This blue and white stove-enamelled plaque from the collection of the Werkbundarchiv – Museum der Dinge identifies an architectural, ground or garden heritage site.
The motif is derived from the “Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict”, which was established by UNESCO in 1954. Its aim is to protect cultural heritage worldwide from looting, destruction and damage. Unlike this plaque, the use and mounting of the Hague Convention’s protection mark – also known as the “Blue Shield” – is strictly regulated.
The plaque shown here was used in the GDR from 1980 onwards to make immovable cultural heritage recognisable. Five years earlier, in 1975, the “Law for the Preservation of Monuments in the German Democratic Republic” was passed. In the same year, the European Year for the Preservation of Monuments and Cultural Heritage takes place for the first time in the European Union.
The East German heritage signs continued to be used after reunification and can now be seen on many monuments throughout Germany, including in Berlin, Hamburg and Saxony. After restoration and conservation measures, garden and house owners can order the plaque from the Land office for protection of historical monuments. Neither justification nor authorisation is required to order and mount a plaque. To find out if a building or garden is actually protected, it is therefore advisable to consult the lists of monuments.
Every year in September, the German Foundation for Monument Protection organises the Open Monument Day, on which many protected buildings can be visited. This year, the day will be on Sunday, 8 September 2024.
This plaque can be seen in the exhibition “Profitopolis or the Condition of the City”.
