National Profile: Germany

Cultural Heritage Context

Cultural Heritage in Germany is notably rich and versatile, offering numerous archaeological, architectural, industrial and garden monuments as well as movable and immovable monuments. These objects originated from different ages, from prehistoric times and early history to the 20th century. Testimonials such as these allow reading the full history of the country as well as varying influences on community and culture. Supplying 33 of overall 890 monuments and sites in the UNESCO World Heritage List, Germany is – based on the number of objects on the list – one of the top five countries of the 186 states parties that have ratified the World Heritage Convention. Heritage conservation as such has a long tradition in Germany. Thus the value and effect of ensembles and historical buildings was already recognized in the beginning of the 20th century, resulting in state regulations on this topic in the individual German states.

Cultural Heritage Governance and Policy

Germany now is a federal republic, and the Federal States still bear the main responsibility for culture and cultural affairs. As no national Ministry of Culture exists, Cultural responsibilities on the national level are shared between various ministries, although the main activities are concentrated at the Federal Chancellery, with the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (Federal Minister Mr Neumann). The main duty of the Federal Commissioner for Culture is to offer advice and support the Chancellor on cultural matters, ranging from the performing arts to museums’ affairs. Cultural heritage thus is no main topic on the national level, and administered only in a regional focus. Therefore, the situation in Germany is very fragmented, and no individual is identified to take part or to be heard in the political decision-making. Heritage conservation in particular is a task of the federal states, fullfilled by the states’ agencies of the protection of Historic Monuments. These agencies are increasingly organized according to a widely differing legal status

Cultural Heritage Funding

The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media provides financial support to the conservation of architectural, garden, and archaeological monuments if they have an outstanding relevance either for the country as a whole or for the development of the cultural landscape in Germany. Between 1950 and 2007, more than 500 cultural monuments were funded with a total of € 280 million within a programme framework “National wertvolle Kulturdenkmäler” (Cultural monuments of national importance). Monuments funded include the cathedrals of Erfurt, Cologne, Aachen, Meissen, Halberstadt, Naumburg, Freiburg, Ulm, and Passau as well as the Frauenkirche in Dresden and the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. Furthermore, the historic city centre of Lübeck, monuments of classical Weimar, Germany’s oldest bridge in operation in Regensburg and the Völklingen steel works were also among the objects chosen.
Beside funding possibilities provided by the individual states’ monument agencies, intended to help the owners of monuments fund maintenance works, there are many private funds, foundations and individual sponsors that offer financial support for conservation and restoration of cultural monuments.

Cultural Heritage Research

While there are a variety of institutions sponsoring scientific efforts related to cultural heritage in Germany, most of the research-grants and project-funds provided by big programmes of Volkswagen Stiftung or Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft are targeted at the research of the meaning of cultural heritage.
After the closing of a national research programme administered by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research that lasted from 1985 to 1998, due the fragmented nature of the administration of cultural heritage in Germany, there is no national research strategy on the topic. Few donors fund projects in Conservation Science, the main funding organization here being Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU, German Federal Environmental Foundation), providing 2.5 million € per annum. Since becoming operational in 1991, the foundation has provided more than € 120 million towards the development of new technologies for the protection of cultural properties, covering material such as stone, glass, metal, wood and ceramics. Important projects dealt with the extensive testing of the possible use of laser technology in conservation, the development of materials to be used for stone-conservation, or methods to preserve historic stained and painted glass. A project for the detoxification of fabric contaminated with insecticides was awarded with the European Museum Award in 2003.
Starting in 2004, the DBU shifted part of its focus to the protection and upkeep of the important historic gardens and parks, such as Potsdam Sanssoucis, the „Garden Kingdom“ of Dessau-Wörlitz or Count Pückler’s parks of Bad Muskau and Braniz, and other historical cultural landscapes.

Cultural Heritage education and outreach

In Germany, vocations dealing with subjects related to cultural heritage, e.g. architecture, history of arts, archival sciences, archaeology and restoration normally require academic studies. The study courses for these subjects are changing at the moment due to introduction of the bachelor and master degrees that are supposed to replace the traditional German Diplom or Magister. Nevertheless, a wide variety of possibilities exists both on universities and universities of applied sciences.
Since the beginning of the 1980s, heritage conservation is also offered as a postgraduate course and now as a master's degree with a few universities to introduce further qualification to academics vocationally related to this topic. Academic resources for this topic as well as demand increase continuously.
The German Federal Ministry for Education (BMBF) will be awarding scholarships to craftsmen starting in 2010, allowing them to take part in a professional training dealing with heritage conservation at the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training.
A few years ago, the possibility of spending a “voluntary year in heritage conservation” was introduced in Germany. The targeted group are young people up to 26 years, who are invited to experience cultural heritage related subjects on a first hand basis. This equivalent for national service is funded by the Federal Government and the European Social Fund (ESF).

Visit The Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) NET HERITAGE related website at: http://www.netheritage.de/