The Marking of Cultural Property according to the 1954 Hague Convention – Lessons Learnt from Austria

Abstract

This essay will focus on the practise of the marking of cultural property in Austria, which was undertaken on the basis of the 1954 Hague Convention. These activities, which started meanwhile more than 50 years ago, represent an interesting case regarding interpretation and application of an international Convention. After Austria had ratified the 1954 Hague Convention in 1964, the government installed in the late 1960ies the Conventionsbüro in Vienna. Among other activities, between 1971 and 1984 more than 80.000 cultural properties were registered in lists and inventories as well as some 20.000 blue-white emblems were distributed. Finally, the emblems became a common feature of the Austrian landscape. However, the high number of registered and labelled sites contributed sometimes rather to confusion among military staff and conservators than assisting them in respecting cultural heritage while performing their tasks. Consequently, following the amendment of the Denkmalschutzgesetz (“Austrian Monuments Protection Act”) in 2008, a new cultural property inventory had to be prepared. As a consequence, all the blue-white emblems, which were displayed so far, ceased to be valid. However, many of them were not removed from the sites, moreover, some of them were even sold (illegally of course) on sale-platforms. The new inventory (which was issued through a Minister’s decree) covers 135 sites and is available through internet. The contribution will on the one hand provide an overview on the international regulations regarding the marking of cultural property, and on the other hand demonstrate the practical implementation of these international demands by analysing the activities, achievements and deficits of Austria’s marking efforts.