Black Book of Monument Preservation: Destroyed. Forgotten. Documented.

With its new Black Book of Monument Preservation, the German Foundation for Monument Protection presents an unsparing assessment of how our cultural heritage is being treated. The shocking result: more and more monuments are disappearing and with them our history. What has been silently disappearing for decades is now being made visible – and should finally trigger the necessary debate.

The German Foundation for Monument Preservation (DSD) has published the first nationwide documentation of monument losses and acute threats in its “Black Book of Monument Preservation – A Directory of Lost History 2023/2024”. The results of the study are worrying. Almost every day, historic buildings fall victim to demolition excavators, investor interests or weakening monument protection laws. What is even more alarming, however, is that many are being lost almost unnoticed because there has been no central recording of monument losses in Germany to date.

The “Schwarzbuch der Denkmalpflege – ein Verzeichnis verlorener Geschichte 2023/2024” now documents in detail around 40 cases from all over Germany – from the Schiller Opera House in Hamburg to the Reichelsdorfer Keller racecourse in Nuremberg and the historic Sternbrücke bridge in Hamburg. The examples show typical “patterns of loss” and make it clear how structural weaknesses in monument protection endanger cultural heritage. But the publication does not stop at criticism: It also provides possible solutions, presents examples of best practice and formulates concrete demands for politicians. The DSD had already addressed specific demands to politicians during the German parliamentary elections in order to draw attention to the critical situation of monument protection in Germany.

The DSD has been committed to monuments and their protection for 40 years. The DSD is the largest private initiative for the protection of monuments. To mark its 40th anniversary, the DSD is publishing the “Black Book of Monument Preservation” not only as an inventory, but also as a warning. The aim is to raise public awareness of the value of historic buildings and to reignite the debate on more effective protection laws. The presentation was accompanied by a rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate – a symbolic place that is itself part of the German monument landscape.

Whether historic town halls, half-timbered houses, bridges or industrial monuments – the “Schwarzbuch der Denkmalpflege – ein Verzeichnis verlorener Geschichte 2023/2024” (Black Book of Monument Preservation – a list of lost history 2023/2024) makes it clear that not only representative buildings, but also everyday architecture is in need of protection. Many of these buildings shape cityscapes and regional identities – their loss weakens Germany’s cultural memory.The Schwarzbuch der Denkmalpflege – ein Verzeichnis verlorener Geschichte 2023/2024 comprises 288 pages in DIN A5 format and is available free of charge as a download or printed brochure. Interested parties can download it directly here.