.

And because Baroque is perceived by all the senses, the program should include not only concerts and exhibitions of Baroque authors in Baroque buildings, but also Baroque fireworks, chateau celebrations, flower decorations, fashion shows, and tastings of period dishes. Last year's Baroque festival attracted 13,000 people. According to Svobodová, surveys indicated that 100 percent of them expressed a desire to attend similar events in the coming years.

The project began today with the publication of a book, DVD, and an exhibition of photographs of Baroque buildings that will tour the region. "We first wanted to give people a publication, a DVD, so they could learn about who the Baroque architects were, why they built here, what the philosophy is. Last but not least, we aimed to long-term capture Baroque with an educational, informative center in Mariánská Týnice," said Svobodová. The center will host lectures, workshops, and seminars, directing interested parties to Baroque treasures throughout the region.

The region has announced grants for the organizers of events with a Baroque subtitle. In addition to close cooperation with the Plzeň 2015 organization, the region is also collaborating with the state monuments of the National Heritage Institute.

The Plzeň Region prides itself on Baroque treasures, such as the works of famous builders Jan Blažej Santini, Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer, and Jakub Auguston. Some of the largest Baroque monuments in the region include the monasteries of Plasy, Kladruby, and Chotěšov, the deanery in Mariánská Týnice, the church in Přeštice, and the chateaus in Nebílovy and Manětín.