Places of memory and cultural heritage. On the example of Kutná Hora

At the beginning of the research there was an interest in the monuments, above all in the monuments registered on the UNESCO's World Heritage List. In my thesis the monuments are perceived as places of memory. According to Pierre Nora places of memory are the places where the sources of our collective memory are grounded, concreted and expressed. The study of places of memory lies on the diffusion of two levels - the first states a certain tradition of memory, the other one describes them in the terms of historiographical documents. Therefore there is introduced also the matter of the monument preservation. As an example of examining the issues in field a strategy of designing a case study of a selected place of memory was chosen. A closer examination of the Czech town of Kutná Hora allows for a more detailed look at the processes through which the meaning attributed to World Heritage takes shape. A case study of Kutná Hora sheds light on the interpretation of World Heritage in the context of a small town and on the problem of the construction of the memory of the place. In 1995, Kutná Hora was picked for the World Heritage List, and thus by definition became a part of a heritage of "outstanding universal value and interest". In the nomination document the emphasis was especially put on the interpretation..