FIELD OF EXPERTISE: Cultural Assets

A cultural asset ist the result of an artistic production or a human made testimony, which is important and worth to safe them. If the protection of a cultural asset receives institutional character, we talk about a cultural monument. The total of cultural assets is our cultural heritage. The protection of cultural assets are all activities which protect them from demage, theft, demolition and loss.

The term “cultural assets” includes moveable and irremovable commodities and properties. Generally these are of archeological, historical, artistic and scientific importance. Cultural assets include the portfolios of libraries, archives, museums and properties like cathedrals, churches, monasteries and castles. Sind the 1960th also technical orientated goods are more and more accepted as cultural assets (i.e. historical production facilities, public transport etc.).

The destruction and demolition of cultural assets by armed conflicts (intentional or collateral), by natural desasters or in the context of economic development, the plundering, the theft of objects of arts from churches and museums and the destruction of archeological sites endangering the scientific research and the conservation as well as the access zu our common cultural heritage.

The value of illegally traded cultural assets is reaching billions. The value of the loss of cultural assets can’t be measured. Besides the trade with weapons, drugs, trafficing, and engangered species, the illegal trading of cultural assets is one of the most profitable businesses of international crime and helps to finance terrorism. Therefore the protection of cultural assets is a question of international security.

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Head of section:

• Dr. Friedrich Schipper
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