S-Tiles - Law corner

Law corner

The list of regulations and directives in the cultural heritage field is long and well documented. Here, we only mention the most relevant documents in chronological order.
The Venice Charter, the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites (1964): this states that monuments are to be preserved not only as works of art, but also as historical evidence. It also sets down the principles of conservation, which relate to restoration of buildings with works dating from different periods. The Venice Charter continues to be the most influential international document on conservation.

Recommendation Concerning the Safeguarding of the Beauty and Character of Landscapes and Sites (Paris, 1962): this addresses natural and manmade landscapes and sites, including urban landscapes threatened by development and particularly areas that surround monuments. It encourages the use of both preventive and corrective measures and emphasizes the importance of urban and rural planning and oversight in safeguarding landscapes from infrastructure development, deforestation, pollution, advertising, building design and other named threats.
The World Heritage Convention, adopted in 1972 by the General Conference of UNESCO (Paris, 1972), promotes an international perspective on cultural heritage by inviting each Member State to submit an inventory of properties of its national cultural and natural heritage to be included in a list of World Heritage sites.

The Declaration of Amsterdam (1975) emphasizes the role of planning, education, legal, and administrative measures in protecting the region's architectural heritage. The document stipulates that architectural conservation must become an integral part of urban and regional planning. It calls for integrated conservation involving both local authorities and citizens and taking into consideration social factors.