International Day against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property
UNESCO first designated 14 November as the International Day against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property in 2019. This occasion reminds us of the need to protect our cultural heritage.
Smuggling and illegal trafficking of cultural objects directly threaten the preservation of cultural heritage. Cultural property has more than just material value. Its non-material value is often much more precious: as a reflection of identity, cultural objects serve as the memory of cultural regions and nations and are therefore nothing less than the intangible heritage of humankind. This heritage is particularly at risk from instability in regions of crisis and war.
In recent years, Germany has thoroughly reinforced its regulatory framework to counter the trade in stolen property and objects taken from illicit excavations. Germany’s Act on the Protection of Cultural Property (Kulturgutschutzgesetz, KGSG) sets clear rules on due diligence that commercial dealers must follow. These are flanked by regulations on importing and exporting cultural property that apply throughout the European Union.
If illicitly trafficked objects appear on the international art market, it is not only a question of supply, but also of demand. What many people may not be aware of: anyone who buys stolen goods not only risks criminal prosecution. Thanks to expanded rights to obtain information, museums and private collectors are both able and called on to take an active role in protecting cultural property. Existing rules on consumer protection – particularly for internet purchases – enable prospective buyers to gain more information about the origin and history of the objects they wish to purchase. In this way, buyers are able to make informed decisions, whether before auctions, at shops and galleries, or when shopping on the internet.
On the occasion of the jewellery theft from the Louvre in Paris, Dr Wolfram Weimer, Minister of State for Culture and the Media, said: “The protection of cultural property starts with us, with our awareness; it is not only museums and dealers that must be vigilant. Buyers too must be aware of the potential for illegally trafficked objects. The illicit trade in cultural property thrives on a lack of transparency. We must cut off its financial lifelines by actively questioning dubious deals and requiring the object’s provenance as a matter of course.”
Ideally, directly asking about and, where appropriate, even questioning the provenance of cultural objects can help in locating lost cultural property. This is a global challenge.
Germany works closely with its European partners and UNESCO to protect cultural heritage. UNESCO recently launched its Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects to raise the visibility of lost cultural property worldwide and to help locate stolen cultural objects. The recent theft of priceless jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris is only one example of the risks our cultural heritage faces. Organised crime and illegal trafficking threaten cultural treasures everywhere in the world, including in Germany: the jewels stolen from Dresden’s Green Vault in 2019 and the two paintings by Carl Spitzweg taken from Berlin’s Charlottenburg Palace in 1989 are further proof of how vulnerable cultural treasures can be when they are targeted by criminals.