Statement of the Department of Architectural Heritage Conservation, Faculty of Architecture, Czech Technical University in Prague on the status of heritage conservation and the system of cultural heritage protection in the Czech Republic
10/7/2026
Prague, 7 July 2026
The proposed changes to heritage legislation aim at a significant transformation of the position of heritage conservation within decision-making processes, particularly through the weakening of both its expert and executive components and the disruption of their established interconnection. This interconnection has long ensured the qualified assessment of interventions in historic environments, balancing all aspects of the public interest, and forms the basis of the publicly recognized and internationally respected achievements of Czech heritage conservation.
A particularly serious aspect is the proposed replacement of binding opinions issued by executive heritage authorities with instruments of limited legal enforceability. This shift reduces the ability to effectively apply heritage protection requirements in practice. At the same time, the role of expert institutions - especially the National Heritage Institute - is being weakened, despite the fact that its expertise represents a key pillar of decision-making processes. Moreover, for reasons that remain unclear, the legislation significantly reduces the range of cases in which expert opinions of the National Heritage Institute are mandatory and, even in the cases retained, imposes disproportionately shortened time limits for their preparation.
Significant impacts can also be expected in the protection of heritage reserves and conservation areas, that is, in the field of integrated protection, where the achievements of the holistic approach of Czech heritage conservation in relation to urban and landscape heritage are highly regarded internationally. The tools currently in use make it possible to safeguard the value of historic ensembles, including buildings that are not individually listed as cultural monuments but nevertheless form an essential part of the character of settlements and landscapes and contribute to their significance. Limiting property owners’ access to free expert guidance, combined with a reduction in the practical enforceability of optimal conservation approaches, may lead to the gradual erosion of values that have been identified and protected over many decades.
The proposed centralization of building administration and the intention to abolish the binding nature of heritage opinions also raise concerns regarding the relationship between expert assessment and knowledge of the local context. International experience demonstrates that high-quality governance of the built environment is based on a combination of expertise, institutional continuity, prudent intervention, and a deep understanding of the specific character of place.
The Department of Architectural Heritage Conservation and Adaptive Reuse at the Faculty of Architecture, CTU in Prague - an institution that educates future architects, among other things, with regard to their social responsibility - also emphasizes the importance of a transparent legislative process and subsequent administrative procedures for fostering a healthy creative and construction environment. Legislative changes of this magnitude should be subject to thorough consultation, both prior to and during the legislative process, with appropriate involvement of the professional community, institutions, and other relevant stakeholders, in order to adequately assess their consequences and long-term impacts.
In this context, it should be recalled that the Czech Republic is bound by international commitments in the field of cultural heritage protection, both at the European level and globally, where it has thus far successfully fulfilled obligations arising in particular from the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. This framework presupposes the existence of an effective system of heritage protection and management, including an adequate institutional and legislative structure. Weakening the instruments of heritage conservation may have implications not only at the national level but also for the fulfilment of these international commitments, including the protection of sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, the international perception of cultural developments in the Czech Republic, and consequently the country’s overall credibility. In the context of current environmental challenges, this system represents an optimal basis for integrating heritage conservation among effective tools of sustainable development. Any weakening of it would therefore constitute a difficult-to-justify step backward.
At the European level, there is a clear trend toward strengthening the role of heritage conservation as an integral component of sustainable development efforts, contributing to the quality of architecture and the built environment, the efficient use of existing resources, and social stability. This approach is grounded in respect for professional expertise and interdisciplinary cooperation.
The Department of Architectural Heritage Conservation and Adaptive Reuse at the Faculty of Architecture, CTU in Prague has long promoted a socially responsible approach to cultural values, linking heritage protection with its active use, particularly through the adaptive reuse of buildings and sites. It remains committed to contributing to professional discourse and to participating in the formulation of solutions that ensure both the efficiency of decision-making processes and the long-term quality and protection of cultural heritage within a functional and professionally grounded system of heritage conservation.
We therefore call upon all stakeholders involved in the ongoing legislative process to assess the proposed amendments to the Building Act and heritage legislation with the highest degree of responsibility toward both present and future generations, who, alongside their standard needs for life and development, undoubtedly have the right to share in the values of cultural heritage - values that could be unnecessarily lost as a result of ill-considered legislative changes.
Contact:
Assoc. Prof. Tomáš Efler, Ing. arch.
Head of the Department of Architectural Heritage Conservation and Adaptive Reuse
Faculty of Architecture, Czech Technical University in Prague