As experts meet in Berlin for the conference "Cultural Heritage in Crisis," the president of the German Archaeological Institute, Friederike Fless, tells DW how heritage sites are both protected and threatened.
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DW: Cultural heritage is facing different threats such as war or climate change, but what falls under the definition of "cultural heritage"?
Friederike Fless: Cultural heritage is a complicated concept because it implies that there will be someone to transmit and to inherit a culture. This idea appeared during the French Revolution.
Today we have a very broad understanding of the concept. We have defined internationally important sites as World Heritage; we are also listing intangible cultural heritage, or traditions, for example music. This is all what we today call cultural heritage.
You have established the"Archaeological Heritage Network," which focuses on archaeological cultural heritage. What is the role of this network?
We founded this network in 2016 to bring together the skills of Germany's experts. We deal with issues of the protection and preservation of monuments, but also of artifacts in museums or archives.
Inventories or registers of memorials are very important in the context of cultural preservation. They are non-existent or still in analog form in many countries. For example, through the fire that devastated Rio de Janeiro's National Museum, the inventories were also lost, which means we cannot even reconstruct what the museum had.
What is most important in preserving cultural heritage: prevention, conservation or crisis management and reconstruction?
Every form of prevention is obviously important: a museum's objects need to be secured and evacuation plans need to be developed for them in case of a war for example.
But it's just as important to ask: What can be done as an immediate reaction to a crisis? The phase following a catastrophe is particularly important as well. The questions that then arise are for example: What can be preserved, restored or even rebuilt?
You mentioned the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro. Along with the fire, the water to extinguish it was an additional problem. Which measures are needed in such a case?
When such a catastrophe happens — as we have also experienced with the fire of the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar or the Cologne city archive collapse — , it is necessary to act very quickly. Organic substances that became wet through extinguishing will be affected by mold if they are not immediately frozen or stored in a cool space. If that does not destroy the objects, then animals, termites or silverfish will start eating them. That means you need to act immediately.
Brazil's National Museum fire destroys millions of artifacts
The Rio de Janeiro museum founded in 1818 by King Joao VI housed 20 million valuable artefacts. Hundreds of rooms have been devastated by fire resulting in an 'incalculable' loss.
Image: Reuters/R. Moraes
Devastation
The fire that ravaged Brazil's National Museum finally went out on Monday, leaving little of the more than 20 million artifacts it had housed. President Temer has promised to pull from several resources to reconstitute the collection.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/M. Lobao
Saving the artefacts
Firefighters and museum workers raced to save historical relics from the blaze. They got off to a difficult start, as two hydrants closest to the museum were reportedly not working. Fire department spokesman Roberto Robadey said museum workers had helped to save some of the valuable pieces.
Image: Reuters/R. Moraes
Burning for five hours
Twenty fire brigades fought the fire at the National Museum which started on Sunday night. After five hours it was under control but work was ongoing to extinguish it completely. Former environment minister Marina Silva called it a catastrophe "Equivalent to a lobotomy of the Brazilian memory."
Image: Reuters/R. Moraes
'An incalculable loss' to Brazil
President Michel Temer said in a statement: "Two hundred years of work and research and knowledge are lost." Calling it a "tragic day for Brazil," he said: "The loss of the collection of the National Museum is incalculable."
Image: Reuters/R. Moraes
Anger as the fire burns
Deputy director Luiz Fernando Dias Duarte expressed "profound discouragement and immense anger" as he accused Brazilian authorities of a "lack of attention." There had been funding cuts to the museum, which was linked to the city's Federal University. "We fought years ago, in different governments, to obtain resources to adequately preserve everything that was destroyed today," Dias Duarte said.
Image: Reuters/Social Media
The National Museum before the fire
The natural history and anthropology museum housed housed artefacts from Greco-Roman times, from ancient Egypt and "Luzia" the oldest human fossil found in Brazil.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Leoni
Police release tear gas
As demonstrators began to gather around the devasted building, police used batons, tear gas and pepper spray on the crowds. While Culture Minister Sergio Sa Leitao admitted that "this tragedy could have been avoided," he stopped short of apologizing.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Correa
Funding cuts
The museum had suffered from major funding cuts. According to employees, concern about fire dangers was widespread, with workers often unplugging everything in their offices at the end of the day. Workers were also obliged to take fire emergency training, but no one was on hand on Sunday to put it into practice.
