The aim of legislation through all times is to regulate peoples’
interests and behaviour and thus it reflects contemporary problems. But
the rules act also as the generators of values. The target of the
conference is to discuss the correlation between legislation and common
values. The presentations both on history and contemporary issues are
expected and the conference will work in sections accordingly.
Conservation Act by King Charles XI of Sweden from 1666 is not the
earliest heritage protection act in Europe, but very influential as the
Swedish Kingdom those days included the present Nordic and Baltic
countries (Sweden, Finland, Estonia and parts of Latvia, Germany and
Russia) and is the ground of current legislation in Sweden and
elsewhere. And it is important also because of the the essence – it did
not cover only the property of the King and the Church, but also the
Viking
age heritage, folk art and tales, ruins of buildings that are out of
use, sacred groves and springs etc. The Act regulated the excavations of
old graves; it forbid the reuse of ancient monuments as building
materials, and the relocation of monuments, etc. Most of the issues
covered are still relevant today. For example one can see the ties
between forbidding excavation of the graves except for scientific
purposes with the contemporary problem of metal detectorists and the
obligation to safeguard the valuables from the widespread illicit trade.
Tallinn Old Town Conservation Area was first of the kind in former
Soviet Union setting strict regulations to the development processes and
has influenced not only the development but also the common
understanding of heritage values.
Additional information:
Riin.Alatalu@gmail.com
