What truly deserves protection: a revision of conservational absurdity

In Poland, we have a problem: under the description “the monument” today, everything is hidden – from the majestic cathedral, to the rabid shed, where nothing has happened for a long time. And no 1 will dare take that description off. Losses to owners, towns and cultural heritage.

There are plenty of examples.

Take Gorzów Wielkopolski – the city from which the author of these words comes. all kid in Gorzów learns in school that Gorzów has 3 monuments:

• Cathedral
• granary
• fragment city walls

Meanwhile, official registry of monuments A full lot of beautiful average buildings land there: barns, sheds, garages, sometimes the full streets by a string:

A tiny fragment of the registry of Monuments of Gorzów Wlkp., as of 2018.

Similar “requisite” can be found in virtually all city. Do all these objects truly deserve protection? Who needs it, but possibly people who live off these records?

The monuments should be impressive

Let us say this openly: the fact that an entirely average building managed to halt 80 or 100 years and not collapse should absolutely not prejudge its designation as a monument.

The monument should only be something above average – in any way, above all:

• at least 300-400 years old and inactive not in full ruin – if the average building can scope the age of 80-100 years rather accidentally, thanks to favorable circumstances, 300 years and more is already a real achievement, resulting from the highly careful construction of specified an object
• having unique architectural, historical, cultural or tourist qualities – specified as the Palace of Culture or Gdańsk Shipyard

How does it look to take care of monuments today?

That's the problem: she doesn't look at all. due to the fact that if the "requirement" does not represent any real value that can be mononetised (e.g. by selling tickets to tourists) and only appears in the register, due to the fact that it was erstwhile put into force there, the owner has no interest in maintaining specified a facility in good condition. At the same time, he has an interest in getting free of specified an object to reclaim the land that is increasingly expensive.

What, then, does the owner of the “unvalued monument” do? Nothing at all. due to the fact that it is not allowed to be undressed – but you can just wait until specified an object collapses, until then it allows to remove it from the register,

What should specified care look like?

The first step should be the national "reset" of all local heritage registers and the deletion of everything that does not meet the above criteria.

And erstwhile this is done, the next step should be an alternate to private owners:

1. or to cover specified historical buildings with a conservation fund, which, for example, reimburses 70-90% of the costs of renovations by methods typical of the facility (the exact percent of return could consequence from the individual value of the facility),
2. or voluntary nationalisation of specified historical sites, taking into account the possible value of the land in the event of the liquidation of the monument (if the private owner is inactive not curious in renovations despite the grant from the fund).

In another words, the state should be generous – it is yet about protecting national heritage.

What gives society specified generosity?

Focusing on the protection of real monuments, not accidental tenements and garages, we gain at all level – as a state, city, municipality, but above all society. We gain:

• more attractive cities
• Inflow of tourists
• Inflow of investors
• an influx of money to local companies
• increased employment (which is only suitable for Poles)
• Ultimately, better quality of life

Summary

Let us not be naive: protecting all obsolete shed, alternatively we destruct the chance for improvement and authentic heritage. It takes courage to choose what is truly worth protecting – and if something is not worth protecting, let us simply give the owners the freedom to choose:

• maintain and expand according to a historical vision
• rework without any restrictions, like any another building
• tear down and make something new

Let us reconstruct the sense of conservatory – otherwise in a twelve years we will only have an absurd museum.

Photo: a erstwhile idol (house of prayers) in the village of Wiśniów, in subsequent years converted into a firehouse Volunteer Fire Service, and now not utilized for many years. photo. Catherine Holuj. Yeah, that's something. Really? is simply a monument in Poland. Curious, right?