Image: Getty Images/B. Mendes
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You are very active in regions like Syria and Iraq, where you have initiated projects with archaeologists from those countries. What is it more concretely about?
With the project "Zero Hour: A Future for the Time After the Crisis," we want to support colleagues from countries currently affected by crises: Iraq, Syria and Yemen. We support them in their own efforts to maintain, protect and perhaps even restore their cultural heritage.
That means we are investing in training. In Iraq, we can directly assist the reconstruction and conservation measures, but in Syria and Yemen, this is currently impossible for different reasons.
What is the status of the preservation of cultural heritage in those countries? One could imagine that in war zones such as Syria, the reconstruction of schools, hospitals and the completely destroyed infrastructure is the priority?
Archaeologists in all these countries have never stopped taking care of their monuments. They have also tried to protect them during direct warfare. They have, for example, buried objects or, aswas done during World War II, they protected mosaics with sandbags or walled up important gates. They have really tried to do everything they could. Even in the worst situations. And that is true for all countries; It's the case in Yemen, Syria and Iraq as well.
Palmyra: Destruction of an oasis of cultural history
Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered one of the most beautiful ruined cities in the Middle East. Now the "Islamic State" has seized the area and started destroying these ancient structures.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Scholz
Ancient temple destroyed
This part of the World Heritage site in the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria no longer exists: "Islamic State" militants have blown up the 2,000-year-old temple of Baal Shamin. The inner area of the temple and the columns collapsed through the explosion. The rest of the ancient city remains strongly at risk.
Image: by-sa-Longbow4u
Ruins in a desert oasis
The ruins of Palmyra lie right in the middle of the Syrian desert. The once prosperous metropolis was surrounded by palms - hence its name - and for centuries was a stop for caravans traveling to the Silk Road. The settlement was a center of wealth and trade. But, gradually, the golden age faded, and sand blew over the city. The ruins were later excavated, and given World Heritage status in 1980.
Image: Fotolia/bbbar
Temple of Baal
In the 1st century AD, the Palmyrenes built a grand Roman-style temple for the deity Baal. It formed the center of religious life in Palmyra, which joined the Roman Empire under Emperor Tiberius some time after 14 AD. It is scarred with bullet holes - stark reminders of the ongoing Syrian civil war.
Image: picture-alliance/blickwinkel/F. Neukirchen
Avenue of treasures
Created in the 2nd century, the Great Colonnade stretches on for more than a kilometer (0.6 miles). Spices, perfumes, precious stones and other treasures once passed down this magnificent colonnaded boulevard. The avenue's entrance is marked by Hadrian's Arch, built in honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. It's a fine example of the Greco-Roman style, extremely popular at the time.
Image: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images
Roman monument
The Tetrapylon of Palmyra was built on a crossroads. The four groups of slender pillars, each supporting an alcove, were made of red granite brought in from the quarries of Aswan. Each one used to house statues. Today, almost all the columns are replicas. Only one is an original.
Image: Fotolia/waj
Oriental drama
Palmyra bore many characteristics of a Greco-Roman city. It had a portico, thermal baths and an amphitheater. Many oriental dramas were performed on this stage. Unfortunately, the plays, written in Aramaic, haven't survived. In addition to being a theater, the arena was also used for battles between gladiators and animals.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Marczok
Forum of high society
Some 200 statues of important individuals once stood here, taking up honored positions in the porticoes of the agora, or main square. In the agora's southwestern corner the remains of a building where the city council likely held its meetings can be seen. The council was made up of representatives from influential merchant families, responsible for shaping the fortunes of the desert city.
Image: picture-alliance/Robert Harding World Imagery/C. Rennie
Ornate burial
There are a number of burial grounds just outside the city gates. Large families built tall towers housing ornate sarcophagi and tombs big enough for several generations. There are also many underground gravesites decorated with rich architectural flourishes and frescoes that hint at the daily life and wealth of that period.
Image: Imago/A. Schmidhuber
Impending destruction?
