The purpose of cultural heritage management is described in the Cultural Heritage Act, which lays down that it is a national responsibility to safeguard archaeological and architectural monuments and sites and cultural environments "as part of our cultural heritage and identity and as an element in the overall environment and resource management".

Under the terms of the Act, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage may impose a protection order on buildings, groups of buildings and cultural landscapes. There are two types of protection given to monuments and sites, depending on whether they date back to before 1537/1650 (see also information to the right). Monuments and sites prior to 1537/1650 are automatically protected, while those dating from 1537/1650 onwards require a protection order, which is granted on a case-to-case basis.

The Cultural Heritage Act also regulates the relations between the authorities and the owners of protected monuments and sites. However, only a fraction of our cultural heritage is protected in this way. There are a large number of buildings and other monuments and sites that we consider worthy of protection because of their qualities and their importance for the surrounding environment. There are other acts of legislation that can be invoked to protect these monuments and sites, notably the Building and Planning Act. But the best method of conservation is to make the owners of monuments and sites aware of their importance, and to encourage them to maintain these irreplaceable properties whether or not they are legally protected.

Read  the Cultural Heritage Act in English here »