A History of Germany’s and Britain’s Heritage Regimes (1945–1972)

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter provides an overview of the post-war development of the heritage field in Germany and the United Kingdom respectively. It examines the differences and similarities between heritage conservation in both national contexts. Especially the development of heritage legislation, institutional and bureaucratic trends and the role of private organizations in both countries are discussed. One of the main differences analyzed is the degree of centralization. In 1949, West Germany reintroduced the federal government system that had been abolished by the Nazis. In this federal system, the federal states are responsible for cultural heritage. In contrast, in the United Kingdom, heritage preservation is a task of the central government in London. Part of this contradiction can be traced back to the way in which heritage conservation was viewed in both countries in the post-war period. In Germany, heritage preservation initially had little priority. This was not only due to the unstable economic situation of the country, but also due to a general aversion to the past. For many people heritage preservation was inextricably linked to nationalistic chauvinism. Proponents of heritage preservation not only struggled with a shortage of materials and a public opinion that stigmatized the preservation of heritage as something suspicious, they also that to deal with political instability. Post-war Germany lacked a bureaucratic structure for heritage preservation. It would take years for such a structure to develop. In the UK, heritage conservation was immediately integrated into the wider reconstruction plans. The national government firmly took the lead in this by enacting national laws and regulations.