“Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass onto future generations” (UNESCO)

There are around a million historic monuments, buildings and city centres in Germany, and many of these have not been protected.

Post World War Two, urban planning strategies gave precedence to transport infrastructure and many historic buildings were destroyed to make way for new developments. The prospects for Germany’s historic buildings looked bleak, until in 1975 events took a turnaround thanks to the European Architectural Heritage Year, organised by the Council of Europe.

In Germany, heritage protection became an important aspect of urban planning and in the creation of attractive cities and villages.

Following Germany’s reunification in 1990 it became clear that many of East Germany’s historic buildings were in a poor state of repair following years of neglect. It was up to Germany’s sixteen federal states (Länder) to maintain and repair these buildings.

Through this research, Andreas Saxinger of Nurtingen-Geislingen University, Germany, considers the historical context of Germany’s development, and how legislation has impacted on the preservation of its historic buildings.