Telč – UNESCO site

https://www.telc.eu/obcan/o_meste/telc_na_seznamu_unesco

Telč is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,300 inhabitants. The town is well known for its historic centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

In 1950, the whole historical centre of Telč was declared an Urban Heritage Zone, which is up today the highest level of urban heritage protection in Czech republic. The centre around the main square, so-called Inner City, is surrounded by ponds and it consists of seven main heritage objects. These are:

1) gothic fortification (walls and bastions, ditches, gates and bridges)

2) gothic catholic Church of st. James

3) gothic evangelical Church of Holy Spirit

4) baroque jesuit area of monastery, college and Church of Holy Name

5) baroque fountains and the Plaque Column of Virgin Mary

6) about 50 renaissance burgher houses enclosing the square

7) renaissance Chateau of Telč at the far end of the square.

In 1992, this urban heritage zone of Inner City was enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as the fist Czech (Czechoslovak) enscription altogether with Prague and Český Krumlov.

The other heritage objects in Telč are remote from the city center, such as jewish synagogue and cemetery, baroque catholic church and chapel, water mill and steam mill or the museum of machines and technics. Telč also has few heritage sites on close surrounding of the city, such as gothic forest castle Roštejn, the ruins of gothic castle Štamberk. Altogehter, there are more than 100 objects declared as various types or levels of heritage, either by Czech National Heritage Instutute or by UNESCO.