on Toshareproject.it - curated by Bruce Sterling
Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States
on the European Cultural Heritage Strategy for the 21st century
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 22 February 2017
at the 1278th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)
(…)
FOREWORD
The European Cultural Heritage Strategy for the 21st century should be seen against the backdrop of the changes that have taken place in the concept of heritage, rooted in the very history of Europe, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. It may be useful at this point to refer to some of the significant milestones in the complex history of this concept and of heritage policies which reveal both common trends and clear differences in the various countries of Europe, resulting from the particular circumstances of each State and the latter’s relationship with heritage and history.
As a legacy of the values of antiquity reclaimed and rediscovered in the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, particularly through the Roman and papal tradition, the protection of heritage entered the public, religious and private spheres with the aim of conserving and passing on the objects, rituals and vestiges of the past to future generations. From the 17th century onwards, scholarly “antiquarians” throughout Europe put together collections of objects of all sorts, created the first museums and founded learned societies. Some countries, such as Sweden, adopted official instructions at that time. The French Revolution, with its contradictory measures – both destructive and protective – and its upheavals, including instances of plundering following the nationalisation of property, marked a turning point.
Intellectuals then became involved. In 1799, Goethe asserted the concept of collective ownership and
protection of heritage: “All works of art belong as such to the whole of humankind and their possession entails the duty to take care of their conservation”2. In 1825, Victor Hugo in his pamphlet entitled “War against demolishers” wrote: “There are two things about a building: its use and its beauty. Its use belongs to the owner, its beauty to the whole world. To destroy it is therefore to exceed one’s right.3” The fruits of the Enlightenment – museums of the arts, of science and technology – were opened to the public in a number of countries. In France, this institutionalisation process developed with an educational aim alongside the nationalisation of property.
In the 19th century, in a Europe fragmented into opposing nations, nationalist movements and later the revolutions of 1848 sought to justify and strengthen the existence of States, some of which were just emerging while others were under threat. People turned to the past to acquire an identity of their own.
Gradually, there was a shift from the idea of a monument in memory of a person or an event (from the Latin monumentum – a memorial structure, based on the verb monere – to remind) to the idea of a monument having a historic and artistic value. Across Europe, the foundations of a national heritage policy began to emerge. Inventories were drawn up, followed by laws which little by little laid down regulations governing protection, conservation and enhancement.
In the early 20th century, the Austrian Aloïs Riegl put forward a proposed typology of monuments in
accordance with a series of values he attached to them. He emphasised the concepts of protection,
conservation and restoration. These principles went on to be incorporated into all European countries’ national legislation, a legacy which benefits Council of Europe member States.
In 1931, the 1st International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments, held in Athens, adopted a founding charter (the Athens Charter for the Restoration of Historic Monuments), which asserted the principles already set out by Riegl. It recommended that any use of monuments should respect their historic or artistic nature and that special consideration should be given to monuments and their surroundings when any development is planned. It also emphasised the importance of collaboration between curators, architects and scientists and finally called for international co-operation, a first in the field of the “artistic and archaeological heritage”.
The particular context of the post-war period and the work carried out by UNESCO to save iconic sites throughout the world prompted these specialists and their successors at the 2nd International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments, held in Venice in 1964, to set up, based on a proposal from UNESCO, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). This 2nd Congress adopted 13 resolutions, the first being the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, better known as the Venice Charter.
In the 1970s, the term “cultural heritage” replaced the expression “historic monument” which was henceforth reserved for legally protected assets. This change, encompassing a significant enlargement of the concept, took place in a socio-economic, political and cultural context which coincided with the 1973 oil crisis and profound changes in lifestyles. The Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (UNESCO, 1972) and the European Architectural Heritage Year, based on the slogan “A future for our past” (Council of Europe, 1975), were key features of this change. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 transformed borders and created new shared spaces.
On the strength of its experience resulting from 40 years of discussions and exchanges between experts and political representatives, the Council of Europe has drawn up and, once adopted, implemented several founding conventions which have been transposed into national legislation of European countries, creating the foundations of a greater Europe of heritage:
the European Cultural Convention (Paris, 1954 – ETS No. 18);
the Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe (Granada, 1985 – ETS
No. 121);
the European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (revised) (Valletta, 1992
– ETS No. 143);
the European Landscape Convention (Florence, 2000 – ETS No. 176);
the Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (Faro, 2005 – CETS
No. 199).
These conventions have become reference texts and have been supplemented by a range of declarations,
recommendations and resolutions.
The European Cultural Heritage Strategy for the 21st century is the heir to this whole tradition of reflection, sharing and co-operation which has been strengthened over the last 40 years. The issues occupying us at the beginning of this 21st century are no longer why or how we should preserve, restore and enhance our heritage, but rather: “Who should we be doing this for?” This is the very rationale of the Faro Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society which underpins the entire process of the European Cultural Heritage Strategy for the 21st century.
I. GENERAL FRAMEWORK
The origins of the European Cultural Heritage Strategy for the 21st century can be found in the numerous achievements of the Council of Europe which, since the adoption of the European Cultural Convention, have helped shape the heritage policies of most European countries and the resulting co-operation between them. The strategy also draws on the work carried out by UNESCO and the European Union, and on the discussions that have taken place in the international non-governmental organisations and networks focusing on heritage which have been involved in drawing up this strategy.
Interest in cultural heritage, on a European and international scale, goes back to the late 19th century and is still evolving. It is expressed in the founding texts and, in particular, in The Hague Conventions with respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land (1899, 1907), the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954), and the Athens (1931) and Venice (1964) charters on the conservation and restoration of monuments. The most recent reference texts are the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005) and the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (2005), which highlights the need for greater citizen participation and the ability of local communities, citizens and civil society to recognise as heritage what is meaningful to them and to respect, preserve, transmit and enrich that heritage.
However, our continent has experienced many changes posing challenges for “living together” and
upholding the principles on which democracy is based, which is the common heritage of the member States of the Council of Europe.
Demographic and climate changes, the spread of mass tourism at global level, the growing number of
natural or man-made disasters, the temptation of community isolationism, intergenerational divisions, the economic crisis and the emergence of challenges to or serious violations of the values of freedom, tolerance and democracy on which our societies are based: all these challenges call for coherent, comprehensive and inspiring responses.
Cultural heritage, in all its components, tangible and intangible, is a key factor for the refocusing of our societies on the basis of dialogue between cultures, respect for identities and diversity, and a feeling of belonging to a community of values. Cultural heritage can play a key role as a means of building, negotiating and asserting one’s identity.
Cultural heritage is also a powerful factor in social and economic development through the activities it generates and the policies which underpin it. It can help achieve objectives in other sectors. It constitutes an invaluable resource in the fields of education, employment, tourism and sustainable development.There is an urgent need to reposition cultural heritage policies, placing them at the heart of an integrated approach focusing on the conservation, protection and promotion of heritage by society as a whole – by both the national authorities and the communities which are the custodians of that heritage – so that everyone, from those most closely involved to those with a more distant connection, can appreciate it and feel a sense of responsibility.
This challenge cannot be taken on by each State in isolation. Everyone’s efforts must be carried forward, supported and extended by the others, by means of a common awareness and harmonious and consistent actions. This is the aim of this strategy for the 21st century….