Heritage-protected buildings represent an important part of Slovenia’s historical and architectural identity, making their preservation crucial. Many of these buildings also serve public purposes, which introduces additional challenges in adapting them to contemporary needs, especially in providing accessibility for all.
The Building Act (GZ-1), in Article 25, stipulates that in buildings protected under heritage regulations, designed or implemented solutions may deviate from or fail to meet prescribed essential and other requirements, including universal accessibility. This effectively gives legal precedence to heritage protection over other essential requirements, including accessibility.
In practice, this means that universal access is not always possible in strictly protected buildings. While this remains a fact, it is crucial to emphasize that often, a greater obstacle than heritage protection itself is a lack of knowledge about protection regimes and an inadequate approach to adapting such buildings.
Many building owners or managers are aware that a building is protected and therefore mistakenly assume that adaptations are impossible. In most cases, this is incorrect. Protection regimes vary in both scope and level of protection.
It is essential to recognize that accessibility must be ensured in all public-use buildings through necessary and feasible adaptations. If a building is heritage-protected, the process requires first identifying the necessary adjustments and then working with the relevant ZVKDS unit to find suitable solutions. Only when modifications are entirely unfeasible should alternative methods of providing goods and services be considered (e.g., alternative premises, home delivery).
ZVKDS units often oppose makeshift or superficial adaptations that degrade both accessibility and heritage conservation. However, they are more receptive to comprehensive and well-planned renovations that consider all aspects of heritage protection while seeking solutions to make cultural heritage accessible to all.
With the right approach, it is often possible to strike a balance between heritage preservation and accessibility, which is a fundamental principle of an inclusive society.