Brussels, 23/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Heritage Days 2005 are to be launched in Prague and Chrudim, a historical town in eastern Bohemia on 2 and 3 September. The European Commission will from now on be associated with the event, which was officially inaugurated in 1991 by the Council of Europe (which directs the projects overall) and in which the 48 States which are party to the European Cultural Convention. The aim of the European Heritage Days is to bring citizens closer to their cultural heritage by allowing them to discover places which would ordinarily be inaccessible to them over the weekends in September. This year, the event will be organised in collaboration with the Association of Historical Settlements in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, with support from the city of Prague and the Czech Culture Ministry. As every year, more than one thousand monuments will be open to visitors.