Preserving cultural and architectural heritage has always been a permanent task. Unfortunately, this is especially true during periods of crisis. "Heritage preservation in conflict or crisis regions is an issue of ongoing interest – Ukraine, Syria and Yemen are just three current examples of this. This issue was also highly relevant here in Germany during the first half of the 20th century. Not many historical preservationists and restorers are well-equipped to handle this kind of situation. The same goes for NGOs that work on issues of cultural and architectural heritage. That's why we hope to offer professionals visiting denkmal an opportunity to grapple with this problem and to establish contacts to experts in the field. The war against Ukraine has shown us once again how difficult it is to protect cultural heritage in crisis regions and war zones, especially when it comes to immovable cultural artefacts like buildings. Nevertheless, the specialist lectures should help us to understand what can be done", explains Tino Mager, president of the German National Committee of ICOMOS.

To that end, attendees at the symposium on "Preserving Cultural and Architectural Heritage in Conflict and Crisis Regions" can expect informative presentations, meaningful discussions and a variety of real-world examples. These will give all participants the opportunity to gain new knowledge and experiences, take part in discussions and meetings and speak directly with different experts. The symposium will consist of three sections, each dealing with one of three subtopics (prevention, intervention and maintenance), with international experts from ICOMOS, the German Archaeological Institute, Blue Shield, the German Commission for UNESCO and other organisations sharing their strategies and experiences in each respective area. "Here, we will address various aspects of preserving cultural and architectural heritage in conflict and crisis regions. The focus will be on options and strategies for protecting artefacts before crises and conflicts arise as well as while catastrophes are happening and on measures to provide conservation support both during and after reconstruction", Mager explains.