Patrimonium pro futuro

The Patrimonium pro futuro prize for best practice in the community is awarded by the Director-General of the Czech National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), and seeks to highlight positive actions and stories in the field of heritage conservation. Its aim is to evaluate achievements and reward those who deserve it. Prizes are awarded in four categories: monument restoration; discovery of the year; display of cultural treasures; and monument rescue. For 2017, the NPÚ office in Loket nominated the Historic Cheb Endowment Fund in the category “display of cultural treasures” for its tour route “Under the roofs of Cheb houses – a journey through the centuries”. This route came into operation thanks to the efforts of the city's Endowment Fund, and followed two years of systematic work between the municipality of Cheb and the NPÚ office in Loket on research and documentation of historic roof trusses in the centre of Cheb. Thanks to an enthusiastic team from the town council, which came together around the emerging tour route, their representatives were able to accept the prize for exemplary presentation of cultural heritage at a ceremony at Jindřichův Hradec castle. The prize is in the form of a diploma and commemorative plaque, and we’d like to take the occasion of the award to thank all those who went the extra mile to help create a product that is now called the Cheb phenomenon. They are people who perceive monuments and their cultural potential as unquestionably valuable, who realise the importance of cultural heritage for our identity and life environment, and who have a responsible approach to its preservation.

This award can and should inspire and encourage us, the town of Cheb, as the owner of this cultural heritage, to take further positive steps towards realising the value of the complex of historic roofs of burgher houses in King George of Poděbrady Square.