Kulturdenkmal is the official term to describe National Heritage Sites listed by lawAccording to international law, the English term is

Cultural property Cultural property does not have a universal definition, but it is commonly considered to be tangible (physical, material) items that are part of the cultural heritage of a group or society, as opposed to less tangible cultural expressions. They in ...

, but can also be called ''Protected monument''. in German-speaking areas of Europe, to protect and spread awareness of

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soc ...

Austria

In Austria, the Bundesdenkmalamt (BDA), the institution in charge of the National Heritage Sites, administers the list of Kulturdenkmal objects, which it formally refers to as Denkmalgeschützte Objekte.

Belgium

The

Institut du Patrimoine The Institut du Patrimoine wallon (IPW) was the official public Wallonian institute created by law to protect and spread awareness of Belgian cultural heritage, specifically in Wallonia. Since January 1, 2018, the "Institut du Patrimoine wallon" ...

is the institution in charge of the National Heritage Sites of Wallonia, which includes the National Heritage Sites of the

German-speaking Community of Belgium The German-speaking Community (german: links=no, Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft, or DG; french: links=no, Communauté germanophone; nl, links=no, Duitstalige Gemeenschap), since 2017 also known as East Belgium (german: links=no, Ostbelgien), is ...

. Various local websites with public information are maintained, and various initiatives are undertaken to assist owners of protected properties and to increase public awareness, most notably the European Heritage Days, which are called "Tage des offenen Denkmals".

Germany

As cultural matters lie largely within the responsibility not of the national government, but of the 16 states ( Bundesländer), the 16 respective heritage protection authorities (Landesdenkmalämter) survey and list official monuments.

Switzerland

The

Kulturgüterschutz The Swiss Agency for the Protection of Cultural Property defines measures to protect cultural property against damage, destruction, theft and loss. For this purpose, a legal basis has been established at the national level and international agreemen ...

is the institution in charge of the National Heritage Sites of the German-speaking areas of Switzerland. They maintain the inventory of protected objects and also organize the European Heritage Days, which are called ''Europäischer Tag des Denkmals''.

Emblems

File:Denkmalplakette Deutschland.JPG, Emblem used to mark protected buildings and other structures in Germany. File:Logo Tag des Denkmals 2011 - 02.jpg, Logo for the European Heritage Days, which are organized by the DSD and are called ''Tag des Denkmals'' in Austria. File:Kulturdenkmal 4 Sprachen.jpg, "Cultural property" in four languages, including "Kulturdenkmal".

References

{{reflist Heritage organizations German words and phrases