Commitment to the preservation and use of church buildings

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Sat, 07 Nov
denkmal-FORUM (Hall 2, F51)

Short description

In many places, churches shape the character, history and cultural life of a region. When parishes have to give up buildings or seek new uses for them, the question arises: how can these special places be preserved whilst at the same time being developed in a way that ensures their future viability? The heritage networks in Germany, operating under the umbrella of the Bund Heimat und Umwelt in Deutschland (BHU), use selected examples to illustrate civic engagement in developing ideas and – in the best-case scenario – putting them into practice. The event provides insights into successful initiatives, new concepts for use and the challenges involved in preserving church buildings as architectural, cultural and commemorative sites.

Description

Church buildings are far more than just historic structures: they are defining features of our townscapes, testimonies to regional history and, across generations, important centres of community life – and thus often ‘third’ or ‘fourth places’. However, in the face of falling membership numbers, changing parish structures and high maintenance costs, many churches face an uncertain future. How can we succeed in preserving these buildings whilst at the same time developing new ways of using them?

The heritage networks in Germany present various forms of engagement using selected examples. The focus is on initiatives by associations, local communities, committed citizens and other partners who are taking responsibility for the preservation of church buildings and developing viable plans for their use. The event showcases the ideas, collaborations and funding models being employed, as well as the concrete results they have yielded. It provides insights into successful projects, highlights challenges and invites participants to engage in discussion about the future of churches as heritage sites, cultural centres and places of community gathering.

The heritage networks are linked nationwide under the umbrella of the Federation for Heritage and the Environment in Germany (BHU); the BHU supports their work as the national federation of local history and citizens’ associations and represents the interests of civil society in heritage conservation vis-à-vis politicians, public authorities and the general public.




Programme:

Part 1:

- Welcome address by the Managing Director of the BHU, Dr Inge Gotzmann

- The following heritage networks will present examples of their commitment to the preservation and use of church buildings:

- Denkmalnetz Thüringen: Constanze Roth und Hans-Peter Schmit

Engagement um Erhaltung und Nutzung von Kirchen in Thüringen

- Denkmalnetz Bayern: Heidi Weinbeck und Manuela Klauser

Später Schutz, offene Zukunft? Nachkriegskirchen im Transformationsprozess. Die Fallbeispiele St. Benedikt in Ebenhausen-Schäftlarn und St. Mauritius in München-Moosach

- Denkmalnetz Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

- Denkmalnetz Baden-Württemberg

- Denkmalnetz Sachsen: Tom Macht und Sarah Blacha



Part 2:

Panel discussion with representatives of the heritage networks and Prof. Karin Berkemann

Moderation

Speaker

Information about the program

  • Event Series

    Heritage education and building culture education, Building in existing contexts

  • Topics

    Building Conservation & Refurbishment, Building Culture, Urban Development & Adaptive Reuse, Volunteering & Civic Engagement

  • Language

    German

Event Location

denkmal-FORUM  (Hall 2, F51)

Exhibitors

Bund Heimat und Umwelt in Deutschland (BHU) e.V.