29.10.2024 – Double birthday for monument protection in Hesse

30 years of the Frankfurt Monument Forum e.V. and 50 years of the Hessian State Office for Monument Protection: Zvonko Turkali Architects, the Rhine-Main Chamber of Crafts, the State Office for Monument Preservation, the Monuments Office of the City of Frankfurt am Main and the Association of Germans invited under the title “Building Culture – Reconstruction Culture – Monument Preservation”. Architects (BDA) Hessen to the anniversary celebration.

On October 29, 2024, at the House of Crafts in Frankfurt am Main, the organizers welcomed numerous people interested in monument protection to three lectures followed by a discussion.

After the welcome by Prof. Zvonko Turkali (Zvonko Turkali Architects) and Chairman of the Frankfurt Monument Forum e.V., greetings by Wolfgang Siefert, Frankfurt am Main City Council and Prof. Dr. Markus Harzenetter, President of the Hesse State Office for Monument Preservation, was followed by three lectures by monument protection practitioners.

Dr. Maria Wüllenkemper, Hesse State Office for Monument Preservation. gave a lecture on “Aspects of large city monument preservation using Frankfurt as an example”. 
“Underground! Conservation of archaeological monuments in a big city” was the lecture by Dr. Andrea Hampel, head of the Frankfurt Monument Office.
With his presentation “Continue building. Poetic Reconstructions in Monument Preservation,” architect Prof. Alexander Reichel concluded the lecture section.

This was followed by a discussion between the speakers and Susanne Haus, President of the Frankfurt-Rhine-Main Chamber of Crafts and Managing Director of the Frankfurt Monument Forum e.V. The moderation was taken over by Dr. Matthias Alexander (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).

Association chairman Prof. Zvonko Turkali emphasizes: “Historic protection has long since developed from a purely expert topic to a social challenge in building. Monument preservation efforts are a reflection of how we deal with history in our society.”

Prof. Dr. Markus Harzenetter, President of the Hesse State Office for Monument Preservation, adds: “In the fifty years of our existence, we as the State Office for Monument Preservation, together with local actors, have been able to achieve a broad awareness of the need for careful handling of architectural heritage. However, there are no reasons to rest on this success.”

The Frankfurter Monument Forum e.V. association has been concerned with the history, culture and monument preservation of the city of Frankfurt am Main since it was founded in 1994. In this context, he supports numerous activities (including lectures, guided tours for Frankfurt citizens to the city’s monuments) and publications. Since its inception, the Frankfurt Monument Forum has worked closely with the Monument Office of the City of Frankfurt. Among other things, public lectures on monument protection and the architectural history of the city of Frankfurt am Main were initiated together and publications by the Monument Office were financially supported. The Frankfurt Monument Forum is financed through membership fees and donations.