Czech Republic - The Spa at Luhacovice

"The spa at Luhacovice is an architecturally prominent and unique complex of buildings which, from the end of the 19th century throughout, approximately, the first three decades of the 20th century, have gradually formed the base of the present spa town situated in the east part of Moravia. The spa buildings in Luhaêovice represent, in the global contexte a unique specimen of modern spa architecture of the early 20th century, inspired by vernacular architecture. In this respect, Luhaëovice is a locality that cannot be compared to any other item on the World Heritage List included in so far....

The most important of Jurkovië's buildings in Luhacovice from the beginning of the 20th century include the Jestfabf lodging villa, the Institute of Hydrotherapy, the adjacent swimming pool and sun baths and, in particular, the central building of the spa, Januv dum (Jan's House) which emerged in 1901-1902 from the reconstruction of an oider object and is now called Jurkovicuv dum (Jurkovic House)..."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List


Jurkovicuv Dum of Luhacovice, Czech Republic. Thanks to Ondrej of Czech Republic.

Czech Republic - The Industrial Complexes at Ostrava

"The industrial complexes in Ostrava are quite unique in the international contexte since they comprise, in a single locality, coal mines, coking plants and blast furnaces, thus representing the complete and concentrated technology of anthracite-based production of iron. The Ostrava industriel heritage is an integral part of the picture of this regional administrative centre. It is a historic document of the economic development of Ostrava which, in the course of the lgth and 20th century, has turned from a stagnating town with a ring of satellite villages and emerging mining colonies into a large industriel city. For decades, the Ostrava-Karvinà Coal Mining District had been one of the most important centres of coal mining and heavy industry in Europe. The industriel complexes had become its symbol and even at present they are a dominant element of the city....."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

A beautiful multiview postcard of Ostravske Hradcany industrial complexes. Thanks to Radana of Czech Republic.

Czech Republic - Mountain-top Hotel and Television Transmitter Ještěd

"Ještěd mountain-top hotel and television transmitter are integrated into one tower structure. The tower stands on the mountain of the same name Ještěd, which is the highest element of the Lužické hory (Lužické mountains) massif in the northern part of the Czech Republic. The peak of the mountain (1012 m above sea level) is approximately 6 kms from the centre of Liberec and forms a landmark in the wider vicinity. The monument is accessible by road and also by cable car from the foot of the mountain. Its design was developed during 1963-1966, construction itself took place from 1966-1973. The building's form of a revolving hyperboloid imaginatively combines the operation of a mountain-top hotel and a television transmitter in one....."
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

A nice postcard of the Hotel and Television Transmitter at Jested. Thanks to Radana of Czech Republic.

Czech Republic - Sites of Great Moravia: Slavonic Fortified Settlement at Mikulcice - Church of St.Margaret at Kopčani

"The Great Moravian fortified seulement at Mikulêice is the best preserved archaeological evidence documenting the existence of the West-Slavonic state of the early Middle Ages, situated in the Central European area and called Great Moravia.

It was the first known West-Slavonic state stretching in the gth century over the territory of central and south Moravia and southwest Slovakia. In the period of its greatest expansion it included the territory of the present day Czech and Slovak Republics, south Lusatia (now part of Germany), the adjacent southern territories of the present day Poland (the upper part of the Odra Basin and the Vistula Basin) and Pannonia up to the Balaton which today lies on Hungarian territory. The empire of Great Moravia was one of the European great powers of the time, comparable to the East-Franconian Empire. At the height of its development it was already a consolidated protofeudal state with its own ruling dynasty, a complex of castles, an independently organized Church and a developed economy. The Great Moravian Empire was an important state entity of the Christianization period in Central Europe, with cultural ties to the Byzantian Empire; moreover, its culture laid the foundations of Slavonic literature and material heritage of the West-Slavonic peoples.

The Great Moravian fortified seulement at Mikulêice is the best preserved monument documenting the existence of this important state which had a lasting influence on the cultural history of the Slavonic peoples (and thus also on the cultural history of Central and Eastern Europe) and which likewise gained a permanent place in Europe's political history, particularly in the Central European contexte

As a représentative and centre of the Great Moravian Slavonic culture, Mikuléice cannot be matched by any other monument on the Worid Heritage List." Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

Great Moravian Mikulcice - National cultural monument with Orthodox pilgrimage at the celebration of St. Cyrll and Methodius. Thanks to Katka of Czech Republic.

Czech Republic - Fortress of Terezin

"The Fortress of Terezin lies north-west of the Czech capital, Prague, at the confluence of the rivers Labe (Elbe) and Ohfe (Eger). It stands in the open landscape as an self-contained technical and urban monument. Together with the town that it encloses, which for two centuries was a military town, it seems to fall within that category of historic towns already represented on the World @Cultural Heritage List; unlike these others, however, which had a prîmarily civilian residential function, Terezin is a unique type of fortress town, whose layout, accommodation, administrative buildings and production units supported the fortress proper from its very foundation, with which they are contemporary. In its structure and form, meanwhile, it represents the zenith of three centuries of bastion fortification building in Europe, not only temporally but also qualitatively. This uniqueness is set out in the comparative sections of this text. The Fortress of Terezin was built between 1780-90 to defend the route from Dresden to Prague, on the basis of expérience gained during the period of Austro-Prussian wars in the reign of the Empress Maria Theresa..." Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

Multiview of Fortress of Terezin. Nice stamps used including a UNESCO World Heritage stamp of Valtice. Thanks to Katka of Czech Republic.

