Regulating advertising in Trnava’s historic centre

Visual clutter caused by advertising detracts from the appearance of the city’s historic monuments. Trnava therefore set out to establish specific rules for advertising in public spaces. The project also responded to residents’ long-standing calls for the removal of illegal advertising and advertising in legal grey areas.

Büro Milk and BDO’s legal experts aim to apply the experience gained from the project to help protect conservation areas in other Slovak cities.

BDO’s legal support: from analysis to proposed rules

As the project’s legal subcontractor, BDO analysed the legislation governing illegal advertising and advertising in legal grey areas and proposed steps for its removal. Together with Büro Milk, BDO also coordinated discussions between the stakeholders involved, including the heritage authority, the transport authority and the city.

The legal team’s role was to review existing legislation, identify problem areas and propose specific legal steps to regulate visual clutter caused by advertising.

“In the first phase of the project, we looked at existing advertisements and their compliance with legislative requirements. In other words, it was necessary to map out which advertisements exploit ambiguities or loopholes in the legislation and then put it right. The result was a comprehensive analysis that confirmed the need for fundamental changes,” adds Marek Priesol, legal expert and partner at BDO.

The next step was to propose a specific solution for the prompt removal of illegal advertising from the historic conservation area, incorporating recommendations for the aesthetic redesign of existing advertisements.

“Our goal is to create a uniform and aesthetic style of advertising that will not disturb the appearance of the monuments, but at the same time provide advertisers with the opportunity to effectively communicate their products and services,” says Martin Jenča, co-owner of the Büro Milk studio, which is the primary contractor for the project.

An interactive manual brings together the legal framework and design

The collaboration between Büro Milk and BDO resulted in an interactive manual to guide decisions on advertising placement. It serves as a practical tool for regulating advertising and provides guidance on aligning its placement with legal requirements.

“The legal part of the manual is designed to be flexible and responsive to potential legislative changes, allowing us to create an urban space that is legally seamless, but also aesthetically pleasing,” adds Marek Priesol.

Inspiration for other Slovak cities

The collaboration with Büro Milk and the City of Trnava gave BDO the opportunity to help establish the legal foundations for the long-term, sustainable development of urban public spaces. Together with Büro Milk, we hope that similar initiatives in other Slovak cities will follow the Trnava project.

“We hope that the successful implementation in Trnava will inspire other cities to adopt a similar approach,” adds Kristína Šebejová from Büro Milk.

Legal team

The BDO team involved in the project comprised Marek Priesol, Legal Partner, Tomáš Szabo, Senior Associate, and Patrik Balázs, Associate.