Historic preservation (US), heritage preservation or heritage conservation (UK), is an

endeavour that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other
artifacts of historical significance.

Cultural monuments/Protection of historical

monuments
The task is to preserve historical monuments for future generations
Up to the present day, it is a principle of conservation work to preserve monuments as evidence of
past times and cultures. They do not only convey history but they are part of history and enable us to
touch history. Therefore, it is the task of the preservation of monuments to protect these
documents as originally as possible in their existing substance and to pass them on to future
generations as genuine cultural heritage.
Other tasks are the preservation of monuments in their original substance and utilisation. The
objective is not to transform the monuments into museums. They should rather be preserved and
used in their surroundings, if possible.
The preservation of historical monuments requires the understanding of broad sectors of the
population. Therefore, an important task is to convey professional decisions and their backgrounds
also to the monument owners and the public.
The protection of historical monuments rests on the sovereignty of the federal states each federal
state has its own Preservation of Historical Monuments Act.
The Preservation of Historical Monuments Act (DSchG) of Baden-Wrttemberg sets out the
conditions which must be met for an object to be a cultural monument ( 2 DSchG):
Cultural monuments are things, aggregates of things and parts of things in the preservation of which
there is a broad public interest for scientific, artistic or local history reasons.

First of all, preservation and restoration plays a cultural role. Old buildings
teach us about the history that happened before we were born and promotes
the respect for those who lived in different times and different societies.
Architectural monuments cultivates pride of our past and heritage making us
unique in the world. Historical structures bring character and certain charm to
the neighborhood that people live in. Moreover, restoring an old building is

often way cheaper than building the new one. Just think of all the costs you
can save on creative project team, interior dcor and other things that were
initially already thought of in the old structure.
Secondly, economy is an important merit of keeping the old. Architectural
monuments are great attractors of tourists. Everyone likes to experience the
spirit of the place, which most often is represented through architecture.
Tourists can provide locals with jobs and extra income. Restoring locally
important historical structures generates workplaces for both local people and
international experts. Restoration works require more skills and knowledge
than simple building and thus result in higher salaries and also contribute to
boosting the economy.
Finally, it is environmentally friendly. Building new green buildings and
energy-saving houses is important, but restoring the old ones is as green as
it can get. Preservation and restoration is the ultimate form of recycling. It
helps reduce construction waste and save the energy that is usually spent on
manufacturing and transporting building materials and tools.
Hopefully, these short points will make you think of an decaying oldie not as
an object of demolition but as an opportunity of reborn and contribution to
the local wellbeing.