The host of the National Opening of European Heritage Days (EHD) 2008 on 13. and 21. September will be the town of České Budějovice.
The Czech Republic has been a participant in European Heritage Days since 1991. The date for EHD in the Czech Republic is fixed for the second weekend of September, and the National Opening of European Heritage Days in the Czech Republic always takes place the first Saturday in September. European Heritage Days in the country have developed into an important activity which is implementing the all-European goals in all respects. These include opening of interesting and exceptional monuments, buildings, sites and areas, some of which are otherwise partly or completely closed to visitors. The event is not focused merely on sites which have the status of historical monuments, such as castles, palaces and cathedrals, but opens the doors also to private and public buildings (town halls, courts of law, schools, residential houses, etc.), to which access is normally barred or limited. Monuments, which are normally open to the public and where an admission fee is paid, offer special programmes on these days (such as a special route of tour, a concert, exhibition, etc.). Dozens of towns and villages prepare combined programmes for their inhabitants as well as tourists. In a similar way, enhancement of the movable cultural heritage is accentuated within the framework of EHD.
Support from top government officials and bodies gives European Heritage Days in the Czech Republic the proper importance and dimension.
The importance of EHD for the development of tourism is evident from the fact that the Ministry for Regional Development is a partner to the EHD main guarantor in the Czech Republic, together with the Ministry of Culture. Both ministries are thus demonstrating their interest in the further development of EHD as a means of making more efficient use of our cultural heritage to promote tourism. EHD are presented at fairs and exhibitions on tourism, in stands of the Czech Tourist Authority, as an important tourism product. The EHD link with tourism is best documented by the main publicity and information material, the EHD Catalogue published every year, in the printed form and on the Internet.
The National Guarantor of the European Heritage Days in the Czech Republic is the Association of Historical Settlements in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia (EHD Liaison Office in the Czech Republic).
| Year | European opening | EHD National Opening in CR | EHD in CR | Local guarantors entered | Number of monuments open | Number of visitors of monuments and events in CR | EHD theme in CR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7 Sept | 60 | 300 | 50 thousand | |||
| 1992 | 11 - 13 Sept Prague-Tábor-Telč- Trnava, Czechoslovakia | 11-13 Sept | 60 | 300 | 90 thousand | ||
| 1993 | 11 - 12 Sept Antwerp, Belgium | 11 Sept | 90 | 110 thousand | Life to Monuments | ||
| 1994 | 10 - 11 Sept Lisbon, Portugal | 16 - 17 Sept Znojmo * | 17 - 18 Sept | 147 | 580 | 170 thousand | Life to Monuments |
| 1995 | 8 Sept Paris, France | 9 Sept Třeboň | 16 - 17 Sept | 115 | 500 | 150 thousand | Life to Monuments |
| 1996 | 13 - 14 Sept Copenhagen, Denmark | 7 Sept Kutná Hora | 14 - 15 Sept | 120 | 500 | 180 thousand | Life to Monuments |
| 1997 | 6 Sept Nový Jičín | 13 - 14 Sept | 204 | 1200 | 450 thousand | Help to Monuments (relevant with regard to floods) | |
| 1998 | 5 Sept Stockholm, Sweden | 5 Sept Kroměříž | 12 - 13 Sept | 216 | 605 | 550 thousand | Monuments - Live Images of the Past |
| 1999 | 4 Sept Glasgow, Scotland | 4 Sept Jihlava | 11 - 12 Sept | 227 | 725 | 510 thousand | National Cultural Heritage - Part of European Memory |
| 2000 | 2 Sept Bern, Switzerland | 1 and 2 Sept Litomyšl | 9 - 10 Sept | 218** | 807** | 535 thousand | National Cultural Heritage - Part of European Memory |
| 2001 | 7 - 8 Sept Riga, Latvia | 1 Sept Olomouc | 8 - 9 Sept | 192 | 717 | 553 thousand | Europe - a Common Heritage 1. Baroque Beauties 2. Fire Fighting Monuments and Historical Traditions |
| 2002 | 30 Aug - 1 Sept Essen, Bonn, Germany | 6 Sept Praha | 14 - 15 Sept | 187 | 718 | 512 thousand | Monuments in Local Legends |
| 2003 | 6 Sept Glendalough, Doublin, Ireland | 5 - 6 Sept Prachatice | 13 - 14 Sept | 209 | 932 | Technical monuments | |
| 2004 | 3 - 4 Sept Barcelona, Spain | 10 - 11 Sept Tábor | 237 | 1096 | 610 thousand | Music Awakens Monuments | |
| 2005 | 2 - 3 Sept Prague, Czech Republic | 2 - 4 Sept Chrudim | 9 - 18 Sept | 232 | 1072 | 600 thousand | New Life in Historical Surroundings |
| 2006 |
9-17. Sept St Petersburg |
8-9. Sept. Jičín | 8-17. Sept | 209 | ? | ? | "Imprints of Glorious Names - Historic Buildings with Famous Dwellers". |
| 2007 | 8-9. Sept. Uherské Hradiště |
8-17. Sept. | 202 | 1002 | 600 thousand | "Monuments, Crafts and Folk Culture" |
* first ever EHD National Opening in CR
** data available as of 21 July 2000
Note: In 1999 - 2000 EHD in the Czech Rep. were part of Campaign Europe - A Common Heritage, an all-European event held by the Council of Europe.