Strategie propagandowych batalii. Ochrona zabytków w czasie działań wojennych w ujęciu Corneliusa Gurlitta w dobie konferencji w Brukseli w 1915 roku

• Authors: Tadeusz Zadrożny

Abstracts

EN

Kriegstagung für Denkmalpflege, a war conference for the protection of historical monuments, took place at the end of August 1915 in German-occupied Brussels. From the perspective of a hundred years, it seems a mere episode, a somewhat forgotten event, too closely linked to the interests of contemporary German propaganda to offer any lasting or meaningful solutions of international importance. Yet, it was of decisive importance to the development of the idea of Kunstschutz – that is, art protection services organized by the military. It helped overcome the resistance of military authorities, making them aware that, in the wake of the events of 1914 and the frightening escalation of violence and terror in occupied Belgium and France, spreading the image of a nation that cares not just about their own historical monuments, but also those of their enemies, acquires the importance of a German raison d’état. In 1914, as a result of the contained offensive of the Battle of Liege, bitterness and tension grew in the German army, caused by the failure of the planned operation, which should have brought about the rapid annexation of Belgium. There was a proliferation of atrocities against civilians, as well as acts of barbarism directed at the cultural heritage of Belgium and later France. The burning of Leuven University Library in late August, and the demolition of university buildings and other monuments in that city, provoked a wave of indignation across the world. It intensified following 19th September 1914, the bombing of Reims Cathedral – the coronation place of the kings of France. Germans were described as barbarians, and began to experience isolation internationally, which was painfully felt in both a private as well as state capacity. The 1915 Brussels conference was to lead the way in overcoming this impasse by replacing the spreading terror, and its purpose of sapping the enemy’s morale, with a doctrine of the “German nation’s innate, profound love of culture”. This difficult task was taken on by Cornelius Gurlitt (1850-1938), a prominent art historian and architect, professor at Technische Universität Dresden and former soldier, widely recognized as one of the fathers of German heritage protection. The purpose of delivering his key lecture Der Krieg und die Denkmalpflege (The war and the preservation of historical monuments), centred on considerations and analysis of official reports regarding the destruction of monuments that took place in 1914, as well as providing a review of international legal regulations and the Hague Convention IV, was to offer the authorities sound and efficacious arguments with which to disarm the opposition, holding them responsible for damages and freeing the Germans from their shameful stigma of barbarism. In the end, although he advanced many arguments, they were not strong enough to function as effective propaganda. On the other hand, he was genuinely concerned by the fate of historical monuments, and alongside other participants at the meeting, suggested solutions that required the kind of negotiation which, in light of the severe fighting going on at every level, were unacceptable and naive. However, despite the objections of military circle, the message contained within the seven principles he formulated appears valuable. The first principle charged the troops with responsibility – it is a duty of every country, even in time of war, to protect the monuments in enemy territory as their own. The others concerned the status of a historical monument; the need and the rules for using protective signs; the distance of defence positions from historical landmarks; the prohibition of using the latter for military purposes and the absolute prohibition of attacking and bombing it; the need to notify enemy parties of the list of protected objects via neutral authorities; and the rights of these authorities to monitor compliance with the rules of heritage protection in the event of conflict.

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk
• Journal: Rocznik Historii Sztuki
• Year: 2015
• Issue: 40
• Pages: 19-48

Dates

published

2015

Contributors

author

Tadeusz Zadrożny

Identifiers

Biblioteka Nauki

707000