Recovery site

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A salvage site or salvage area within the meaning of Article 1 of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict is a structural or other fixed facility in which movable cultural property is to be brought to safety in the event of war or armed conflict . Movable cultural assets include objects that are of great importance for the cultural heritage of peoples, such as works of art , manuscripts , books and other objects of artistic, historical or archaeological interest, as well as collections and archives of reproductions of such objects. By storing them in a salvage location or salvage room, they can be protected from falling debris, damage from the effects of fire and heat, from ionizing radiation or from moisture, among other things . Rescue locations and rescue rooms are therefore dedicated shelters .

Structural and technical aspects

In addition to the structural equipment, rescue locations and rescue rooms differ from museums and archives in terms of their use in that their sole purpose is to protect the cultural property they hold. As a rule, there is therefore no provision for public access. Although rescue locations and rescue rooms can be set up ad hoc during an armed conflict , some of these facilities are built and equipped in peacetime. This applies in particular to collections of reproductions of cultural goods.

Due to the favorable climatic conditions for long-term storage and the well-protected location, salvage sites are often set up in disused mine tunnels and comparable natural underground structures. Decentralized rescue rooms, which are located near or directly below museums, libraries or archives, are often equipped with air conditioning, ventilation and filter systems as well as other technical equipment. According to Article 8 of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property, salvage sites of outstanding importance can, under certain conditions, be provided with the special protection agreed in this agreement.

Examples

The entrance to the Barbarastollen (2009)
Germany

The Barbarastollen near Oberried near Freiburg im Breisgau is the "central salvage location of the Federal Republic of Germany" for the long-term storage of archival material of great national or cultural historical importance. Decentralized rescue rooms exist in Germany, for example in Aachen to secure the cathedral treasure, in the German Leather Museum in Offenbach am Main , in the Neue Pinakothek in Munich , in some Berlin museums and in the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main .

Austria

literature

  • Dietrich Schindler , Jiří Toman (Eds.): The laws of armed conflicts: a collection of conventions, resolutions, and other documents. 3rd revised edition. Sijthoff & Noordhoff International Publishers, Alphen aan den Rijn 1988, ISBN 9-02-473306-5 (pp. 747-768)

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