<div>Chamber of Architects criticizes the heritage protection law</div>

Prague - The Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) criticizes the proposed heritage law prepared by the Ministry of Culture. According to the chamber, the proposal does not take into account architectural creation and lacks a sensitive interpretation of monuments in relation to the development of civilization and culture. The norm, which has already been approved by the government, is set to come into effect in 2018. The Ministry of Culture's statement is being verified by ČTK.
"Instead of defining values and a rational and effective way to protect them, it is a considerably extensive and confusing norm that focuses on a detailed description of partial activities and extensive regulation of certain professions," states the ČKA in a statement on its website.
Before further discussion and approval of the law, the chamber recommends considering its amendment. On February 15, the chamber is organizing a conference on the heritage law, which will also be addressed by the parliamentary subcommittee for culture at its meeting on February 18.
The new heritage law was one of the government’s main promises in the field of culture. According to the Ministry, it allows for effective care of the heritage fund and provides authorities with the tools to intervene when an owner neglects a monument. The Ministry of Culture has been working on the new legislation since 2012, and if it passes Parliamentary approval, it will replace the repeatedly amended law from 1987.
According to the Ministry, the new law precisely defines and emphasizes the public interest in protecting the heritage fund. An important change, according to the Ministry, is "the possibility to compensate costs incurred in connection with the restriction of property rights for owners of properties that are not cultural monuments but are located within heritage reserves and heritage zones." In practice, this means that even owners of such properties will be able to request state grants for their maintenance, which is currently not possible. The law is said to also allow authorities to respond better if a monument's owner does not take care of it.
Architects criticize the law for prioritizing the conservation of heritage objects. According to the chamber, buildings must be adapted to current needs, including heating, ventilation, electrical installations, and generally contemporary demands on hygiene, operation, and safety of buildings. However, this work must be carried out sensitively, and many successful examples show that this path is feasible.
The chamber recalls that throughout history, new generations have added new layers to buildings, including, for example, St. Vitus Cathedral. "And it is precisely the degree and sensitivity of the approach when restoring monuments that is the art of architecture, which, in our opinion, the law does not adequately address," they state.
According to ČKA, there is an unreasonable amount of offenses in the law, including violations related to specialized professional fields. The law, according to the chamber, is not in accordance with the tradition of Czech heritage care. In the area of urban planning, it abandons proven concepts of urban and village heritage reserves and protected landscape areas. If approved, it would bring a lot of ambiguities to protection and land planning.
According to ČKA, the proposal lacks coordination with other laws. The handling of comments made by the chamber reportedly happened hastily and under time pressure.