Decision 45 COM 7B.183

Historic Centre of Prague (Czechia) (C 616bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.44 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Commends the State Party on the progress made in complying with the requirements and processes of the World Heritage Convention, its Operational Guidelines, previous Committee decisions and mission recommendations, including the completion of the Metropolitan Plan and the Architectural­Urbanistic Analysis of the Prague Heritage Reservation, the publication of the Management Plan in English, the new Building Act, the advice that the City of Prague Principles of Territorial Development are being updated taking into account the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, and the integration of heritage into government processes and agencies;
4. Welcomes the State Party’s decision that Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) will be prepared for major projects within the property, its buffer zone or wider setting and for regulatory changes, which may affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, requests that these HIAs adopt the methodology of the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, and reiterates its previous request to the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, in conformity with Paragraph 118bis of the Operational Guidelines:
   1. HIAs for all proposed projects which may affect the OUV of the property,
   2. An assessment of the cumulative impacts of all projects executed within the property, its buffer zone and wider setting, from the baseline condition of the property at the time of its inscription on the World Heritage List, on the OUV of the property;
5. Reiterates its previous request to the State Party to submit the proposal for the cable car project between Podbada-Troja-Bohnice within the buffer zone of the property, along with the corresponding Environmental Impact and Strategic Environmental Assessments, including an HIA, and also requests the State Party to submit an HIA for the final design of the proposed Prague Philharmonic Hall, including verified visual images of the views from the property, including Prague Castle, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
6. Notes the information provided by the State Party about a range of conservation and other projects, and further requests the State Party to revise and amend the proposals for the Vyšehrad Railway Bridge and the Masterplan for New Florenc in accordance with the technical reviews provided by ICOMOS, and to continue to inform the World Heritage Centre of the specific proposals for these projects as well as for the proposed Kavčí Hory Residence Park and for other projects, which may affect the OUV of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
7. Also welcomes the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations of the 2019 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission and requests furthermore the State Party to provide updates regarding:
   1. Advancement in aligning national and local laws and regulations with those necessary for heritage protection and management of World Heritage properties in accordance with the World Heritage Convention and its Operational Guidelines and in line with international norms and standards that may include new laws as well as amendments to existing ones, such as the Amendment of the State Heritage Care Act and the Act for Cultural Heritage Preservation,
   2. The forthcoming update of the City of Prague Principles of Territorial Development to take into account the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, and building regulations that may be varied for each quarter or historical block as appropriate, to guide and manage the identity of the built form at a range of scales, from volume and height to building materials, colours, railings and doorframes;
8. Notes further that although the State Party has not implemented the Committee’s previous requests to introduce a general moratorium on major projects within the property, its buffer zone and wider setting, the Metropolitan Plan provides that future construction will not exceed the height of existing structures in the Pankrác Plain, that construction in the Pentagon is restricted and that a process is now in place to develop and implement appropriate building regulations;
9. Requests 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 examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.