Czech Republic - The Karlstejn Castle

"DescriptionKarlstejn Castle surpasses those other castres already on the World Heritage List in the exceptional nature of its ideological calling, which ensured that this architectural composition be complemented by utterly unique artistic décoration. The castle was built in 1348-57 on a spur extending from a rocky ridge in a picturesque, hilly landscape around 30km south-west of the Czech capital, Prague. The building of the castre was the main element in an extensive programme by which the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia, Charles IV, sought to elevate the lands of the Bohemian Crown to the cultural and political centre of what was then the largest state in Central Europe. The castle's calling was to be a stately and safe depository for the Imperial and Bohemian Crown Jewels, and the extensive Imperial collection of holy reliquaries..." Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

Karlstejn Castle founded by Charles IV in 1348. Postmarked September 29, 2011 and arrived in Penang on October 6, 2011. Thanks to Miroslav of Czech Republic.

Czech Republic - Renaissance Houses at Slavonice

"The town of Slavonice lies in the easternmost part of the Region of 6eske Budejovice near the Czech-Austrian border. It was founded at the crossing of historical merchant?routes in the picturesquely undulating Moravian landscape. Slavonice was at its economic and social zenith after 1530 when a permanent post station was established there. In 1750, however, the postal route was relocated and a period of stagnation started due to which the town's form was altered during the past two centuries only in exceptional cases. In the second part of the 20th century, when the town was in the frontier zone of the communistic block, its development was intentionally suppressed, which fact also contributed to the saving of the authentic urban structure and, above all, of the numerous complex of exceptionally impressive individual buildings. The basis of Slavonice treasure consists in the extraordinary valuable complex of burgher houses from the late Gothic period and especially from the period of Renaissance. Historical residential houses still set the character of the whole historical core of the town. Their coherent frontages round the two squares form a marvelous authentic atmosphere. The group of the most valuable burgher houses has preserved not only with their external form with rich decoration on facades, stone portals and window surrounds, but also with their layouts. Four of the most important houses still contain rooms vaulted with diamond cellular vaults - the late Gothic phenomenon of Central Europe, which achieved its peak in the burgher architecture just at Slavonice in the work of Master Leopold Estreicher. Such vaults have preserved in houses Nos. 459, 479, 480, 520. The most impressive and the most numerous are burgher houses with sgrafitto decoration. The sgrafitto facades are an important and unrepeatable survey of artistic topics ? from simple diaper work to complex programs with historical subjects or galleries of family portraits or representatives of the ruling dynasty. The most beautiful of them are the houses Nos. 517, 518, 522, 453. The building of the today's Town Museum features, in addition to its internal disposition and numerous structural details, a dominant, original massive timber ceiling in the entrance hall. Some other burgher houses in Slavonice contain valuable wall paintings. Preeminent of them is the house No. 517, in the second floor of which there is a preserved former Protestant room of prayer with a set of paintings from 1568 depicting apocalyptic scenes. The preserved complex of burgher houses concentrated round both squares at Slavonice has become the basis of their exceptional architectural, artistic and historical value. Their imposing architecture, sophisticated handicraft design and artistic decoration demonstrate the welfare of the town and its burghers in the 15th and 16th centuries. The cqmplex of Renaissance burgher houses at Slavonice belongs to the most numerous in the Czech Republic. Houses have preserved on their original narrow Gothic frontage, with the external architectural expression corresponding to the visual concept of the Renaissance period, mainly from the time after the fire in the town in 1530. Several houses have younger, Baroque facades; the setting of the most important monuments is completed with buildings of the 191" century form. Predominant, however, are the Renaissance houses abundant in rich and imaginative morphology in the fagade articulation, gable shaping and artistic concept of sgrafitto decoration." Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

Renaissance City of Slavonice which in South Bohemia, Czech Republic near the Austrian border. Thanks to Miroslav of Czech Republic.

Czech Republic - Český ráj (Czech Paradise) Rock Cities

"When visitors from Bohemia and all of Europe call a part of this Earth "Paradise", they must certainly have a good reason. The name "ttesky rij" (Czech Paradise) has become a symbol for the delight felt by the intellectual and social elite in the second half of the 19th century over the beauties of nature in this country. The name was soon accepted and the professional public was required to give the name a professional framework and to increase the care devoted to preserving the quality of nature. Recognition of the values of this territory was manifested by proclaiming the Prachovskd skily Nature Reserve in 1933 and the tesky rij Protected Landscape Areas in 1955, the first large protected natural territory in the Czech Republic. The chief phenomena in the territory are sandstone rock cities of Mesozoic age with various characters and various stages of development. Together with the rich variety of other geomorphic forms, valuable biotic components in the surrounding nutritive habitats make this territory quite unique and impart to it very high aesthetic and scientific value." Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

Rock cities of Kapela, Suche sklay, Hurboskalsko, Prachovske skaly. Postmarked July 23, 2011 and arrived in Penang on July 30, 2011. Thanks to Miroslav of Czech Republic.