Culture guessetter in action: protection for our treasures after disasters!

Culture guessetter in action: protection for our treasures after disasters!

This week, the cultural guessers were active on the record castle near Perleberg and the castle ruins in Mesendorf. The task of the group, which is also known as Cultural Heritage Response Unit (Chru), is to secure and recover cultural assets in crisis situations. This usually happens in the case of natural disasters or war -related destruction, such as maz-online.de reported.

The Technical Relief Agency (THW) is responsible for saving people and animals, while the cultural assets are concentrated on the protection of cultural goods. The project, which is under the leadership of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) in Berlin, received support from the Federal Foreign Office and currently has around 100 volunteers, including museum director, archaeologists and engineers.

exercises and operations

An important milestone for the Chru was the first full exercise, which was carried out in September 2024 in Demerthin Castle. There, 42 experts learned the basics of international cultural protection protection as part of a simulation of an earthquake scenario. The unit is to achieve its fully operational capacity in 2025, as dainst.org writes.

in Mesendorf recently 18 volunteers were deployed, the building damage and cracks recorded on the Plattenburg, determining geographical data and damage to the castle ruins in Mesendorf. A mini drone was used for these missions to create photos and create the documentation. An iron anchor was inserted into an unstable wall, loose stones were attached and masonry was plastered. Hot mortar hardened faster was used to preserve the castle ruins. Around three pallets with technology and material were ready for an emergency, the material procurement was coordinated and the use with the local authorities, including the monument protection area at the Prignitz district, was coordinated.

positive response from authorities

department head Gordon Thalmann expressed a positive statement about the professionalism of the cultural asset rescuer and the successful integration of the local monument protection authority. In an emergency, the Chru could be in use for about ten days until the experts take over the further care of the cultural assets on site. The Chru not only makes an important contribution to the protection of cultural assets at home and abroad, but is also available as part of the EU disaster protection mechanism to offer help quickly and effectively worldwide.

The development of the Chru is part of a long-term project that has been promoted by DAI since 2019 with the help of the THW and the Leibniz Center for Archeology (Leiza). thw.de also emphasizes that over 100 voluntary experts for the cultural utensils started in the project and the training. The use of the Chru is a signal that the protection of our cultural heritage is also very popular in times of crisis.