On the occasion of the opening of the traveling exhibition “Cultural Property Protection” in St. Pölten, Patrick Huber spoke for Militär Aktuell with the Lower Austrian military commander Brigadier Georg Härtinger and the cultural expert of the Lower Austrian military command, Colonel Philipp Loske.
Brigadier Härtinger, how did this exhibition come about in the first place?
Härtinger: Colonel Philipp Loske is our liaison officer for the protection of cultural property. He played a key role in the development of this traveling exhibition.
What significance does the protection of cultural property have for the armed forces?
Härtinger: The subject of cultural property protection and cultural heritage are closely linked. We therefore also want to raise awareness of this issue. We also hold regular exercises in this area.
What exactly are these exercises about?
Härtinger: For example, attention is paid to how works of art should be handled. This ranges from writing down a glass display case to the correct way to remove a painting with an alarm so that it can then be properly cared for.
Let’s stay with this example: what do you have to look out for when removing an oil painting, for example?
Brigadier Härtinger passes the question on to his expert, Colonel Loske.
Loske: It’s very important to wear gloves so that you don’t leave greasy fingerprints on them. As a general rule, when we are involved in assisting with the rescue of cultural property in the civilian sector, we always do this in close consultation with the owner. Ultimately, this also involves liability issues. We can also draw on a large pool of civilian experts from various specialist areas, such as restorers and archaeologists.
Has there been a major operation to rescue cultural assets recently?
Loske: In EVERY disaster control operation of the Armed Forces attention is automatically paid to the protection of cultural assets. Take, for example, historic chapels or works of art that we bring to safety from flooded cellars.
Is the protection of cultural assets carried out by specially trained army personnel or is every soldier qualified to do so?
Härtinger: The topic is dealt with in all army training courses, starting with basic military service. In officer training, of course, we go into this in depth. But no, there is no special branch of the armed forces for this, every soldier lends a hand if necessary.
What does this look like in practice? Do army trucks come to an incident site and take cultural assets to the nearest barracks, where they are stored until the danger is averted?
Härtinger: You can’t say that across the board. It always depends on the individual case and is decided individually by the incident commander. There are no predefined procedures.
Here for further army news.
