Pro Monumenta III

PM3 builds on previous initiatives (PM I and II) and responds to the need to strengthen the monitoring and preventive maintenance of cultural heritage by increasing the capacities of monument managers and owners in the areas of inspection, diagnostics, and preventive management. It reflects the need to develop modern digital tools and raise public awareness, contributing to the creation of a robust network of actors ensuring sustainable care for CH, support for local development, and increased resilience to climate change. It addresses the challenges associated with protecting the large stock of immovable cultural monuments in Slovakia, as well as current environmental risks, which are beginning to have serious impacts on them. The essential problem is the insufficient capacity of the existing system of preventive maintenance of NKP and the lack of organisational and professional capacities for assessing the condition of movable cultural heritage. Existing capacities make it possible to carry out inspections of only approximately 100 objects per year out of more than 17 000 monuments recorded in the central list of the SR monument fund. At the same time, only a limited number of experts and employees caring for monuments in the area of traditional building techniques, preparation of maintenance plans, and implementation of preventive and corrective maintenance have been trained. Another problem is the insufficient preparedness of owners and managers of NKP to ensure preventive maintenance and address risks associated with climate change or natural disasters. In practice, practical skills and a systematic approach to maintenance planning are often lacking. Maintenance plans generally do not include crisis management elements or frameworks of preventive measures to protect PO against the negative consequences of climate change (extreme precipitation, temperature fluctuations, changes in humidity, etc.). Another challenge is the limited ability to communicate effectively between inspection teams and monument owners or managers, as well as the absence of a system enabling flexible advisory support, continuous exchange of information, and feedback. These shortcomings are compounded by low public awareness of the importance of preventive maintenance as the most effective way of protecting cultural heritage and by insufficient public debate on this topic. In Slovakia, there is no stable network of experts trained in traditional building techniques and preventive maintenance methodologies who would be able to provide support to monument owners at regional level and contribute to the sustainable care of cultural heritage. A particular problem is the condition of historic manor houses and mansions, of which there are almost 600 in Slovakia, many of which are unused or have unsettled ownership relations; approximately 1/3 are in poor or emergency condition, and only a smaller part is being restored. Preventive inspections point to significant deficiencies in routine maintenance, and even preserved objects often do not have sustainable use. Therefore, a systematic and comprehensive solution is needed that will enable the restoration and adaptation of these monuments in a sustainable manner and their reintegration into the life of the regions.

The project focuses on strengthening monitoring and preventive as well as corrective maintenance of cultural heritage by increasing the capacities of monument managers and owners in the fields of inspection, diagnostics, and preventive management. It also includes the development of modern digital tools to support these activities and support for raising public awareness. These measures aim to create a robust network of actors ensuring sustainable care for cultural heritage, support for local development, and increased resilience to climate change. At the same time, the project focuses on the systematic capacity-building of key owners and managers of national cultural monuments, especially those managing extensive and significant parts of cultural heritage. The aim is to expand their ability to carry out preventive inspections, ensure regular maintenance, and respond appropriately to minor defects in the structural parts of monument buildings. In the case of creating their own specialized preventive maintenance teams, the scope of inspections and the quality of ongoing care for monuments (domestic project partners) will be significantly increased, or through intensive training of existing employees carrying out maintenance of managed monuments, their competence and ability to intervene appropriately will be expanded. The project therefore also focuses on expanding the expertise and qualifications of employees of large owners/managers of monuments, whose job description includes care for real estate, and who should be able, after training, to perform preventive and corrective maintenance. Within the already existing inspection teams of the preventive maintenance department of PÚSR monuments, their experts should also be trained in assessing/diagnosing the condition of selected parts of movable heritage (made of wood) in line with the principles of preventive maintenance and the protection of historical materials. An important part of the project is the expansion of expert advisory services through digital platforms. Modern communication and IT tools will make it possible to provide support more flexibly to a wider range of monument owners and managers, not only in maintenance planning, but also in preventing damage caused by climate change or crisis situations. Digital solutions will also serve to share information and strengthen cooperation between experts and practice. A significant pillar of the project is also education and awareness-raising, both among monument owners and managers and among the general public, with the aim of strengthening the perception of cultural heritage as a shared value and responsibility. The project also focuses on the international transfer of know-how, with proven methodologies and experience being shared with partners abroad and supporting the introduction of preventive maintenance systems beyond Slovakia as well. It also includes acquiring knowledge from abroad, especially when addressing the issue of historic manor houses and mansions, with the aim of identifying innovative and sustainable approaches to their restoration and use.

The project will lead to the following results:

-increased professional capacity of key owners and administrators of national cultural monuments through the training of specialist staff (maintenance workers, inspectors, technicians, craftsmen, etc.) and the carrying out of regular preventive inspections, including simple interventions within their own teams; at the same time, the inspection teams will be supplemented by experts in assessing the condition of movable heritage and historic interior furnishings (wooden),

-improved quality and availability of inspection outputs through the preparation of more comprehensive, more transparent, and digitally accessible technical reports and maintenance plans, including basic crisis scenarios and measures to prevent the impacts of climate change,

-improved coordination between the monuments preventive maintenance department and the owners or administrators of national cultural monuments by establishing an effective system of communication and support for preventive and corrective maintenance, the management of the monuments maintenance plan, and rapid response to faults,

-increased awareness of the importance of preventive maintenance through the implementation of an extensive media campaign aimed at owners and the general public, promoting respect for cultural heritage and the need for its continuous care,

-international transfer of know-how through the transfer of a proven methodology to other beneficiary and donor countries with a similar cultural-historical profile, support for the introduction of preventive maintenance systems outside Slovakia, and the provision of summary information and conceptual proposals for addressing the situation of historic noble residences in Slovakia for the government, regional and local self-government bodies, prepared by top experts in cooperation with foreign institutions.

The project is focused on the following target groups:
-the largest public and church administrators of national cultural monuments (regions, regional capitals, the Roman Catholic, Evangelical and Greek Catholic Churches, state institutions such as SNG, SNM, STM, ŽSR),

-owners and administrators of monuments, inspectors of the monuments preventive maintenance department and the public,

-the general public, young people and the media,

-inspectors and experts in the field of cultural heritage from EU and EEA countries (Poland, Romania, Norway, Czechia).