Floods damage many cultural sites and institutions
Ljubljana, 9 August - Flood damage to cultural institutions and heritage is substantial, although it cannot be determined yet in full, Culture Minister Asta Vrečko said on Wednesday. The situation is worst in Gorenjska, the Savinja Valley and Koroška, the three most severely affected regions in the country. A dozen churches have also been flooded.
Ljubljana
Culture Minister Asta Vrečko speaking to the press about the damage the floods caused to cultural heritage and institutions.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
Ljubljana
Culture Minister Asta Vrečko speaking to the press about the damage the floods caused to cultural heritage and institutions.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
Ljubljana
Culture Minister Asta Vrečko speaking to the press about the damage the floods caused to cultural heritage and institutions.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
Damaged in Gorenjska, north-west, are a bridge in Škofja Loka and the town's unit of the Ljubljana History Archives, which was flooded for the third time in 20 years.
Located at semi-basement premises, the archive was flooded by sewage waters spilling through windows and doors, but most of the documents were spared.
Architect Edvard Ravnikar's WWII monument in Begunje na Gorenjskem was also flooded alongside author Ivan Tavčar's house in the Poljane Valley and a library in Poljane.
The situation at the Tržič Museum will be assessed in the coming days, and Vrečko said she will visit Škofja Loka, Begunje na Gorenjskem, and Kamnik on Friday.
Data from the Savinja Valley and Koroška in the north of the country is scarce as some areas are not yet accessible.
However, the Koroška Regional Museum, the Koroška Gallery of Fine Arts, and the Maribor Archives' regional unit in Ravne na Koroškem are damaged.
Old Steelworks in Ravne na Koroškem was also flooded. A few months ago a contract was signed to co-fund its renovation with recovery and resilience funds.
Along the Savinja, the city centres of Šoštanj and Mozirje and the old town in Celje, which are protected as cultural heritage, were also flooded and damaged.
The Celje Library, situated very close to the Savinja, was flooded, but librarians managed to save most of the books together with volunteers.
In Idrija, a town in western Slovenia, the UNESCO-protected Miner's House is at risk of landslides, while Franja Hospital, an in-site WWII museum that suffered severe damage in July's storms was not further affected.
Vrečko said that experts at the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage expect the full extent of damage yet to show.
There are several options how to finance reconstruction, from drawing funds from EU facilities, reprogramming some of the funds, or doing it as part of regular reconstruction, she said.
An app will soon be launched on the Culture Ministry's website for municipalities and people to report damage to cultural heritage, which will be then assessed by experts.
The government will help the self-employed in the arts and culture sector who are unable to do their job due to the floods with EUR 1,200 a month until the end of 2023.
The ministry has already set up a task force featuring the directors of the National Museum, the National and University Library, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, the ministry's cultural heritage directorate, and the Archives of Slovenia to coordinate reconstruction efforts.
The ministry's staff will also take part in the task force that will prepare the application for EU funds on behalf of the country.
Vrečko thanked all those involved in the relief effort, including public cultural organisations employees and conservator-restorers who are inspecting the situation on the ground.
The Roman Catholic Church said on Wednesday that current information shows just over a dozen churches have been flooded or damaged.
One of these was damaged severely - St Trinity Church with the Franciscan Monastery in Sveta Trojica in the region of Štajerska, north-east, was unroofed.