The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc included on UNESCO 's cultural heritage list
Olomouc is the 5th largest city in the Czech Republic and is located right in the heart of Moravia. It has always been considered one of the most historically valuable towns in the country but on Friday the town saw it's Holy Trinity Column located on the town's main square listed as a UNESCO protected site. The Holy Trinity Column is the 10th historical site on Czech territory to be included on UNESCO's list of cultural heritage sites. Alena Skodova has more.
Within 18th century Baroque sculpture and architecture, the Holy Trinity Column is a rare masterpiece. It's architectural style, it's sculptural decoration, and it's sheer height at 35 metres, has no match in Europe. Built by local stone mason Vaclav Render between 1716 and 1754, the column was blessed in 1754 in the presence of Empress Maria Theresia herself.
At Friday's ceremony Czech Minister of Culture Pavel Dostal delivered a festive speech to several high ranking Czech officials, UNESCO representatives and some 10,000 Olomouc inhabitants:
He said that every person has his or her birthplace and that his was Olomouc. Everybody is proud of their native town or village and I'm no exception, said Minister Dostal, adding that occasions like this only boosted his love for his native town.
Although the column was awarded UNESCO's recognition in November last year, the festivities had to be postponed while the Column underwent a complete renovation which saw it surrounded by scaffolding for more than a year. The Holy Trinity column was finally unveiled to the public on July 17. Renovation costs ran to 17 million crowns as experts described it as one of the most demanding conservation jobs ever carried out in the country. Conservationists have, however, said that it was completely impossible to return the column to its 18th century form, due to different building and conservation materials.
Minister Pavel Dostal told Radio Prague that he considered the event internationally significant:
"...and it is for one simple reason. The small Czech Republic has already ten historical monuments included in the UNESCO cultural list, some of them being large areas of land and urban reserves. We don't belong among the world's industrial or economic giants, but as far as Czech cultural heritage and our protection of these historical monuments are concerned we are definitely at the top of the world list."
