National Cultural Heritage in Pisek Region and the Potential for Regional Development
Abstract: The protection of cultural heritage is one of the priorities of the present world. There is no escape from cultural heritage. Everything bears the imprint of our time and so we are forced to confront it daily. Cultural heritage carries spiritual and intellectual values for generations. It is cultural heritage that enhances the quality of life, shapes human lifestyle, and at the same time it is a source of both knowledge and entertainment. The Czech Republic has had a long tradition of preserving monuments and therefore, cultural heritage. Spatial planning as one of the key tools of cultural heritage protection not only contributes to the preservation of cultural monuments as such but especially to the preservation of its sites as an integral part of cultural heritage. Spatial planning can adopt measures that improve the condition of the heritage fund, and also prevents from unfavourable interventions. For example, the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has issued the requirements for the content of regulatory plans for heritage sites, which takes into account the interconnection of cultural heritage and tourism. The main goal of this thesis is to examine whether cultural heritage preservation in the Pisek region has a positive impact on regional cultural and historical development or whether it hinders further development. The thesis particularly focuses on the district and the town of Pisek and is devoted to four national cultural monuments which are located in the District of Pisek. These are Zvikov Castle, Pisek Stone Bridge, Premonstratensian Monastery in Milevsko, and Country Stud in Pisek. The thesis is based on the research and analysis of professional literature, the available sources, and in particular, on our own qualitative survey – semi-standardized interviews with the administrators of national cultural monuments from the selected area. The interviews conducted with the administrators of the monuments revealed that taking care of a site that is on the National Cultural Monuments list is both prestigious and challenging at the same time and that such challenges often remain unanswered. Therefore, many sites remain unused, which prevents generating sufficient income needed for reconstructions and maintenance. No matter how costly the restoration of the cultural monument without a long-term vision for its use and without economic context is, such effort will only serve for the conservation of the site until a new principle of use is found. Conceptually taken, the care of cultural heritage undoubtedly contributes to the positive image of the region. In terms of spatial planning, it can be stated that the existing plans for municipal zones address the issue of the protection of cultural heritage only within the necessary legal minimum. They declare the protection of these valuable historical sites and stabilize the current condition. However, they do not deal with the proposals for urban protection solutions, nor do they deal with the better regulation of the zones through regulatory plans, or the relationship between the protected cultural values and tourism.