In 300 AD, Palmyra became a military base, and came under the power of a string of different rulers. The golden age faded, and the city's splendor was covered up by the desert sand. The city's ruins survived the civil war raging in the country since 2011, but now, the ancient city is under threat from "Islamic State" militants, and UNESCO fears it could face a tragic fate.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Scholz
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We often focus on war and crisis regions. How strong is the destruction of cultural heritage through climate change and megacities?
The destruction through war, catastrophe or intentional destruction, such as the one offered to us in "high definition" by the "Islamic State" terrorist group, makes for strong images. In contrast, the things happening in expanding cities are creeping developments.
In some cities the destruction comes through overbuilding; the removal of historical structures is almost more extensive there than in war zones. That happens in countries that aren't in our focus, in Libya, for example, where bulldozers just push everything away or in Beirut, where a company recently replaced the old city with high-rise buildings. It happens so quickly that nothing that was there survives.
Is there international awareness of the value of cultural heritage? The destroyers of mosques and mausoleums in Timbuktu, Mali, were prosecuted at the International Criminal Court of Justice in The Hague. Do you see this as a positive development?
There are two developments.
For one, cultural preservation and the destruction of cultural goods are increasingly a topic of the international politics of the countries of the United Nations.
But on the other hand, we are also experiencing that agreements that had been reached over what is cultural heritage are terminated by terrorist groups in Mali, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq and that no one is respecting them. any longer We are a bit at loss as to the political actions and the new mode of negotiation we should develop to counter this.
UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage
French President Emmanuel Macron wants the baguette added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. Here's a look at the protected objects that comprise the world's cultural diversity and creative expression.
Image: Reuters/C. de luca
Art of Neapolitan ‘Pizzaiuolo’
Naples, Italy, is known as the birthplace of what is arguably the world's most recognizable dish — pizza. But only 3,000 pizza bakers are officially recognized Pizzaiuoli, and can use the traditional wood-fired oven and dough preparation techniques.
Image: Reuters/C. de luca
Yoga - an international phenomenon
Yoga is not only physical exercise, but a mental and spiritual one as well. Yoga originated in India in the fifth century BC, and is used to "help individuals build self-realization, ease any suffering they may be experiencing and allow for a state of liberation." Yoga came to the attention of Western cultures in the mid 19th century and is now practiced all around the world.
Image: Reuters/P. Kumar
Falconry provides a link to the past
Falconry, the art of training falcons, was originally used as "a method of obtaining food," but has since evolved into a method of social engagement and nature conservation. It's a widespread practice, and UNESCO lists it as intangible cultural heritage for 18 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Image: DW/M. Marek
Coffee culture
Arabic coffee has played a cultural role in the Middle East, the birthplace of the coffee house. The drink is served strong, in small cups, sometimes with cardamom but never with sugar. The English word coffee comes from the Dutch kofffie, which itself is a transliteration of the Arabic "qahwa."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. MacDougall
Tango dancing
Tango developed from European, African and Native American dancing traditions in the 1880s along the border between Argentina and Uruguay. The partner dance, which has become hugely popular around the world, was banned in Argentina during the military dictatorship of the late 20th century, but has flourished since the return of democracy in 1983.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Spanish riding in Austria
Vienna's Spanish Riding School was added to UNESCO's list in 2015. Named for the Spanish horses that formed the base of the riding hall's Lipizzan breed, the school was first formed by the Hapsburg monarchy in 1572. The oldest of its kind in the world, the school's performances of classical dressage continue to bring in large crowds more than 450 years after its founding.
Image: ASAblanca/Rene van Bakel
Beer culture in Belgium
Despite its small size, Belgium produces nearly 1,500 different types of beer. Some of the most popular are produced by Trappist monks, who donate their profits to charity. Beer is such a part of everyday life in Belgium that up until the 1960s, beer was an option at school lunches.
Image: picture-alliance/R. Goldmann
Kabuki theatre
Known for its elaborate make-up and stylized drama, Kabuki theatre originated in 17th century Japan and was originally performed only by women. Kabuki plays follow one of three categories — history, domestic tales, and dance pieces. The word kabuki can be roughly translated to "avant-garde."