Historic Preservation in Prague during the Protectorate Period Bohemia and Moravia

Until publication of this book, the issue of conservation of heritage sites in Prague between 1939 and 1945, which is so fundamental for our cultural history, has not been addressed with the attention it deserves. In the thirties and forties of the twentieth century, the discipline of heritage conservation in periods of war evolved significantly, and lay down the foundations of modern approach to cultural heritage site protection. Even before the Second World War, in the Great War, a number of European countries experienced serious damage to their valuable collections. For this reason, in the period between the wars, first theoretical attempts to establish new approach and methods of protection of cultural heritage vulnerable to damage in war appeared, as documented in studies by several significant public figures, e. g. by Carl Justi. The deteriorating political situation in Europe in the thirties inspired reflection upon this issue, considering means of modern war, technological progress in weaponry, as well as destructive capacity of the arms, threatening European cultural heritage. Four years before the Second World War started, discussion on how to effectively protect heritage from war-imposed damage had been initiated in Germany by prof. Otto Kümmel. In that time, Kümmel did not have..