Praha 3 is striving to include Plečnik's church in the UNESCO list

PRAGUE - The third Prague district will strive for the inclusion of the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord at Jiřího z Poděbrad Square on the UNESCO World Heritage list. This was reported to ČTK by the city hall spokesman Petr Blažek.
However, the sacred building will first need to become a national cultural monument. The president of the Czech Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, Josef Štulc, believes that it will face a long journey to gain a spot on the prestigious list.
The church, designed by the significant Slovenian architect Josip Plečnik, who also contributed to the interwar modifications of Prague Castle, is considered by experts to be one of the most significant Czech sacred buildings of the 20th century. According to Blažek, the city hall submitted a request for its inclusion among national cultural monuments a few weeks ago.
"Plečnik's church certainly has qualities that could earn it a spot on the UNESCO list," said Štulc. However, he believes the path to achieving this will be long and its outcome uncertain.
Once the church becomes a national cultural monument, it must also be included in the Ministry of Culture's list of buildings that are striving for UNESCO status. "The proponents of the proposal must also conduct a comparative study that demonstrates it is the best representative of the given group of monuments," said Štulc. According to him, the future use and care project for the building is also evaluated.
Currently, there are 198 items on the National Cultural Monuments list. It was last expanded at the end of September with the addition of the television transmitter on Ještěd and the Vyšehrad Codex. There are 12 Czech monuments on the UNESCO World Heritage list. According to Štulc, the relatively large number of items representing the Czech Republic reduces the chances for further listings.
"We know this is a long-term process," said Blažek. However, he believes that submitting the application will at least spark a discussion around the monument. "We definitely believe it deserves the nomination," he added.