Ролята на народните читалища за опазването на културното наследство – правни аспекти
The Part National Community Centres Play for Safeguarding Cultural Heritage – Legal Aspects

Author(s): Ivan Karchev
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, History of Law, Civil Law
Published by: Институт за държавата и правото - Българска академия на науките
Keywords: Cultural heritage; national community centres; legal status; legal differentiation
Summary/Abstract: Preserving our cultural heritage has been of utmost importance through the years, regardless of the political and economic situation in the country. It is possible to assume that culture, in its most complete range of material and immaterial elements, is one of the pillars of one nation’s identity, both in its national and international aspects. Law is closely connected to public relations as far as our culture and cultural heritage is concerned. This is proved by the establishment of community centres – a unique form of Bulgarian cultural organization legally founded on freedom of civil communities and an act of charity. The present article is aimed at offering an explanation of the legal status of national community centres from their first appearance to modern days. Last, but not least, legal issues and offered for discussion along with proposed solutions in order for the community centres to function properly within the modern legal system. The public nature of such organizations, the need of their legal differentiation from foundations, associations and other NGOs by means of explicit legislation norms is emphasized. The material base, the economic activity of the community centres, the administrative burden their coordinators encounter is illustrated and the necessity for improvement in the future legislation is pointed out. Importantly, it has been almost a year since the community centres were included in UNESCO’s list for keeping good practices for safeguarding immaterial cultural heritage. In that regard, there is the necessity of state policy concerning the development of these purely Bulgarian cultural centres via good practices and the legal power of the local administration processes.

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