I visited this WHS in Summer 2019 on a bright sunny morning. The pilgrimage church of St John of Nepomuk on the green hill of Zelena Hora represents the culmination point in the work Jan Blazej Santini, a third generation member of an Italian artistic family settled in Prague in the 17th century.

The church represents a timeless work of art, supposed to be complete in itself, free from any single conventional elements of architecture of its time. Construction work began in 1719, when an allegedly preserved tongue was found in the crypt of blessed John of Nepomuk in St Vitus' Cathedral in Prague, and when preparation for his canonisation also began. The church was consecrated in 1722 and became the first major shrine dedicated to St Jan of Nepomuk.

The cloisters around the church are set out on a 10 pointed star ground plan. Pyramid roofs over the gates supported allegorical sculptures, three of which remain. There was once rich decoration with stucco figures and frescoes on the vaults, but little has been preserved. The church itself has been built on a 5 pointed star ground plan according to a legend saying that on the spot where John of Nepomuk drowned, a crown consisting of 5 stars appeared. The number 5 as a symbol was also used throughout the building: the premises are accessible through 5 gates and there are 5 chapels and 5 altars inside the church.

At the top of the cupola, there is a large tongue, the symbol of St John of Nepomuk, encircled with flames from which beams of light irradiate. It is the symbol of a victorious weapon, the martyr's sword, and the opposite of the star emphasised by the shrine's ground plan. The church was actually built using a mic of two styles, Gothic and Baroque. Whereas in the Gothic period, souls sought God by denying the body and constantly looking upwards, in the Baroque period, they tried to understand God through the motion that He gave to the world through His acto of creation.

Santini tried to convey these impressive contrasts using Gothic windows symbolising the sword, or hands folded in prayer. Plans are underway to restore the original tiling which lies underneath most of the present floor tiling which formed several star points in a stricking geometrical red, yellow and black design. The many church windows give sufficient light to enlarge the whole space in Baroque style, thus enabling the Baroque style sculptures to be emphasised. The astute location of the windows is such that no dark corner can be found in the church.

The windows come in three different shapes: tongue shaped reminding pilgrims of a sword in its sheath which the local saint achieved through his spiritual victory with his tongue; bishop mitre shaped, an abbot's emblem; and in the shape of a spherical equilateral triangle symbolising the Trinity. The last tombstones and graves which were found within the church grounds enclosure were removed since 2017 and they were placed in the new cemetery area nearby.

The whole WHS is relatively small, in line with most Czech WHS, but it's quite unique and deserving of inscription as a shrine with OUV.