District introduces new district monument conservator

For 35 years, he was responsible for the preservation of monuments in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg and has now entered a well-deserved retirement: Walter Schumann has handed over his area of expertise to his successor Antje Paul. District Administrator Dr Reinhard Kubat, First District Councillor and Head of the Building Department Karl-Friedrich Frese and Head of the Building Department Susanne Paulus paid tribute to the many achievements of the long-serving district monument conservator.

District Administrator Dr Kubat emphasised that Walter Schumann had always been known for working on solutions. He thanked Schumann for his many years of beneficial work, which had always been oriented towards what was best for the citizens. First District Councillor Frese recalled his first meeting with the district monument conservator in the mid-1990s as the then mayor of Bromskirchen. The renovation of the historic Bromskirchen town hall still serves as a showcase project today. Schumann's successor can now go her own way in the preservation of historical monuments, starting from a firm foundation.

Since July 1986, when Walter Schumann started working for the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg, the idea behind the protection of historical monuments has evolved, explained head of department Paulus. In many cities, it is not only individual buildings that are worth preserving, but also entire streets, squares, historic city centres or city quarters. "The task of urban monument protection is to preserve these historical ensembles with their special character and in their entirety," Paulus said. Schumann had virtually lived the principle of everyday monument preservation of historic buildings, which has now also found its way into the amendment of the Monument Protection Act.

"My highest honour is the gratitude of the people I have advised on their heritage conservation projects," Walter Schumann said modestly, and in turn thanked his two mentors Bernd Gero Altwasser, head of the building department of the city of Bad Arolsen in 1981 and 1982, and Prof. Dr. Michael Neumann, district conservator 1979 - 2003. His successor Antje Paul should and wants to bring heritage conservation and modernity into harmony, to support clients and architects with her ideas. The utilisation of old, historic buildings is becoming more and more important, and urban conservation is more important than ever, she emphasises. Preserving historical ensembles with their special character and in their entirety is the most urgent task here. And not to forget: "Every saved monument is climate-neutral and saves resources." Antje Paul is looking forward to her diverse tasks in monument conservation and promises to take good care of the monuments in Walter Schumann's succession in cooperation with the State Office for Monument Conservation.

An important aspect in the preservation and protection of old, historic buildings is the Advisory Council on Monuments, which the new District Monument Preservation Officer will of course help to install in the near future. Along with Brandenburg and Thuringia, Hesse is only one of three federal states in which the establishment of this body to advise the lower monument protection authorities (counties and independent cities) is anchored in law. Frese, the head of the building department, says: "The legally established advisory board for monuments clearly shows how much importance is attached to the protection and preservation of monuments in our federal state.

In the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg, special attention has long been paid to the protection of historical monuments through the district's own measures, adds the First District Commissioner. The biennial district prize for the protection of historical monuments is a welcome instrument for publicising the achievements of builders of renovated old buildings and, above all, for officially recognising these achievements at the district level. Together with the half a million euros of the district funding programme for the renovation of old building fabric and the 75,000 euros of regular monument protection funds, a considerable amount of funding is made available in Waldeck-Frankenberg for the preservation of old buildings as visible witnesses of history.