Protest against planned monument protection reform in Lower Saxony

The Lower Saxony state government's reform plans for monument protection are being rejected by archaeologists and monument conservationists. From their point of view, the protection and preservation of many monuments is at risk due to the planned changes to the law. An online petition against the reform plans was signed by more than 10,000 people within just a few days.

At the beginning of July, Culture Minister Falko Mohrs (SPD) presented a draft law intended to make monument protection in Lower Saxony “easier, faster and cheaper”. The amendment is intended to make municipalities more capable of acting, make procedures simpler and reduce bureaucracy. Among other things, responsibilities between authorities should be reorganized and requirements, for example for earthworks on cultural monuments, should be adjusted.

Archaeologists warn of “dramatic consequences”

The Archaeological Commission for Lower Saxony, the professional association of archaeologists, fears that the planned changes will have “dramatic consequences” for the preservation of archaeological monuments. There was a risk of uncontrolled loss of cultural heritage, higher construction costs, delays and the loss of jobs.

"The completely impractical draft destroys the well-functioning system of Lower Saxony's monument preservation and catapults our state back to the time before the introduction of the Lower Saxony Monument Protection Act in 1979," said the chairman of the commission, Jan F. Kegler, in a statement. “The state government completely ignores what is being done every day in archeology in Lower Saxony to preserve and research Lower Saxony’s cultural heritage.”

Monument Protection Foundation: Amendment opens the door to arbitrariness

The German Foundation for Monument Protection expects “increased complete losses” in the monument landscape if the law changes. She sees the danger that technical expertise, for example at the State Office for Monument Preservation, will be ignored or lost entirely.

The foundation says the assumption that specialist offices would delay procedures is wrong. According to our own survey, the processing time for monument approval procedures in Lower Saxony's authorities is "quite quick" at around two to four weeks.

“In our view, the current draft law represents, above all, a fatal loss of independent professional expertise combined with political self-empowerment,” the foundation said upon request. "This is not less bureaucratic, but simply less technical and opens the door to arbitrariness - with the corresponding potential for danger to our monuments." The state government contradicts the fears. “Cultural monuments will of course remain protected,” said the Ministry of Culture in response to a dpa request. The acceptance of monument protection can only be maintained if it appears to citizens to be “proportionate and suitable for everyday use”.