B1-33 · Czech UNESCO Sites

Czech UNESCO Sites

The UNESCO World Heritage List includes places that are so important that they belong to the whole of humanity, such as the pyramids of Egypt or the Great Wall of China. The Czech Republic is a small country, but it has seventeen sites on the list (as of 2025). Here are four that are worth visiting.

Český Krumlov. This small town in South Bohemia looks like a fairy tale. The Vltava River winds around the old center, and above it stands a huge castle with a colorful tower. The castle has one of the few Baroque theaters in the world that still have their original stage machinery. Many tourists come for one day, but it's better to stay overnight and enjoy walking through the narrow streets in the evening, when the crowds have gone.

Kutná Hora. In the Middle Ages, Kutná Hora was one of the richest towns in Bohemia because of its silver mines. The silver was used to make coins, the famous Prague groschen. The rich townspeople decided to build a cathedral that would be as beautiful as the one in Prague, and St. Barbara's Church is the result. Visitors who don't mind seeing something a little scary also go to the Sedlec Ossuary, a chapel decorated with the bones of about 40,000 people.

The Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape. In South Moravia, the Liechtenstein family spent centuries changing almost 300 square kilometers of land into a giant park. There are two chateaux, ponds, a minaret, a Roman-style ruin, small temples and alleys of trees. Many visitors prefer exploring the area by bike, because the paths are flat and the local wine is excellent (for adults, of course).

Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops. This is the newest Czech site on the list, added in 2023. Žatec has been famous for growing hops, a plant used in making beer, for centuries. In the town, you can see old hop warehouses and drying houses, and climb the Hop Lighthouse for a view of the fields.

The other sites include Prague, Telč, Litomyšl, Olomouc, Kroměříž, Třebíč, Holašovice, the pilgrimage church at Zelená Hora, the Villa Tugendhat in Brno, the mining region of the Ore Mountains, the horse-breeding landscape at Kladruby nad Labem, the spa towns of Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně, and the beech forests of the Jizera Mountains. Do you know which one is nearest to your home? Try to visit it this year!