Spotlight Cultural Property Protection - 70 years Hague Convention

Asst.Prof. Dr. Anna Kaiser is the head of the Center for Cultural Property Protection at the University for Continuing Education Krems. She holds a PhD in Ancient History from the University of Vienna and is a fully trained cultural property protection officer in the Austrian Armed Forces. Since 2015 she is course director for the study programmes in cultural property protection at the University for Continuing Education in Krems and as such has hosted a series of exercises focussing on creating interfaces between cultural heritage specialists and emergency responders.

Abstract: Education and Training for Cultural Heritage Protection

Cooperation is central for a successful protection of cultural heritage, be it from natural or man-made disasters or armed conflict. In order to best protect cultural heritage and to prepare for calamitous events, it is necessary to prepare – not only emergency plans, but also cooperation and collaboration and to build interfaces before catastrophes strike.
The lecture explores possibilities in education and training, which enable cultural heritage specialists to successfully cooperate with emergency responders and poses a series of questions to be discussed in order to develop education and training in cultural heritage protection further.

Hannes Schramm is working for the Division for Conservation of Historic Monuments in the National Administration of the Principality of Liechtenstein. In his daily work he is concerned with the development and implementation of a functioning cultural property protection system. Hannes Schramm successfully completed the Master’s program for Cultural Property Protection at the University for Continuing Education Krems. In the Austrian Armed forces, he served as engineer officer, as staff officer and also as a military expert for cultural property protection.

Abstract: Cultural Property Protection in the Principality of Liechtenstein

Since the Cultural Property Protection Ordinance was issued in 2021, the cultural institutions in the Principality of Liechtenstein has started to invent and implement structures to ensure a functioning cultural property protection system. The basis for this is formed by a guideline on emergency planning regarding cultural property and by founding a network, in which all cultural institutions of the eleven municipalities at national level are represented. The most important partner of the network and its members are the municipality fire brigades as first responders to emergencies. In such cases, their cooperation is fundamental to ensure save and secure procedures for firefighters and to decide on the appropriate action to be taken to safeguard cultural property.
The presentation will focus on the development of the cultural property protection system in Liechtenstein as well as on ideas for training and exercises with the aim to foster the interaction between the two partners.