The first UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the territory of the present Czech Republic were inscribed at the 16th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Santa Fe, United States in 1992, when the country was part of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic (also known as Czechoslovakia). At this session, three sites were added: the Historic Centre of Prague, the Historic Centre of Český Krumlov and the Historic Centre of Telč.
With the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 1 January 1993, the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic officially adopted the convention on 26 March 1993, inheriting those three sites. , there are 17 sites inscribed on the list and a further 14 on the tentative list. The most recent addition is Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops, added in 2023.
The Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region, the three spa towns in the Great Spa Towns of Europe site and the Jizera Mountains forest as an extension to the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe are transnational sites; the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region is shared with Germany, the Great Spa Towns are shared with six countries and the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests are shared with 17 countries. The Beech Forests are the only natural site in the Czech Republic; the other sites are cultural.
World Heritage Sites UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.
+ Site Image Location Year listed Description Historic Centre of Prague Prague 1992 616bis; ii, iv, vi (cultural) Prague, situated on the banks of the Vltava river, has been an important European city since the Middle Ages. During the reign of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1346–1378), several monuments were constructed in the Gothic style, including Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, and Charles Bridge. The University of Prague, one of the oldest universities in Europe, was founded in 1348, and made Prague one of the leading centres of learning. Průhonice Park, which lies outside of Prague, has been included in 2010 as a masterpiece of garden landscape architecture of worldwide importance. A minor boundary modification of the World Heritage Site took place in 2012. Historic Centre of Český Krumlov South Bohemian Region 1992 617; iv (cultural) The town of Český Krumlov was built around the eponymous 13th century castle on a meander of the Vltava river. The castle was built in Gothic style, with later additions of Late Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. The town preserves the street layout from the Middle Ages, while the house facades feature decorations in the Renaissance and Baroque styles. The town was not affected by the industrialisation in the 19th century. Historic Centre of Telč Vysočina Region 1992 621; i, iv (cultural) The town of Telč was likely founded in the mid-14th century as a planned settlement in an area that was previously covered by deep forests, in order to exert political and economic influence over the region. The centre of the town is dominated by a Renaissance castle that was built upon a Gothic precursor. The triangular market square is surrounded by Renaissance and Baroque burgher houses that are linked by a continuous arcade and exhibit a wide variety of facades. Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora Vysočina Region 1994 690; iv (cultural) The Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk was built between 1719 and 1727, following the canonization of the eponymous saint. It was designed by Jan Santini Aichel in a highly original style. From the architectural perspective, it combines Gothic and Baroque traditions. The church is built on a star-shaped plan and prominently features the number 5 in layout and proportions, the number symbolizing the five virtues of the saint. Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec Central Bohemian Region 1995 732; ii, iv (cultural) In the late 13th century, rich silver deposits were discovered in the area, which led to the development and prosperity of Kutná Hora. In the 14th century, it became a royal city. The historic town centre preserves the Medieval ground plan. The two important buildings in the city are the Church of St Barbara, in the Gothic style, decorated with frescos depicting the life in the mining town, and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec, a former Cistercian monastery church that was renovated in the Baroque style in the 18th century. Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape South Moravian Region 1996 763; i, ii, iv (cultural) The Lednice–Valtice estate is one of the largest artificial landscapes in Europe, covering . The Dukes of Liechtenstein, who owned the property, transformed it into a cultural landscape between the 17th and 20th centuries. They constructed several country houses, manors, churches, and other buildings in Baroque and Neoclassical styles, as well as a network of avenues, scenic trails, and forest paths. Gardens and parks were influenced by the English landscape gardens. Gardens and Castle at Kroměříž Zlín Region 1998 860; ii, iv (cultural) The Castle in Kroměříž was constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries in the early Baroque style and served as the residence of the archbishop of Olomouc. The Pleasure Garden (pictured), laid out in 1665–1675, is a rare example of a Baroque garden that has remained relatively intact. It influenced the development of other gardens in central Europe. The Castle Garden features buildings in Neoclassical and French Empire styles. Holašovice Historical Village Reservation South Bohemian Region 1998 861; ii, iv (cultural) Holašovice is a well-preserved example of a traditional village from central Europe. The farmsteads from the 18th and 19th centuries have facades with stucco decorations in a style that is known as South Bohemian Folk Baroque. Litomyšl Castle Pardubice Region 1999 901; ii, iv (cultural) The Litomyšl Castle was constructed as a country residence in the second half of the 16th century, in the Renaissance style. It is a four-winged, three-storeyed building, with one of the wings consisting of a two-storeyed arcaded gallery. The facade is decorated in the sgraffito technique. The interior is decorated in the Baroque style. A range of ancillary buildings is also preserved. Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc Olomouc Region 2000 859rev; i, iv (cultural) The Holy Trinity Column was erected in the historic centre of the town of Olomouc in the early 18th century, in the regional style, called the Olomouc Baroque. It is a plague column, the largest of its kind in Europe, with the height of . It was designed by Václav Render and many of its sculptures, representing religious themes, are the works of Ondřej Zahner. The monument includes a small chapel at the base of the column. Tugendhat Villa in Brno South Moravian Region 2001 1052; ii, iv (cultural) The Tugendhat Villa was designed by the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in the 1920s for Grete and Frits Tugendhat, members of a rich industrial family from Brno. The villa is an example of the International Style of architecture. Mies van der Rohe also designed the furniture and the adjacent garden. Jewish Quarter and St Procopius' Basilica in Třebíč Vysočina Region 2003 1078bis; ii, iii (cultural) The town of Třebíč is located on the banks of the Jihlava river. St. Procopius Basilica was built in the early 13th century, originally as a part of a Benedictine monastery. The Jewish Quarter is a well-preserved example of a Jewish ghetto, dating to the Middle Ages. A typical building has a condominium structure, with workshops on the street level and the residential upper levels. The two phases of the Jewish cemetery date to the 15th and 19th centuries. Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region North Bohemia 2019 1478; ii, iii, iv (cultural) The Ore Mountains span over south-eastern Germany and north-western Czech Republic. The region has been an important source of metals since the 12th century, including silver (especially in the 15th and 16th centuries), tin, cobalt, and also uranium in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The cultural landscape of the region was shaped by mining and smelting innovations. Landscape for Breeding and Training of Ceremonial Carriage Horses at Kladruby nad Labem Pardubice Region 2019 1589; iv, v (cultural) The stud farm at Kladruby nad Labem was founded in 1579. It is located on the floodplain of the Labe river in the remnants of a riparian forest. The farm breeds the horses of the Kladruber breed that were used during the ceremonies at the Habsburg Court. The farm is an example of ferme ornée, a specialised decorative farm built using the principles of the French and English landscape architecture. Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe Liberec Region 2021 1133quater; ix (natural) Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians are used to study the spread of the beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) in the Northern Hemisphere across a variety of environments and the environment in the forest. The site was first listed in 2007 in Slovakia and Ukraine. It was extended in 2011, 2017, and 2021 to include forests in a total of 18 countries. In the Czech Republic, the forest in the Jizera Mountains was added in 2021. The Great Spa Towns of Europe Karlovy Vary Region 2021 1613; ii, iii, iv, vi (cultural)The Great Spa Towns of Europe comprises 11 spa towns in seven European countries where mineral waters were used for healing and therapeutic purposes before the development of industrial medication in the 19th century. The towns of Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně (pictured), and Františkovy Lázně are listed in the Czech Republic. Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops Ústí nad Labem Region 2023 1558rev; iii, iv, v (cultural) Because of favourable weather conditions, the area around the town of Žatec has been used to cultivate hops since the Middle Ages. The hop industry expanded in the 19th century and brought prosperity to the town. Several related buildings date to this period, including the drying houses, packaging halls, and storage buildings, as well as residential houses.
Tentative list In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list. , the Czech Republic recorded 14 sites on its tentative list. The sites, along with the year they were included on the tentative list are: