The illumination of Spis Castle, Devin Castle or St. Elizabeth's Cathedral in Kosice and many other iconic cultural monuments throughout Slovakia was turned off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, or a black flag was hoisted on them, to protest against the proposal to change the monument offices to special building offices.
"It is a symbolic step towards what awaits us if Parliament approves the new draft law on construction," said an initiative published by an organisation called Black Holes. According to them, the system to protect monuments in Slovakia is not perfect at present but their transformation into building offices – "planned quickly and without legislative, organisational or financial provision" – will, they claim, mean the paralysis of the professional work of preservationists, and will endanger monuments.
