The Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Act (ZIMI), the Spatial Planning Act (ZUreP-3), the Building Act (GZ-1), and the Regulations on Universal Construction and Use of Buildings together stipulate that buildings or parts of buildings in public use must be universally accessible.
What are buildings in public use?
These are buildings intended for use by all people. The Building Act (GZ-1) defines them precisely in Article 3, point 26.
These include educational institutions (kindergartens, schools, universities, and faculties), cultural institutions (museums, theaters, exhibition halls, galleries, libraries, cultural centers, and halls), healthcare institutions (hospitals, health centers, clinics, pharmacies), catering and accommodation facilities (restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, hostels), state institutions (ministries, municipalities, social work centers), and private facilities with a public function, such as shops.
In addition to these, public buildings also include sports and recreation facilities (sports halls, swimming pools, spas), transport infrastructure facilities (railway and bus stations, airports, garages, and parking garages), religious buildings that are open to the public or where religious ceremonies for the general public are held, and administrative and commercial buildings where business is conducted with customers (post offices, banks, insurance companies, administrative offices, courts, archives, conference buildings).
This also includes residential buildings for specific groups of users, such as centers for the elderly, student dormitories, and care and work centers, as well as various outdoor public areas—roads, streets, squares, markets, playgrounds, parking lots, cemeteries, parks, lawns, and recreational areas.