Czech Unesco Tentative Sites

Thanks to Emerich i've almost all the czech Unesco sites. These 3 are on the Tentative List under the names "Český ráj (Czech Paradise) Rock Cities", "Žatec – the Hops Town" and "The Fortress of Terezín".

 Photo by J. Schneider

Bohemian Paradise (Czech: Český ráj) is a Protected Area. It was declared in 1955 as the first nature reserve in the Czech Republic. At first it was 95 square kilometres in area but today it is almost 182. This area is situated in the north of the Bohemia and north-eastwards from the capital city Prague.

This part of land is so popular thanks to a beautiful and varied countryside. There are a lot of places which should be seen. People can go for a walk and admire many natural beauties or they can also leave their car and visit a lot of castles, chateaus, ruins, museums, and other sights.

One of the most recognizable elements of the Bohemian Paradise is the sandstone rock which many of the surrounding towns are constructed. There are many rocks which have been shaped by wind, water, frost, erosion, and humans into unique and curious shapes in many cases. People can visit, for instance, Hrubé, Suché, Prachovské, and Klokočské rocks. In these rock towns, there are a lot of vantage points. Most of them are available for normal tourists but some can be surmounted only by rock climbers. Secondly, if people want to see the Bohemian Paradise, they should not forget to ascend Kozákov which is the highest hill in the area. There are a tourist chalet and a lookout tower. Therefore one can see gorgeous scenery with skydivers in the air. But it is still not enough; Kozákov was originally a volcano. Thus, it is a place where precious stones are found. The treatment of these gems has been connected with the history of the city of Turnov called “The heart of The Bohemian Paradise” for several centuries. - in: wikipedia

Photo by M. Pokladnik & Aeroklub K. Vary

 The town Žatec is located in the northwest part of the Czech Republic, in the region geologically called the Žatec Basin. The natural conditions of the site are significantly influenced by the nearby mountains. Their slopes form a natural barrier against the western winds. They create what is called rain shadow, which markedly influences the climate in and around the town. The dry and relatively warm climate, combined with plenty of ground water, was found to be very favourable to the growing of hops. Hops have become a typical crop of this region and the good natural and climatic conditions are still used for hop growing. 

Most of the buildings and structures associated with the processing of hops are concentrated in the historic core of the town and, in particular, in its part called Pražské předměstí (‘Prague Suburb'). As a result, not only the huge towers of the dominant historic buildings - the Town Hall and the church - but in particular the slim chimneys of the historic hop drying houses characterise the distant vistas of the town. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5153/

Photo by M. Pokladnik & Aeroklub K. Vary

Fortress of Terezín lies on flat fertile land 60 km north of Prague, near the fork of the Labe (Elbe) and Ohře (Eger) rivers. Emperor Joseph II of Austria founded it at the end of the 18th century as a robust fortress system to protect Bohemia from the northwest. The fortress was built in the era´s most modern style based on the French school of Meziéres.
The system's core is a Main Fortress containing a town, the Minor Fortress ahead of it, and a fortified tract between the old and the new Ohře. The entire fortified tract occupies 67 ha, not including an artificial 158 ha floodable basin. The eastern part of the city was built on the swamp land using oak piles and grids filled in with stone.
In June 1790, less than 10 years after groundbreaking, with project supervisor Klement Pellegrini present, the fort was declared warworthy.

Terezín´s most tragic chapter came during WW2 (1939-45). In 1940 Prague's Gestapo installed in Minor Fortress police prison. About 32.000 prisoners passed through the Minor Fortress between 1940 and 1945 of whom 2.500 were killed by hunger, disease, tyrannical guards and executions.
In 1941 the town of Terezin was changed by the Nazis to Jewish ghetto-transit camp. Until the end of the War more than 150.000 deportees passed through the camp, 35.000 of which died there. - in:  http://www.terezin.cz/en/index.asp