The leadership of Znojmo wants the town hall tower to be designated as a national cultural monument

Znojmo – The leadership of Znojmo will attempt to have the town hall tower included among the national cultural monuments. Besides raising the city's profile, they want to obtain a grant for the reconstruction of the monument with higher protection. If the tower gains this status, Znojmo would have its third national cultural monument within its territory. This was stated today in a press release by the city's spokesperson Karolína Janečková.

The silhouette of the town hall tower is viewed as a symbol of Znojmo. According to its leadership, it is a historical unique monument. "We realize that there are many remarkable monuments in our region. Just as the national cultural monuments of the rotunda of Saint Catherine and the Loucký Monastery transcend the region, so does the town hall tower with its qualities, and therefore it should not be missing from the list of national cultural heritage. Together with the National Heritage Institute, we will therefore strive for its inclusion on this list," said Mayor Jakub Malačka (ČSSD).

The proposal will be submitted for government approval after all the necessary documents are prepared. These include a restoration survey of the plaster in three floors of the tower in 2013 and a building-historical survey from 2016. "It follows from it that the town hall tower represents a monument of supra-regional significance. The wooden structures of the roof, which largely date back to the time of the tower's construction between 1447 and 1457, are the fundamental and determining value that forms the architectural, monumental and art-historical essence of the building. Due to its age, level of preservation, and uniqueness of the complex carpentry construction, it has irreplaceable historical value," added Janečková.

The tower is currently not on the so-called Indicative List, which includes monuments proposed by the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ). "The whole matter is now being updated at the initiative of Znojmo. If submitted by the city, it will go to our proposal committee, where we will decide on forwarding the proposal to the Ministry of Culture. The exceptionality of the monument, its authenticity, and its significance for the history of the city or region, the history of construction, art, and so on will be assessed. Sufficient professional documentation currently exists. However, it cannot be stated that only the tower is a national cultural monument, as the entire town hall is the monument. Therefore, the proposal must refer to the town hall building; parts of buildings are not declared," said Zdeněk Vácha, director of the Brno branch of NPÚ, to ČTK.