On November 10–13, 2025, the third face-to-face meeting of the MULTI HERITAGE project took place, focused on creating an innovative joint master's program (joint degree) focused on cultural heritage, its protection, interpretation, and sustainable development. The event took place in the unique location of the former Iron Curtain in the village of Rybník (Domažlice district), which is an exceptionally valuable area for studying the impact of the political and social changes of the 20th century on the landscape and its historical memory.
The program of the meeting was designed to provide participants not only with a space for professional discussion, but also with direct experience of a region whose character was shaped by the dramatic events of the last century. A key part of the program were field trips to the extinct villages of Lučina and Pleš, which are significant examples of settlements lost as a result of post-war population transfers and the closure of borders. Today, these locations are living testimony to the historical processes that have fundamentally influenced the structure of the cultural landscape.
In addition to field activities, working meetings were held to create and fine-tune the project syllabus, which aims to combine theoretical knowledge with practical field research. The program also included a visit to Horšovský Týn Castle, which complemented the view of the historical layers of the region and their significance for the current interpretation of cultural heritage.
The meeting was organised by a team from the University of South Bohemia's Department of Geography (Vojtěch Blažek, Petra Karvánková, and Jiří Rypl), which created a professionally and logistically balanced program and enabled participants to combine academic work with an authentic exploration of the local landscape. Thanks to this combination, new perspectives for research into cultural memory and its preservation in the context of European history were opened up.
