Selected aspects of ensuring accessibility of historical buildings for people with mobility impairments

The paper is devoted to the problem of providing people with mobility impairments, in wheelchairs, with crutches and the elderly, with access to monumental buildings located in the historic public space. The authors present current technical and construction regulations concerning passageway infrastructure and the needs that result from limitations in people with mobility impairments. Proposals for solutions to improve accessibility were also presented in a graphic form, making it easier to understand the intent of the proposed solution and showing examples of already applied solutions. The paper addresses the problem of adaptation of sidewalks, parking spaces and entrances to buildings to the needs of such people while maintaining the recommendations on issues arising from the protection of cultural heritage, conservation recommendations and the historical nature of the space around monuments. The authors of this paper have been working for years on the subject of accessibility of public space for people with disabilities, based on their own experience as a wheelchair user. This article should serve as a prompt for historic site administrators on how, with minimal intervention, accessibility to historic sites can be improved and how to enable people with special needs to enjoy cultural assets.