The Swiss Agency for the Protection of Cultural Property defines measures to protect cultural property against damage, destruction, theft and loss. For this purpose, a legal basis has been established at the national level and international agreements have been made that oblige Switzerland to respect and support the protection of cultural property not only on its own territory but also on the sovereign territory of other state parties.
History The history of the protection of cultural property in its current form began with the massive destruction of cultural property during the Second World War. When the UN was founded in 1945, UNESCO was established as one of the 17 special agencies of the United Nations dealing with questions relating to education, science and culture. Even today, it continues to be the 'mother organisation' for international protection of cultural property. Thus, UNESCO also took the lead when in 1954 the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (HAC) was consolidated by international law. Switzerland joined the HAC 1962 and ratified the 'Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict 1954' (Second Protocol) in 2004, which augments the HAC since 1999.
Definition According to Art. 1 of the Hague Convention of 14 May 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (HAC), cultural property is defined as follows:
Movable or immovable property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people such as monuments of architecture, art or history, whether religious or secular; archaeological sites; groups of buildings which, as a whole, are of historical or artistic interest; works of art; manuscripts, books and other objects of artistic, historical or archaeological interest; as well as scientific collections and important collections of books or archives or of reproductions of the property defined above Buildings whose main and effective purpose is to preserve or exhibit the movable cultural property defined in sub-paragraph (a) such as museums, large libraries and depositories of archives, and refuges intended to shelter, in the event of armed conflicts, the movable cultural property defined above. Centres containing monuments i.e. locations with a large amount of cultural property as defined in above paragraphs.
Organisation The interests of the protection of cultural heritage are acknowledged at federal, cantonal and communal levels. In addition, several cultural institutions and associations as well as private entities are committed to the preservation and protection of Swiss cultural assets. At the federal level the Section for the Protection of Cultural Property has the lead. It is part of the Federal Office for Civil Protection (Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport DDPS) – The section serves as reference point for all questions relating to the protection of cultural property in Switzerland. Its main tasks include the support and promotion of the cantons in carrying out the prescribed measures, the issue of directives and guidelines for specialist training, training of top PCP cadre within the context of civil defence, the funding of non-constructional measures to safeguard cultural assets of national or regional importance and the establishment and consolidation of contacts with domestic and foreign partner organisations. The Federal Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property (formerly the Swiss Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property) supports the DDPS and the Federal Office for Civil Protection FOCP as an advisory body. Delegates from the departments of the federal administration, cantonal offices (monument conservation and archaeology) and cultural institutions (archives, museums and libraries) are members of this extra-parliamentary committee. They are nominated by the Federal Council. The relevant contacts for questions relating to the protection of cultural property in the cantons are the cantonal officers for the protection of cultural property. They are either employed by the cantonal cultural division – usually by the historic monuments section – or by the Federal Office for Civil Protection. As specialist agencies, the historic monuments sections bring in the expertise for dealing with objects, while the civil defence organisation provides the human resources for local and regional operations. Apart from these authorities, Switzerland has numerous other partners and institutions that contribute to the preservation of its cultural heritage: the cultural institutions (archives, museums, libraries), the civil protection's partner organisations (primarily fire services and police) or private entities such as the Swiss Association for the Protection of Cultural Property. At the international level we should mention, apart from UNESCO, primarily the signatory states of the Hague Convention and its Second Protocol. Furthermore, several nongovernmental organisations such as ICOM (International Council of Museums), ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) and ICA (International Council on Archives) play an important role. Another important partner with regard to international law is the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), that takes the protection of cultural property into account within the context of its humanitarian activities.
