On 25-26 May 2017 the Kladruby nad Labem National Stud organised an international conference named “Protection of the Cultural Landscape (Cultural landscape organisation with particular attention to horse breeding)”, which took place directly in the centre of the Kladruby nad Labem National Stud. The partners of the conference were the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Mendel University in Brno, the Czech National Committee ICOMOS, the National Heritage Institute and the Pardubice Region.
The issue of protecting the cultural landscape with regards to Kladrubské Polabí, a lowland region along the Elbe River surrounding Kladruby nad Labem, was discussed by experts from all over Europe. Roman Línek, First Deputy Governor of the Pardubice Region, stressed out both the merit of the conference and the role of the Pardubice Region in the preparation of the nomination documentation for the UNESCO List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage as a cultural landscape intended for carriage horse breeding. “I see the importance of this meeting in the discussion of professionals from various scientific disciplines and I believe we are starting a tradition to which the Pardubice Region will continue to participate significantly,” he said.
Although Mechtild Rössler, the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, was unable to attend due to work reasons, she sent a video lecture in which she expressed her support for the Kladruby nad Labem National Stud nomination. At the conference were present, among other foreign attendees, Lothar Höbelt, a historian from the University in Vienna, and Per Stangby Thuesen, the head of the Danish Royal Stables. “Our mission is to present the cultural landscape and the national stud in the European context. I believe that the international conference is not only one of our steps in drawing attention to the cultural and natural values of the National Stud area in the European perspective, but that it might also raise awareness about the Kladrubské Polabí cultural landscape, and subsequently contribute to a greater effort in taking care of it,” concluded Jiří Machek, the director of the National Stud.
The conference was held under the auspices of Miluše Horská, the Vice-President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, the Minister of Agriculture Marian Jurečka and the Minister of Culture Daniel Herman.
PHOTO1, PHOTO2, PHOTO3, PHOTO4, PHOTO5 /PHOTO: Michaela Purnochová/