Each of us enjoys visiting Latvia's beautiful castles, manors and nature trails. Unfortunately, just 10 years ago, a large part of these sites were not accessible to people with mobility impairments. Experts welcome the fact that in recent years there have been dramatic improvements in the accessibility of Latvia's cultural environment. This is also evidenced by the environmental accessibility assessments carried out this summer by the project "Explore Latvia". To a large extent, this development is facilitated by the investment of the state and municipalities, including the funds attracted from European Union funds, as well as the initiative of the object managers themselves.
Iveta Neimane, policy coordinator and environmental accessibility expert at the Latvian people with special needs cooperation organization SUSTENTO, notes that an assessment of tourism sites was already carried out in Latvia several years ago, but the situation was much sadder: “Back then, it was quite difficult for us, because most of the cultural and historical sites were inaccessible to people with mobility impairments. One of the reasons we often heard from the representatives of the sites is that accessibility cannot be ensured because the objects are ancient and there is no possibility of making the necessary changes. Therefore, this time we were very pleasantly surprised by the objects surveyed, among which were also old castles, ruins, and manors - places that were previously rejected for changes. Now, very interesting accessibility solutions have been created in many of these places, and the representatives of the sites are thinking not only about adapting other outbuildings, but also about adapting the rooms for people with visual and hearing impairments.”
The Ministry of Culture has been actively involved in assessing the accessibility of the cultural sector environment this year. Since 2017, various cultural and natural heritage sites have been renovated in Latvia with funding from European Union funds attracted by the ministry, and in 2021, information about them was compiled on the website “Explore Latvia”. This year, almost 40 objects were announced as accessible to people with mobility impairments, including those who use wheelchairs. The Ministry of Culture notes that this assessment was carried out not only to inform the public about environmental accessibility issues, but also to encourage developers of facilities to pay increased attention to environmental accessibility. “One of the main focuses of this year's information activities is to highlight sites in the regions of Latvia that have taken care of environmental accessibility for people with mobility impairments – both those that have been renovated and those that have been built from scratch. Our goal is not only to tell you where to go on weekends, but also to promote the understanding to other cultural venue developers about environmental accessibility, encouraging them to make the necessary improvements,” says Dace Vizule, Public Relations Specialist at the Ministry of Culture.
Experts emphasize that the accessibility and improvement opportunities of each location should be assessed not only according to building codes, but also according to the capabilities of the specific location. Building codes are easier to comply with in the case of new construction or complete reconstruction, however, this is not always possible in the renovation process of historical buildings. How many square meters should be allocated for a toilet or what slope a ramp should have often depends on the initial parameters of the historical building. However, this does not necessarily mean that building managers should avoid implementing any changes. “Building managers often decide that they will not make any improvements because they cannot fully comply with building codes. However, this is a trend that should not be allowed to develop, because even the oldest buildings are extremely interesting for people with mobility impairments,” explains Iveta Neimane. The expert also notes that it will not always be possible to ensure accessibility in all facilities for people with severe mobility impairments. Especially for those who use a wheelchair. This is determined by the specifics of the facilities, because, for example, it is practically impossible to build a lift in a castle tower. However, currently in Latvia, both within the project "Explore Latvia" and beyond, there are an extremely large number of beautiful and interesting sitew available that are worth seeing.
One of the positive examples is the Gāliņciems library, which was recently opened as part of the “Explore Latvia” project. The library has made special efforts to ensure that every event organized there is accessible to people with mobility impairments. “When planning the library premises, we thought not only about convenient access and entrance, but also about people with mobility impairments being able to move freely between bookshelves, the reading room or other areas. The internal finishing and interior are arranged in such a way that people with visual impairments can better navigate the space – the furniture is white, the floor is dark, and the walls are brown. This was extremely important to us, because as a result of the reorganization of July 1 of this year, the collection of the Ventspils branch of the Latvian Library for the Blind has been integrated into the library collection. The library has paid special attention to acoustics. Wall acoustic panel solutions reduce echo, and movable acoustic panels are available so that people with hearing impairments can isolate themselves from other visitors both physically and in terms of sound. The library also has an acoustic cabin that dampens ambient noise,” explains Krista Karabeško, head of the Gāliņciems library.
The expert assessments of the “Explore Latvia” project will be passed on to the sites managers, encouraging them to implement recommendations and think more about ensuring environmental accessibility aspects. Including – focusing on people with visual or hearing impairments. “Any cultural site must think specifically about accessibility. If accessibility is currently defined by the construction regulatory framework, then accessibility means the opportunity for anyone to receive services, obtain information in alternative ways, if due to functional impairments it cannot be received in the basic format. We are on the right track, as evidenced by the positive assessment of the “Explore Latvia” sites and we will continue to work to improve the situation even more, together with the project implementers,” notes Dace Vizule.
All the sites of "Explore Latvia" are arranged in seven cultural and natural heritage routes - tourist routes that help travelers see Latvia's present through the past: the Baltic Route, the Freedom Route, the Light Route, the Daugava Route, Jēkab's Route, the Livonian Route and Māra's Route. Each of these routes has several sightseeing places for people with mobility impairments.
Each of the sites, which environmental accessibility experts have recognized as suitable for people with mobility impairments, is also accompanied by a description with the specifics of the accessibility of the specific place. Information about the sites can be found on the "Explore Latvia" website www.atrastalatvija.lv.
Renovation and construction works at the “Explore Latvia” sites have been carried out in four phases since 2017, renovating more than 60 cultural and natural heritage sites in 40 Latvian municipalities, as well as creating and developing new cultural and tourism services in them. Work is still ongoing at some sites, and they will be fully completed by the end of 2023. Of the total invested EUR 120,888,186.97, EUR 68,359,170.24 are European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funds, EUR 52,103,171.47 are state and local government funds, and EUR 425,845.26 are private investments. Municipalities from all over Latvia could apply for the funding attracted by the Ministry of Culture, attracting project partners. The selection of participants was carried out by assessing the international and national significance of the ideas, as well as their connection with the development strategies of local governments.
The Ministry of Culture administers the ERDF investments made in the preservation, protection and development of cultural and natural heritage in the regions of Latvia under the 1st and 2nd rounds of the priority axis “Efficiency in the use of environmental protection resources” 5.5.1. specific support objective “Preserve, protect and develop significant cultural and natural heritage, as well as related services” of the Operational Programme “Growth and Employment” of the European Union funds.
For further information:
Anna Babre
Ogilvy PR
Project Director
+371 29746163
anna.babre@ogilvy.lv
Lita Kokale
Head of Public Relations Division, Ministry of Culture
+371 26469946
lita.kokale@km.gov.lv
(Translated with the help of DeepL Translate)
