Dear Friends,
The national theme of this year’s European Heritage Days (EHD) – Monuments Measured by Time – chosen by the Association of Historical Settlements in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, the main guarantor of this international event in the Czech Republic, is befitting, as the dimension of time is one of the basic characteristics of cultural heritage. In common awareness, monuments are seen primarily as witnesses of a more or less distant past. However, the past is not the only component in the chronological dimension of monuments.
As in the human life, the entirety of monuments includes also the present and the future. A prerequisite of man’s flourishing path in life is his proportionate linkage with his past, present and future, and the same applies to monuments. In our personal lives, upbringing, education and our own experience prepare and guide us to seek the best balance between the three basic modes of time, but monuments need us to find their balance between the past, present and future and preserve it in harmony with our professional and civic responsibilities. This is no easy task. Its main burden rests on the state. It is up to the state to see that the past surviving in monuments is professionally recognised and legally taken, and that this recognised past is correctly and lucidly mediated to the present. It must take meticulous care that the trace of the bygone days brings a message in the future. However, the state cannot fulfil this task without help from professional institutions, without help from regions and municipalities, without help from business entities and non-profit-making organisations, without conscious effort of its citizens.
The European Heritage Days is a specific cultural event during which the monuments of our country are open to the public and presented in a non-traditional manner. It is an occasion for the broad public to be strongly aware of the three dimensions of time of the monuments they visit. Maybe, we shall be thinking of the future more intensely than in the previous years of this ever more popular and useful event. The impacts of the economic crisis on the state budget indicate that responsibility for the future of monuments in the Czech Republic will be more complicated than it had been in the years of prosperous economy. The European Heritage Days could bring new inspiration how to secure funds for the care of monuments. For many years, effort has been exerted for the EHD to attract attention to monuments by many fringe events. Maybe that more intensive connection of monument conservation with high-quality live art will be a means of securing a dignified future of our monuments also in the years of crisis. This is why I highly value the hundreds of cultural events prepared for this year’s EHD, and also the programme of the National Opening of the European Heritage Days, which will include the awarding of the title of “Bearer of the Tradition of Folk Crafts” to selected masters.
I thank the Association of Historical Settlements in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia and all other organisers at local levels for perfect arrangement and the publicity they gave to this event in the Czech Republic.
I wish all of you that the meeting with the past during this year’s European Heritage Days brings a message, enjoyment and good prospects.
Václav Riedlbauch, Minister of Culture