At a local level (towns and villages), the powers and responsibilities of the local government in relation to culture are defined by Act 369/1990 and other legal regulations. The main powers and responsibilities of the public administration at the communal level in relation to culture are:
- establishing municipal and school libraries, public education centres and public education facilities, galleries and theatres;
- creating conditions for culture and public education activities (amateur artistic activity, cultural and public education activities, educational and recreational activities);
- provision for the construction, maintenance and management of cultural facilities and cultural monuments owned by the municipality;
- creation of conditions for the preservation of monuments and heritage areas within the municipality;
- providing for the keeping of a municipal chronicle; and
- producing lists of places of interest in the municipality.
This definition of powers and responsibilities means that municipal authorities usually combine cultural affairs with education and sport in their organisational structure. This corresponds to the perception and status of culture, at the level of towns and villages, as a mainly recreational activity (amateur activity by citizens) with an emphasis on local culture and its products.
The transfer of executive powers and responsibilities in the public financing of culture to regional and municipal authorities was codified by law in Slovakia in 2001. It is a long-term process that requires a gradual increase in the professional qualifications of regional and municipal administrative authorities in the area of culture. It is also important to engage local government in strategies and specific objectives in cultural development at the national level. This objective was developed in a working proposal prepared in the 2007 Plan for the development of local and regional culture. The material was developed in cooperation with the National Centre for Public Education and Culture and the Association of Towns and Villages of Slovakia. Further discussion of the material is planned for 2008.
Comments are closed.