Monument Protection in Danger

The German Foundation for Monument Protection has criticized the federal states for cutting their budget for the maintenance of historic structures, saying several hundred thousands historic sites are in danger of falling into disrepair. The vice president of the foundation, Klaus Trouet, said that Germany was threatened with losing some of its "history in stone" and part of its regional "memory" if its historic monuments are lost. According to him, the preservation foundation made some 38 million euros ($47.6 million) available for the protection and maintenance of historic sites in 2004, but that amount is not enough to ensure that important buildings receive the upkeep they require. The cuts by the federal states in the area of preservation are larger than cuts in other budget areas, he added. In Germany there are about one million listed monuments.