Monumentenzorg

Monumentenzorg (English: "Monument Care") is a Dutch heritage organisation working for the protection and conservation of local, national and international monuments.

Overview

Monumentenzorg falls under the responsibility of the Dutch Ministry of Education and Culture.

Categorization of monuments

The ministry maintains various lists of protected monuments in the Netherlands. These lists are categorized as fallows:
* World Heritage Site
* "Rijksmonument", or national monuments
* Provincial monuments
* Monuments in cities kept by a local 'stadsherstel' organization, such as Stadsherstel Amsterdam
* Local town efforts to protect buildings or areas of interest by 'schoonheids commissies'.

Schoonheids commissies (rough translation: Beauty committees) are usually grassroots efforts to prevent the destruction of old buildings, something the Dutch do often and is a necessary evil for an over-populated country whose neglected buildings have a tendency to blow down in the wind or sink into the mud.

Monumenten dag

Once a year, all monuments are open to the public on Monument Day.

Type of monuments

* Waterworks relating to hydraulic science
* Buildings or structures of historic interest
* Parks of historic interest, or ecological importance
* Feats of engineering
* Artistic sculptures
* Historic Art collections
* Old trees or old woods (in Holland it is rare for a tree to reach a great age)
* War memorials

External links

* [http://www.racm.nl/ Website van de Rijksdienst voor Archeologie, Cultuurlandschap en Monumenten (voorheen Monumentenzorg Nederland)]