Decision 45 COM 7B.182

Historic Centre of Český Krumlov (Czechia) (C 617)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 35 COM 7B.88 and 37 COM 7B.103 adopted at its 35th (UNESCO, 2011) and 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes the commitment of the State Party to dismantle the revolving theatre from its current location immediately after the expiration of the current lease agreement for its operation in the castle park on 31 December 2023, and requests that this work be accomplished by 30 June 2024;
4. Notes that a project to construct a replacement theatre adjacent to the Baroque castle park as recommended by the 2014 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission is included in the National Investment Plan of the Czech Republic until 2050, but that this project is currently not being actively developed, and requests the State Party, should this project proceed, to ensure that the design of a new revolving theatre in the buffer zone is in accordance with the mission’s recommendations and to conduct a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of the project, in line with the Guidance for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context, and submit it together with the detailed project documentation to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
5. Further welcomes the proposed renovation of the overall historic park within the framework of the National Investment Plan and the on-going restoration of the Bellaire Pavilion, including the re-landscaping of the adjacent site of the revolving theatre once it is removed; also requests the State Party to seek the advice of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies prior to decisions being taken on the overall rehabilitation of the castle park;
6. Further requests the State Party to systematically conduct HIAs as a pre-requisite for all development projects within and around the World Heritage property, in line with the Guidance for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context, and to submit them to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
7. Requests finally the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.