Dangers Most threats to cultural property can be divided into three categories: constant dangers, peacetime incidents and incidents related to armed conflict. Constant threats are primarily theft, vandalism, air pollution, infestation by pests or fungus, deterioration due to aging, ignorance or indifference. An example for this category of danger is the fire of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne in August 1993. It is suspected that the fire was caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette. Peacetime dangers are primarily technical such as damage like flooding and natural events such as earthquakes, storms or avalanches. We refer to the floods in the summer of 2005 as a respective example. They affected cultural property in various parts of Switzerland; for example at the Collections Centre of the Museum of Transport in Lucerne or in the Benedictine convent of St. Andreas in Sarnen. Destruction through war, acquisition by force and removal of cultural property is as old as the history of humanity. In warfare the use of weapons and explosives has particularly detrimental effect on cultural property. In recent military conflicts – for example during the Balkan wars – a greater number of campaigns were carried out to deliberately destroy cultural assets, which promoted the birth of the Second Protocol. Terrorist attacks are also increasingly and deliberately directed against cultural assets. The destruction of Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban in the spring of 2001 provides an example for this. In Switzerland, which was largely spared armed conflicts in its younger history, current protection of cultural property focuses primarily on measures against technological dangers, natural events and vandalism.
Protective measures
a) Inventory
The third edition of the current 'Swiss Inventory of Cultural Assets of National and Regional Importance' was authorised by the Federal Council in 2009 (earlier editions: 1988, 1995). The objects of national importance ('A' objects) pertaining to individual buildings, archaeology as well as collections (holdings from museums, archives and libraries) were evaluated and assessed according to uniform criteria. The inventory can be viewed in the Internet either as a print publication or within the Geographic Information System (GIS). The PCP Inventory is currently being updated. The revised version should come into effect by 2021. Apart from this inventory, various others exist in accordance with Article 5 of the Federal Act on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage (NCHA) that are listed here as cross references to the protection of cultural property: the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS), the Inventory of Swiss Historic Roads (IHR) as well as the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance (ILNM).
b) Security documentation
According to article 5 'Federal Act on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, Disaster or Emergency Situations' of 2014 (PCPA), the cantons are responsible for documenting security measures to safeguard immovable cultural assets that are particularly worthy of protection and to make security copies of mobile cultural assets that are particularly worthy of protection. Such documentation will enable the restoration or reconstruction of these cultural assets if they are damaged or destroyed. For the compilation of security documentation as much information on the object as possible is collected and stored on microfilm (photographic and photogrammetric recordings, construction plans, restoration reports, archaeological documentation, historic sources, literature as well as inventories and detailed descriptions).
c) Microfilm
For long-term archiving purposes, microfilm is currently regarded as the most reliable storage medium because with correct storage it can be kept for several hundred years. The rapid change in IT technology is taken into account in as far as it has been possible for some time now to make microfilms from digital data. Important documents from archives and libraries, but also security documentation are microfilmed and the films are deposited at a safe location. The Confederation is, according to the 'Ordinance on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, Disaster or Emergency Situations' (PCPO), responsible for the storage of security copies from the cantons at a 'safe location' – at the federal microfilm archive in Heimiswil (canton of Bern).
d) Shelters for the protection of cultural property
There are currently more than 300 shelters in Switzerland for the protection of cultural property with a total volume of more than 85,000 m2 and 227,000 m3. They serve as storage space for mobile cultural assets in the case of damage or can even be used today as storerooms for cultural property. Lately, due to diminishing funds, already existing shelters have increasingly been converted into shelters for the protection of cultural property.
e) Emergency planning
Article 5 para. 4 of the Federal Act on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, Disasters and Emergencies requires the cantons to prepare measures to protect their cultural heritage from a range of hazards, including fire, building collapse, flooding, earthquakes and landslides, and to draw up an emergency plan. In 2018 the Federal Commission for the Protection of Cultural Property adopted the national strategy 'Cultural Property Protection Planning/Emergency Planning'. It is based on the Integrated Risk Management model applied by the FOCP and is divided into three main areas of action: prevention/preparedness, intervention and recovery. The aim of the strategy is to mitigate known risks as far as possible through the adoption of the appropriate organisational or structural measures. Mounting a safe and effective response to events caused by emergencies, disasters in peacetime and armed conflict is the focal point of the strategy. It also stipulates that, at every stage of the risk cycle, cultural institutions should know the right questions to ask and the right action to take.