Munich (dpa / lby) - In order to draw attention to the importance of monument protection, the Bavarian State Association for Home Care lets the population choose the "Demolition of the Year". Interested parties can choose the worst loss among twelve buildings on the website, as the association announced on Wednesday in Munich. "We observe with great concern that monuments and older buildings that are not on the list of monuments are treated far too neglected," explained Managing Director Rudolf Neumaier. "Our building culture is just as important for Bavaria as our customs, dialects and traditional costumes."
But monument protection has recently fallen behind and is all too often ignored. "This is reflected in numerous calls for help from all parts of Bavaria when people contact us or the Bavarian Monument Network initiative to complain about the handling of individual monuments and to save them," said Neumaier. Owners and investors, but also authorities and politicians, are always not aware of the great cultural importance of monuments. Buildings worth preserving are allowed to fall into disrepair until they can no longer be saved.
The chairman of the national association, Olaf Heinrich, therefore advocated expanding the definition of monuments. "If, for example, identity-establishing buildings can also be included on the list of monuments, the owners of such properties have much better chances of financial support." Apart from the Baukultur aspect, it is also more ecological to keep buildings instead of tearing them down and building new ones.
